Units for North Carolina's Middle School Intro Computer Science Elective
If your North Carolina middle school now has to offer an introductory computer science elective and you are the one teaching it, the Coding & Computer Basics Units Bundle gives you four planned units to start with: algorithms and computational thinking, programming with Python, binary and digital images, and how the internet works. Each unit is written so a teacher new to coding can follow it, and no software is bundled.
Start with the coding unitsThe Coding & Computer Basics Units Bundle ($69.99, Grades 6–9) holds four computer science units: Algorithms and Computational Thinking, Programming with Python, Data and Encoding with binary and digital images, and How the Internet Works. Every unit has a reading text, worksheets on four levels, a hands-on deep-dive task, slides and answer keys with a marking guide. It gives a North Carolina intro CS elective ready lessons, but it is not matched to the NC K–12 Computer Science Standards.
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
A required elective, a graduation course ahead, and a new teacher
North Carolina has moved computer science from optional to expected. Under S.L. 2023-132, students entering grade 9 in 2024–25 and later need one computer science course to graduate, high schools must offer CS, and middle schools must offer an introductory CS elective from 2025–26. Local delay waivers were allowed only for 2024–25 and 2025–26, so as of the 2026–27 school year the requirement applies in full with no waivers. The NC K–12 Computer Science Standards describe what students should learn in the 6–8 band. For many middle schools that means someone has to teach a CS elective this year who has never taught one. The middle school elective also carries weight beyond itself: students who leave it understanding algorithms, how data is stored and how the internet moves information arrive in their high school CS course ready to build on it. The hard part is not motivation; students want to code. It is having lessons that explain the concepts clearly, programming tasks that work for complete beginners and confident students in the same room, and grading that does not depend on you being a programmer.
Why it fits
What the four units give a new CS teacher
Each unit follows the same pattern, which helps you plan fast and helps students know what comes next.
- Algorithms and Computational Thinking teaches problem-solving steps before any code is written.
- Programming with Python covers print, variables, input, if statements, loops and a mini-project.
- The Python unit is written for students brand new to coding and for confident ones.
- Binary and digital images show how a computer stores numbers and pictures.
- How the Internet Works explains how information travels between computers.
- Worksheets on Basic, Standard, Plus and Project levels handle very different starting points.
Getting started
A possible order for a one-semester elective
This is a suggested sequence. Lengthen or shorten units to match your elective's schedule and your students.
- Weeks one onward: algorithmsStart with algorithms and computational thinking. Students learn to break problems into steps and describe them precisely, which makes the programming unit far less frustrating later.
- Then: data and binaryTeach binary and digital images next, so students see that everything a computer handles is stored as numbers. The deep-dive task makes the idea concrete without any coding.
- Set up Python with what you haveBefore the Python unit, decide where students will type code, using whatever setup your school already provides. The bundle supplies the lessons only, with no software or accounts.
- Teach Python in small stepsWork from print and variables to input, then if statements and loops, and finish with the mini-project. Let confident students take the Project level while beginners use Basic.
- Close with how the internet worksEnd the elective with the internet unit. It connects the earlier units, since data and encoding come back when students learn how information moves between machines.
What to buy
Choosing your first CS purchase
The Coding & Computer Basics Units Bundle ($69.99, $99.96 for the four units separately) is the place to start for an intro elective built on coding fundamentals. If you only need programming, the Programming with Python unit is $24.99 on its own. To add AI, data protection, phishing and encryption, the AI & Cybersecurity Units Bundle ($89.99) follows the same four-level format. Teachers who want both areas in one larger set, with ten units and 30 lessons for Grades 7–10, can compare the Computer Science Activities Bundle ($119.99).
Honest limits
Limits to plan around
These four units are general middle school computer science. They are not written for North Carolina, carry no NC Computer Science Standards codes, and do not make up a full elective or a high school graduation course. Check them against the standards and your school's course description. No software, coding platform, accounts or devices are included; you use what your school has. The licence covers your own teaching, so message Teach Lessons first if a team wants to share it. Should the units not suit your elective, a 7-day exchange for store credit of equal value is available; cash refunds are not offered.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
Is this aligned with the NC K–12 Computer Science Standards?
No. The bundle is not aligned with, approved under or endorsed by the NC K–12 Computer Science Standards or the Department of Public Instruction. Its topics, such as algorithms, programming, binary and the internet, are common in middle school CS, but you should compare each unit with the 6–8 standards before you plan your elective around it.
Does it count as the required middle school CS elective?
The bundle is teaching material, not a course approval. Your school and district decide what its introductory CS elective includes and how it is offered. These units can supply lessons for that elective, alongside whatever else your course description requires. Ask your principal or district CS lead if you are unsure.
I have never programmed. Can I teach the Python unit?
Yes, that is a situation the unit is built for. It starts with print, variables and input and moves step by step to if statements and loops. The reading text explains each idea, the slides carry the lessons, and the answer keys with a marking guide help you grade code-based tasks.
What do students use to write Python?
Whatever your school already has. The bundle includes no software, coding platform or accounts, and it does not require a particular tool. Test your school's setup before the Python unit starts so the first lesson is about code, not logins. Keep a paper backup lesson ready just in case.
Can I use the units without computers?
Three of the four can run largely on paper: algorithms, binary and digital images, and how the internet works are taught through reading texts, worksheets and hands-on tasks. The Python unit works best when students can type and run code on devices your school provides.
When can I start?
As soon as you check out. The download link arrives by email and is also stored in your customer account under Orders. You can read the first unit tonight and teach from its slides tomorrow, and the files stay available if you need them again next semester.
Your first CS elective, planned unit by unit
Open the product page to see the four units and their levels, then decide where your elective begins.
Start with the coding units