Computer Science Education Week Activities for K–12

Computer Science Education Week (CSEdWeek) runs from December 7–13 this year. First launched by the Association for Computing Machinery in 2009, this annual event invites students to explore how computers work and what computer science careers can look like.

You don’t need a dedicated coding or technology class to take part. Your students can investigate the systems behind technology they use every day, learn about the people who developed it, and think critically about how it affects their lives.

[Science activities for Computer Science Education Week](id-sci)

Students use apps and devices every day without seeing the instructions that make them work. For Computer Science Education Week, use these science activities to help your class investigate how computers work, try coding projects, and learn how these skills connect to real-world technology.

What is code and how does it tell computers what to do?

Code is a set of instructions that tells a computer what to run, bring up, or execute based on automated or user prompted commands. Before students try writing their own code, help them understand how these instructions connect to the technology they use every day.

This text set introduces them to coding through articles about computer science, technology, and careers. Use its vocabulary activity to help students make connections between the definition of code and what they read.

How do binary numbers work in digital electronics?

Digital electronics use binary numbers, patterns of 0s and 1s, to represent and process information. These patterns make it possible for devices like computers, cellphones, and digital music players to work.

Comparing digital and analog signals is one way to make the concept more concrete for students. This lesson includes articles, an activity, and a video that connect binary numbers to the technology they use daily.

Create a binary code keychain

A binary-code keychain turns a pattern of 0s and 1s into a secret message students can display. Using beads to represent binary digits helps students see how a sequence of just two symbols can communicate information.

Try having students encode their name, initials, or a short word and challenge classmates to decode it. You can also make necklaces or bracelets for the same activity rather than using keychains.

How can students design and build an app?

Students can design and build an app by deciding what they want it to do, planning its interface, writing instructions for how it responds to users, and testing whether those instructions work.

This activity introduces students to the MIT App Inventor and pair programming. They can work together on projects ranging from interactive games to biomedical science while learning how variables, conditional logic, and debugging fit into app development.

Code a blinking message with a micro:bit

A micro:bit lets students see what their code does on a physical device. Using block-based programming, they can create a blinking message with text, images, and animation. Then they can test and revise it until the display works the way they want it to.

This lesson also introduces debugging through programs that already contain errors. This gives students a chance to practice finding and fixing problems before creating their own messages.

Should students learn to code? Use a jigsaw lesson

Learning to code can help students understand the technology they use and discover ways to create things of their own. But rather than telling students why coding matters, have them examine the evidence and form their own opinions. 

In this activity, created by educator Daniel Gallagher for grades 3–4, students investigate coding opportunities through articles about school clubs, summer camps, and educational games. Each student brings different evidence to add to the group discussion.

Show students that computer science is for everyone

Students don’t have to be experienced coders to picture themselves working in computer science. Introducing them to different career paths and the programs that help more people enter STEM can challenge assumptions about who belongs in the field.

Use this text set, designed by educator Heather Hanks, in upper elementary and middle school classrooms. Students examine barriers people have faced in computer science, learn about programs opening new opportunities, and compare what articles say about STEM careers.

What careers can students pursue in computer science?

Computer science careers include software engineering, app development, robotics, and more. Students may be surprised at how many of these jobs connect programming to other interests, from designing robots to exploring new technologies.

Use this text set, designed by educator Edward Murray, for grades 7–12 science. Students research three articles, identify facts and questions that interest them, and discuss what they learned with a partner.

How does digital technology shape the way we live and work?

Digital technology shapes how we communicate, find information, shop, travel, and do our jobs. Software runs the devices and websites we use, while AI helps process information, and cybersecurity protects the systems that handle personal data.

This lesson explores six areas of the field. Have students choose one to investigate, then explain how it affects people’s lives and what challenges come with that technology.

How is AI changing computer programming?

AI is changing computer programming by helping developers write code, find errors, and solve complex problems more efficiently. But AI-generated code can also contain mistakes or security vulnerabilities, so programmers still need to review the results and make important design decisions.

Use this lesson to help students weigh these benefits and risks. Rather than treating AI like a replacement for programmers or an assistant, students can examine how it changes the work developers do and why human oversight still matters.

[Social studies lessons on computer history and technology](id-ss)

Computers have changed how people communicate, work, and make decisions. But those changes didn’t happen overnight. Use these social studies lessons to help students trace important inventions, examine how the internet has affected society, and the greater societal issues surrounding AI.

How have computers changed throughout history?

Computers have evolved from early mechanical calculating machines into electronic devices that process information, run software, and connect people around the world. Inventions like the microprocessor and the World Wide Web built on earlier ideas and changed what computers do.

Use this text set to help students connect these developments to the people behind them. Students can examine events across computer science history and build a timeline to trace the technological developments.

How has the internet changed society?

The internet has changed how people communicate, find information, shop, and participate in everyday life. It’s also created new questions about privacy, connectivity, and how much of our lives depend on being online.

For Computer Science Education Week, have students look beyond the conveniences of the internet and consider its side effects. A useful distinction is how one technology can affect individuals differently from society as a whole. This activity asks students to examine both perspectives and make an evidence-based judgment.

What are the social, political, and economic impacts of AI?

Artificial intelligence affects society through its uses in education, health care, and everyday life. It also raises political questions about privacy, misinformation, and regulation. AI touches the economy through questions about employment, automation, and how businesses use technology.

Use this lesson to help students examine these impacts through different perspectives. Instead of asking whether AI is good or bad, have students investigate specific applications, consider their consequences, and support their conclusions with evidence.

[ELA lessons on algorithms, AI, and technology debates](id-ela)

Technology gives students plenty to read, questions, and debate. During Computer Science Education Week, use ELA lessons to examine how algorithms influence online experience, weigh different perspectives on artificial intelligence, and develop evidence-based arguments about technology’s role in our lives.

How does technology affect our everyday lives?

Technology affects how we communicate, learn, play, and complete everyday tasks. Innovations like assistive devices can make activities more accessible. On the flip side, digital entertainment and screen time raise questions about how we use technology and whether it always improves our lives.

Use this text set to introduce these different perspectives. Students can compare articles about practical innovations with readings that examine how technology affects relationships, habits, and well-being.

How do social media algorithms shape what we see?

Social media algorithms track user behavior, like what people watch, click, and interact with. This data decides which posts, videos, and recommendations appear in feeds. That personalization can influence what information people encounter, how long they stay online, and how they understand the world.

The “attention economy” adds another layer. Platforms compete for users’ attention, which they can turn into advertising revenue. Use this text set to help students examine these connections and question how algorithms affect privacy, misinformation, and fairness.

What are the benefits and risks of artificial intelligence?

Artificial intelligence can help people solve problems, improve existing technology, and assist in making scientific discoveries. At the same time, AI raises concerns about fairness, accuracy, privacy, and how people use AI-generated content.

In ELA, these competing perspectives give students opportunities to evaluate claims and supporting evidence. Use this text set to explore real-world applications, examine ethical questions, and consider where limits or safeguards might help.

Does technology help or harm us? Lead an ELA debate

Technology can help us connect, learn, and solve problems. But it also creates screen time, misinformation, and privacy challenges. Whether technology does more harm than good depends partly on how people use it and which effects they consider most important.

Turn these opposing perspectives into an ELA debate. Students can read texts with multiple viewpoints, evaluate evidence, prepare arguments and rebuttals, and reflect on whether the discussion changed their thinking.

Keep teaching computer science topics year-round with Newsela Learning Suite

Computer Science Education Week is a great opportunity to spark students’ curiosity about coding, artificial intelligence, and the technology shaping their world. But the learning doesn’t have to stop when the week ends.

Keep exploring these topics throughout the school year with Newsela Learning Suite. From scientific innovations to digital citizenship and ethical debates, you can make meaningful connections across science, social studies, and ELA.

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