The Grownup Guide to Bitsbox

First Things First Info for Educators

Bitsbox for younger kids: Grades 2 & 3

Students in 2nd and 3rd grades have generally done some typing and can read, but they're not very quick at doing either. If possible, you should strongly consider a "pair programming" setup; seat two kids at each computer and ask them to work together.

Our recommendation for groups of kids at these grade levels is to model the activity before setting them loose on their own computers. It's also a good idea to tell students to start with the shorter apps in the booklet: Dancin' Hal, So Long, Homework!, and BlockCraft are all short and sweet.

  1. On a computer that's connected to a projector that everyone can see, go to bitsbox.com/go and ask the kids which button you should press to get started building apps.
  2. Go through the online tutorial, reading the prompts out loud and asking the group for input on what you should do next. Make sure to demonstrate how to type the following characters as you go along:
  3. Click the New App icon on your online tablet's Home screen to make a new app, and choose the "I have printed materials" option.
  4. Pass out the Bitsbox Let's App! booklets and open to the Dancin' Hal app on page 2.
  5. Type in the app's four-digit App Number (which is 4356) and click Go.
  6. Type the first line of code as it appears on the page, asking your students to help by reading what you should type out loud.
  7. Send students (singly or in pairs) to their own computers.
  8. Have each student open bitsbox.com/go in their web browser and click Build Apps Now to begin.
  9. As each student completes the online tutorial, encourage them to build Dancin' Hal next.