Texas Middle School Computer Science: Four Units for First-Year CS Teachers
If you have been handed a middle school technology applications or computer science class in Texas and have never taught coding, the Coding & Computer Basics Units Bundle gives you four complete units: algorithms, Python, binary and digital images, and how the internet works. Each one comes planned, with leveled worksheets, slides and answer keys. No software is included, and it is not built on the TEKS.
Look inside the coding unitsThe Coding & Computer Basics Units Bundle costs $69.99 (parts $99.96) for four Grades 6–9 units: Algorithms and Computational Thinking, Programming with Python, Data and Encoding: Binary & Digital Images, and How the Internet Works. Each has worksheets on four levels, a detailed reading text, a hands-on task, slides and full answer keys with a marking guide. It suits Texas teachers starting a technology applications class. It is not aligned to the TEKS.
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
Technology applications is required. Experience is optional.
Texas districts must offer technology applications in middle school Grades 6–8, just as they must in K–2 and 3–5. In the curriculum rules that is a single line. In a building, it can mean a teacher from math, science or another subject is asked to pick up the class a few weeks before school starts. Content is only part of the difficulty. A first-year CS teacher has to decide where to begin, how much coding a twelve-year-old can handle, and what to do with students who already code sitting next to students who have never opened an editor. Without lesson plans, the first unit tends to become a string of online tutorials with no shared vocabulary and nothing to grade. Then there is the question of where the class leads. Texas groups high school career and technical education into Statewide CTE Programs of Study under federal Perkins V, and Information Technology is one of those areas. A middle school course that teaches algorithms, data and networks shows students what that path involves before they choose high school courses. Check your district's course description and the current technology applications TEKS before planning, since these units are general and were not written to them.
Why it fits
Why these four units suit a new CS teacher
The bundle starts with problem solving and ends with how data moves across the internet.
- Algorithms and Computational Thinking teaches step-by-step problem solving before any programming starts.
- 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 and for confident ones in the same room.
- Four worksheet levels, Basic, Standard, Plus and Project, let one lesson serve beginners and experienced coders.
- Binary and digital images shows how computers store numbers and pictures, a clear link to math class.
- Full answer keys with a marking guide help a teacher new to CS grade fairly from the first week.
Getting started
A first-semester outline for a new technology applications class
One suggested order. Each unit stands alone, so move them around if your calendar or device access calls for it.
- Start with algorithmsOpen with Algorithms and Computational Thinking. Students break problems into steps and write precise instructions, the habits they need before they write a single line of Python.
- Sort out your Python setup earlyBefore the Python unit, confirm what your campus already has: a Python install, an approved browser-based editor or a shared lab. The bundle includes no software or accounts, so this step is yours and best done weeks ahead.
- Teach Python with the four levelsWork through print, variables and input, then if statements and loops. Hand out Basic or Standard worksheets by default and give Plus or Project to students who already code. Finish with the mini-project.
- Binary and digital imagesUse the reading text and hands-on task to show how numbers and images turn into ones and zeros. The printable worksheets make this a good unit for a week when devices are scarce.
- End with how the internet worksClose with How the Internet Works so students see where their code and data travel. It is a good moment to mention the Information Technology programs of study your district may offer in high school.
What to buy
Choosing your CS starting point
For a teacher starting from zero, the Coding & Computer Basics Units Bundle at $69.99 (parts $99.96) is the most direct start. If your course leans toward digital literacy and online safety, the AI & Cybersecurity Units Bundle ($89.99, parts $149.94) adds six units on AI, prompting, phishing, data protection and encryption. The Computer Science Activities Bundle ($119.99) brings 10 units and 30 lessons for Grades 7–10 across both areas. To try the format first, Programming with Python is sold alone for $24.99.
Honest limits
Before you buy
These are general computer science units for Grades 6–9. They are not written for Texas, carry no TEKS codes and are not aligned with or approved for any Texas technology applications course, so compare them with your district's course description. No software, laptops, accounts or coding platform are included; you use what your campus already has. The licence covers your own classes, and sharing with a team needs a short message to Teach Lessons first. If the bundle is not a fit, you can exchange it within 7 days for store credit of equal value.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
Is this bundle aligned with the Texas technology applications TEKS?
No. The units were not written to the TEKS and have no approval from TEA or the State Board of Education. They cover common middle school CS topics, so some overlap is likely, but check each unit against the technology applications standards and your district's course description yourself.
I have never coded. Can I teach the Python unit?
The unit starts with first steps: print, variables and input, then if statements and loops, and it ends with a mini-project. Slides cover the whole unit and the answer keys include a marking guide. Work through the student tasks yourself a week ahead so you meet any error messages before your students do.
What do students need to run Python?
The bundle does not include or require a particular platform. Use what your school already provides, such as an installed Python environment or an editor your district approves. Check with campus technology staff before the unit starts, because a blocked site on day one costs a whole lesson.
Is this enough for a full-year course?
Four units are not a full year on their own. Depending on your pace and class length, they may carry a semester or the first part of a year. For a longer course, add the AI & Cybersecurity Units Bundle or the Computer Science Activities Bundle, or build your own projects on top.
Can students at different levels work in the same lesson?
Yes. Every unit has worksheets on four levels: Basic, Standard, Plus and Project. A student new to coding can work on Basic while a confident one takes the Project sheet on the same topic, so the whole class stays together on one idea and you teach a single lesson instead of two.
Can my whole campus CS team use one purchase?
The licence is for your own teaching. If colleagues want to use the units too, send Teach Lessons a short message before buying so team use can be arranged. The files may not be posted publicly, resold or passed on to other schools outside that arrangement.
Start your first CS class with a plan
Open the bundle page to see what each of the four units contains.
Look inside the coding units