The number of classes that teach programming to children is amplifying. This is in accordance to plans on having programming as an elementary school subject by academic year 2020. These kinds of classes are expected to induce creative and logical thinking among students at an early age. Last September, around 60 elementary school students assembled in a room to study programming.
A second-grade student made a computer game about a parrot that rescues the monkey on a cloud by sprucing up on-screen commands such as changing the X coordinate by 10. CA Tech Kids, Inc. runs classes for elementary school students in eight locations since its foundation in 2013. The student who created the said game has been attending the class since July. She says that the class is fun because she can unleash her imagination. Her mother says that her daughter does not necessarily need to go to the IT field but she may be able to utilize the skill sometime in the future.
Vocabulary:
amplifying – adding
induce – generate
spruce up – systematize
unleash- release
utilize – use
True or False:
- Programming will be an elementary school subject by academic year 2030.
- Around sixty elementary school students are studying programming.
- According to the article, a second-grade student made a computer game about a monkey that rescues the dog on a cloud.
- CA Tech Kids, Inc. runs programming classes in eight locations since 2013.
- Programming is a language used to command parrots to talk.
Defend your argument:
- Do you think programming classes can induce creative and logical thinking among students? Why or Why not?
- Do you agree on letting elementary school students study programming at school? Why or Why not?
- Do you think elementary school students from other countries can adopt this plan? Why or Why not?
- Do you think programming is in demand in the corporate world today? Why, or why not?
- Would you be interested in studying programming? Why, or why not?
Express your opinion:
- In your own words, what are the advantages and disadvantages of studying programming at an early age?
- What do you think about the mother’s comment in the article: “her daughter does not necessarily need to go to the IT field but she may be able to utilize the skill sometime in the future”?
- If you studied and knew programming, what kind of program do you plan to make? Why?