Middle School Coding Curriculum for Teachers Who Have Never Taught CS
If you have been asked to teach coding and have never written a program yourself, the Coding & Computer Basics Units Bundle gives you four complete units for Grades 6–9: algorithms, Python, binary and digital images, and how the internet works. Each comes with slides, a reading text, worksheets on four levels and full answer keys with a marking guide, for $69.99.
See the coding bundleStart with the Coding & Computer Basics Units Bundle at $69.99; the four units cost $99.96 separately. It covers Algorithms and Computational Thinking, Programming with Python, Data and Encoding: Binary & Digital Images, and How the Internet Works. Every unit has a reading text, slides for the whole unit, differentiated worksheets, a hands-on task and answer keys with a marking guide, so you can teach it while staying one step ahead of the class.
The resources
Coding & Computer Basics Units Bundle, Grades 6–9
4 resources in one download: $69.99 instead of $99.96 bought separately.
Start with the first resource; the others are optional add-ons. Open any cover for the full contents and price.
Coding & Computer Basics Units Bundle | Algorithms, Python, Binary & How the Internet Works | 4 Units | Grades 6–9
AI & Cybersecurity Units Bundle | How AI Works, Prompting, Phishing, Encryption & Data Privacy | 6 Units | Grades 6–9
Computer Science Activities Bundle | Artificial Intelligence, Python Programming, Cybersecurity & Digital Literacy | Middle School Grades 7–10
Programming with Python – Computer Science Unit (Grades 6–9)
The real problem
Why a first coding class is hard to plan from scratch
Plenty of middle school computer science classes are taught by someone trained in math, science or business who got the course because nobody else could take it. Content is one hurdle. The bigger one is knowing what to teach first, how much a twelve-year-old can handle, and what a good answer looks like when a student shows you their code. Free tutorials are written for individual learners, not for a full class on a bell schedule. They jump straight into syntax, the students who have coded before race ahead, and the rest stall on the first error message. You end up running between screens fixing typos. A new CS teacher needs a sequence that begins with algorithms and step-by-step thinking and reaches Python only after students can describe a process in plain steps. You also need a way to keep confident students busy without losing beginners, and answer keys detailed enough to check work you could not have written yourself a month ago.
Why it fits
What the four units give a teacher who is learning too
The bundle is meant for teachers starting a CS or technology class, including those who have never taught coding.
- Algorithms and Computational Thinking lets you start with step-by-step thinking before anyone writes code.
- Programming with Python moves from print, variables and input to if statements, loops and a mini-project.
- The Python unit is written for students brand new to coding as well as for confident ones.
- Worksheets on Basic, Standard, Plus and Project levels give fast finishers something real to do.
- Full answer keys with a marking guide let you grade fairly while you are still learning.
- Binary & Digital Images and How the Internet Works explain what happens inside the machine.
Getting started
A first-semester outline for a new CS teacher
This order suits beginners on both sides of the desk. The pacing is a suggestion; stretch or shorten each block to fit your schedule.
- Read the slides before you teach themGo through each unit's slides and reading text a week ahead. Because the slides cover the whole unit, they double as your own short course in the topic before students see it.
- Begin with algorithmsTeach Algorithms and Computational Thinking first. Students learn to break a task into exact steps, which is the habit that makes the later Python lessons far less frustrating for everyone.
- Then binary and digital imagesData and Encoding: Binary & Digital Images shows how a computer stores numbers and pictures. It is concrete and gives students a reason to see code as plain instructions to a machine.
- Python, one structure at a timeIn Programming with Python, cover print, variables and input before if statements and loops. Save the mini-project for the end, and hand the Plus and Project worksheets to students who finish early.
- Close with how the internet worksFinish with How the Internet Works, which connects the course to tools students use every day and leaves them with a clearer picture of what happens when they open a website.
What to buy
Which coding product fits your course
For a first course, buy the Coding & Computer Basics Units Bundle at $69.99, which is $29.97 less than the four units bought separately. If you only need a Python block inside another class, the single Programming with Python unit is $24.99. If the course should also cover AI and online safety, add the AI & Cybersecurity Units Bundle ($89.99). For Grades 7–10, the Computer Science Activities Bundle at $119.99 has 10 units and 30 lessons, from Python to cryptography.
Honest limits
What is not included
No software, accounts, laptops or coding platform come with the units. You use whatever devices and Python setup your school already has, and you should test that setup before the Python unit. The units are not written for any state and carry no CSTA or state computer science standards codes, so check them against your own course requirements. Python is the only programming language taught. Shared use across a department needs a short message to Teach Lessons first. If the bundle is not a fit, exchange it within 7 days for store credit of equal value.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
Is it aligned with CSTA or my state's computer science standards?
No. The units are not aligned with, approved by or endorsed under CSTA or any state's computer science standards, and they contain no standards codes. The topics are common in middle school computer science, but compare them with your state or district course description before you buy.
I have never coded. Can I really teach the Python unit?
The unit begins with print, variables and input, which you can learn in an evening, then builds to if statements and loops. Working through the slides and worksheets yourself first is the best preparation. The answer keys and marking guide show you what correct work looks like, so you are not guessing when you grade.
What do students need to run Python?
The product does not include or require a particular platform. Use whatever your school already provides, such as an installed editor or a browser-based tool your district has approved, and try it with a short program of your own well before the first Python lesson in class.
How do I handle students who already code?
Each unit has worksheets on four levels: Basic, Standard, Plus and Project. Experienced students can go straight to the Plus or Project tasks and the hands-on deep-dive task, while beginners work through Basic and Standard. The Python unit is described as working for both groups.
Is four units enough for a full year?
Usually not. Four units suit a quarter or a semester better than a full year, depending on how many periods a week you have. For a longer course, the AI & Cybersecurity Units Bundle adds six units, and the Computer Science Activities Bundle offers 10 units for Grades 7–10.
Can another teacher at my school use it too?
The licence covers your own teaching. If a colleague teaches another section of the same course, send Teach Lessons a short message before sharing the files so team use can be set up properly. Posting the files publicly or reselling them is not allowed under the licence.
Walk into your first CS class with a plan
Open the product page, read the four unit descriptions, and download the slides tonight so you learn the first unit before your students do.
See the coding bundle