Teacher guide with timing
Warm-up, mini-lesson, guided practice, independent work, and exit ticket — with minutes for each segment.
Free lesson plan · Grades 3-5
Teach your first computer science lesson this week
Algorithms: Recipes a Computer Follows — a complete, print-and-teach 45-minute lesson for grades 3-5. Teacher script, timing, materials, exit ticket, and family letter included. No devices needed. Free for educators and school staff.
What’s inside
Everything you need, nothing you have to build
Materials & prep list
Everything on one page. No devices, no accounts, no lab time — just paper and pencils.
Differentiation & vocabulary
Supports and extensions for the range of learners in a real classroom, plus student-friendly definitions.
Exit ticket & family letter
A ready-to-copy check for understanding, and a letter that tells families what their kid learned today.
Aligned to VA CS SOL (3.AP.1, 3.AP.3, 4.AP.2, 5.AP.3) with the full alignment printed on the plan — ready for a walkthrough, an observation binder, or a curriculum-night handout.
Where it comes from
One unit from a full K-12 sequence
This lesson is Unit 2 of From Sand to Agents, our K-12 AI and computer science curriculum — every unit ships with the same teacher guide, assessment, differentiation, and family letter you’ll see here.