Pre-reading questions:
- Do you like using computers?
- What comes to your mind when you see or hear the word “programming”?
- What is your most favorite subject in school? Why?
The number of classes that teach programming to children is increasing. This is in accordance to plans making programming a mandatory elementary school subject by academic year 2020. These kinds of classes are expected to promote creative and logical thinking at an early age.
Last September, 60 elementary school pupils gathered in a room, their eyes glued on their computer screens. A second-grade pupil made a computer game about a parrot that rescues the monkey on a cloud by laying out on-screen complex commands, such as changing the X coordinate by 10. CA Tech Kids, Inc. runs classes for elementary school pupils in eight locations, including Tokyo, Osaka and Fukuoka prefectures since its establishment in 2013. The pupil who created the said game has been attending the class since July.
Vocabulary:
increase – to rise in number
mandatory- required
eyes glued- focused
complex- detailed
establishment- foundation
Comprehension Questions:
- According to the article, when will programming be a mandatory elementary school subject?
- In the third sentence, what is the pronoun antecedent of “These kinds of classes”?
- What is the computer game made by second-grade pupil about?
- How many elementary school pupils gathered last September?
- When was CA Tech Kids, Inc. established?
Express Your Opinion:
- “Making programming a mandatory elementary school subject”
- “A second-grade pupil who made a computer game”
- “IT skill is needed in the future.”