In-person or virtually, celebrate this #CSEdWeek with five captivating Hour of Code tutorials from CodeCombat
Kids all over the world need to escape into an immersive adventure more than ever before. This Hour of Code comes during one of the most challenging times for parents, students, and educators trying to maneuver shifting learning environments or other difficult situations. At the same time, these challenges have highlighted the importance of transferable skills that will give students an advantage in a changing future and a rapidly changing career landscape. This year, CodeCombat has over 70 game levels for students to enjoy, including expanded accessibility to reach more students with Ozaria!
What is the Hour of Code?
Hour of Code is an international initiative to introduce computer science to students all over the world. The Hour of Code happens every year during Computer Science Education Week (CSEdWeek) and this year takes place December 7-13, but you can host an Hour of Code year round. CSEdWeek is held the same week every year in honor of computer scientist, Admiral Grace Murray Hopper’s birthday (December 9, 1906).
Ozaria: Your Journey Begins
In our Ozaria activity, students use the power of coding to defeat a darkness that has taken over the world. Through cinematic dialogue, cutscenes, an engrossing soundtrack and immersive sound effects, students will experience new characters, exciting lands, and learn fundamental coding concepts.
This year we’ve made HUGE improvements in our Ozaria activity by adding more languages (Chinese, Spanish) and voice over for all the character dialogue, making the cinematic elements more immersive and easier for young readers to jump into the action.
First time playing? If this is your first time experiencing Ozaria, you’re free to play without a student or teacher account or creating a class. When you're ready, save your game or track your students’ progress by clicking “Save Progress” at the top of your game window at any time.
Returning Ozaria educator? If you have an Ozaria account simply log in through the Hour of Code link with your normal login information. You can easily copy your class code at the top of your window or in your teacher dashboard to invite students to your class.
Game Levels:
There are 16 game levels with 5 concepts checks for assessment, all culminating in a Capstone Project: Gauntlet.
Concepts Covered
- Problem Solving
- Sequences & Algorithms
- For Loops
- Debugging
- Syntax
- Objects
- Methods
- Game Design
Resources: Chapter 1 Lesson Plan
CodeCombat Tutorials
We also have 4 CodeCombat activities that students can enjoy year round:
Escape the Dungeon - Streamlines some of our Introduction to Computer Science levels. Great for beginning coders graduating from block based coding.
Build Your Own Game - Includes levels from Introduction to Computer Science and Game Development 1, also great for beginning coders.
Build an Arcade Game - Includes a selection of Computer Science 2 and Game Development 2 and a final project where students can create their own arcade game. We recommend this one for intermediate level coders, comfortable with typing code.
Code, Play, Create - Ten different game levels that enable students to design their own game. We recommend it for students who are comfortable with typing code.
Access all our Hour of Code CodeCombat activities and resources here.
How do I organize a virtual Hour of Code?
While Hour of Code is typically held in classrooms, this year educators and parents will find themselves organizing Hour of Code events remotely. For educators, code.org has put together great tips for hosting a virtual Hour of Code event.
For parents, it’s important to sit down with your child and explore activities with them. Invite them to advocate for themselves and what they may find interesting. Our Ozaria and CodeCombat tutorials also have offline activities when you don’t have access to a computer or want to encourage students to make real-world connections with their learning.
We also now offer small group or private online coding classes with our expert instructors to help students take their learning beyond an Hour of Code. Learn More.
Share your experience!
Share your pictures, stories, and projects across social media @PlayOzaria @CodeCombat with #CodeCombatHoC.
CodeCombat makes computer science programs for students to learn Python and JavaScript while playing a real game. Over the last five years, over 12 million people have learned to write Python and JavaScript using CodeCombat, making it one of the most popular coding games in history. CodeCombat also created Ozaria, an adventure game where students master core computer science concepts, problem solve, and showcase their creativity in order to save the world of Ozaria from impending darkness.