Ohio Middle School Computer Science: Coding Basics for New CS Teachers
Ohio Middle School Computer Science: Coding Basics for New CS Teachers
An Ohio middle school teacher starting computer science without a coding background can begin with the Coding & Computer Basics Units Bundle: four units on algorithms, Python, binary and digital images, and how the internet works, for $69.99. Each unit explains its topic in a reading text before students try it. It contains no software and nothing Ohio-specific, so you check it against Ohio's CS standards yourself.
See the coding unitsThe Coding & Computer Basics Units Bundle ($69.99, parts $99.96) has four Grades 6–9 units: Algorithms and Computational Thinking; Programming with Python; Data and Encoding: Binary & Digital Images; and How the Internet Works. Each unit includes worksheets on four levels, a detailed reading text, a hands-on task, slides for the whole unit and full answer keys with a marking guide. It is meant for teachers starting a CS class, including those who have never taught coding.
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
Ohio has CS standards but leaves the course to districts
Ohio adopted Ohio's Learning Standards for Computer Science in July 2022, but districts are not mandated to include them in their offerings. There is no CS graduation requirement. At the high school level, one unit of advanced computer science may replace Algebra II with parent acknowledgment, or count as a math or science unit. That leaves middle school computer science as a local decision. A district may add a technology elective or a quarter of CS inside a STEM rotation, and it often asks an existing teacher to run it. If that is you, the obstacle is confidence more than interest: you need to understand variables, loops and binary well enough to answer a twelve-year-old's question, and you need lessons that work when some students have coded before and others have never opened an editor. Devices add a practical constraint. Ohio's HB 250 of 2024 required district cell phone policies by July 2025, so plan any coding on school computers rather than phones. The real question is where to start so the class has a sensible first quarter.
Why it fits
Four units that build on each other
The order runs from thinking like a programmer, to writing code, to understanding the machines and networks behind it.
- Algorithms and Computational Thinking teaches step-by-step problem solving before anyone writes a line of code.
- Programming with Python covers print, variables, input, if statements and loops, ending in a mini-project.
- The Python unit is written for students brand new to coding as well as confident ones.
- Binary & Digital Images shows how numbers and pictures become data a computer can store.
- How the Internet Works explains what happens between a student's device and a website.
- Worksheets at four levels, from Basic to Project, let experienced coders stretch without leaving others behind.
Getting started
A first quarter of middle school CS
A suggested order for a nine-week class; split the units differently if your course has fewer sessions.
- Check your Python setup firstThe bundle includes no software. Before the Python unit, confirm with your technology staff which Python environment your school's computers can run, and test it yourself before students sit down.
- Open with algorithmsTeach Algorithms and Computational Thinking in the first weeks. Students write and debug step-by-step instructions on paper, which needs no devices and builds the habits coding relies on.
- Move into PythonStart Programming with Python with print, variables and input, then if statements and loops. Let students choose their worksheet level, and keep the mini-project for the end of the unit.
- Explain data with binaryUse Data and Encoding: Binary & Digital Images to show what a computer actually stores. It is a good unit for weeks when the computer lab is booked by other classes.
- Close with the internetFinish with How the Internet Works. Students connect everything from the quarter: algorithms, code, data, and the network that carries it all to their screens.
What to buy
Which CS bundle fits your Ohio class
If you need to teach coding and computer basics, the Coding & Computer Basics Units Bundle at $69.99 is the starting point; the four units cost $99.96 separately. For a course that also covers AI and online safety, the AI & Cybersecurity Units Bundle ($89.99) adds six units on AI, prompting, filter bubbles, data protection, phishing and encryption, giving you ten units across the two bundles. The Computer Science Activities Bundle ($119.99, Grades 7–10) offers 10 units and 30 lessons from Python to cryptography. If you only want to try Python first, Programming with Python is sold alone for $24.99.
Honest limits
Limits, including software
The bundle is not aligned with or approved under Ohio's Learning Standards for Computer Science and has no Ohio standards codes, so check it against the standards and your district's course plan. It includes no software, accounts, laptops or coding platform; the Python unit runs on whatever setup your school already has. Four units fill part of a course, not a full year. The license covers your own teaching, and a team should message Teach Lessons before sharing. If the bundle does not suit your class, exchange it within 7 days for store credit of equal value; there are no cash refunds.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
Does this follow Ohio's Learning Standards for Computer Science?
It is not aligned with, approved under or written for Ohio's Learning Standards for Computer Science, adopted in July 2022, and it carries no standards codes. Algorithms, programming, data representation and networks are common CS topics, but read the standards and your district's expectations and judge the fit yourself.
I have never coded. Is the Python unit too hard for me?
The Python unit starts with first steps, print, variables and input, before control structures, and its description says it works for students brand new to coding. If they can start there, so can you. Work through the reading text and the Basic worksheet before teaching, and keep the answer keys close when a student's code does something unexpected.
What do I need for Python?
No software comes with the bundle. You need computers with a Python environment your school allows, which might be an installed program or a browser-based editor your district has approved. Check with your technology staff early. The algorithms, binary and internet units can run with printed worksheets and slides alone.
Does middle school CS count toward graduation in Ohio?
Ohio has no CS graduation requirement. At the high school level, one unit of advanced computer science may replace Algebra II with parent acknowledgment, or count as a math or science unit. Middle school courses do not earn that credit, but an early start gives students a basis for choosing those high school options.
Can I mix experienced and beginner students?
Yes. Every unit has worksheets on four levels, Basic, Standard, Plus and Project, so students who have coded before can work on Plus or Project tasks while beginners build confidence on Basic and Standard. The hands-on task in each unit also gives fast finishers something substantial to do.
How do the files arrive?
As a digital download right after checkout, through an email link and under Orders in your customer account. You get slides, worksheets and answer keys for print or digital classrooms. If other teachers in your building want to use them, message Teach Lessons first; if the bundle is not right, you have 7 days to exchange it for store credit.
Teach your first coding class with a plan in hand
Open the bundle page to see the four units, each also sold on its own.
See the coding units