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References: Computational Thinking, Scratch, and Python Basics

  1. Computational thinking - Wikipedia - Defines decomposition, pattern recognition, abstraction, and algorithm design, the four skills this chapter presents as the mental toolkit underneath all coding instruction.

  2. Scratch (programming language) - Wikipedia - History and design of the block-based programming language, including sprites and project sharing, the tool this chapter uses to introduce coding.

  3. Python (programming language) - Wikipedia - Overview of Python's design and syntax, the text-based language this chapter introduces after Scratch.

  4. "Scratch: Programming for All" (Communications of the ACM, Vol. 52, No. 11) - Mitchel Resnick et al. - Association for Computing Machinery - This paper from Scratch's creators at the MIT Media Lab is the original publication crediting Resnick's team with Scratch's "low floor, high ceiling, wide walls" design philosophy, the block-coding approach this chapter introduces.

  5. Python Crash Course (3rd Edition) - Eric Matthes - No Starch Press - Matthes is widely credited with the most popular hands-on, project-based introduction to Python syntax, variables, loops, and conditionals for beginners, the same progression this chapter follows.

  6. Scratch - MIT Scratch Foundation - The official Scratch website and editor where students build, share, and remix block-coding projects, the platform this chapter's Scratch activities run on.

  7. An Informal Introduction to Python - Python Software Foundation - The official Python tutorial's first hands-on chapter, covering variables, numbers, and basic control flow, matching this chapter's Python syntax basics section.

  8. CS Unplugged - CS Unplugged / University of Canterbury - Free, no-computer activities that teach computational thinking concepts like pattern recognition and algorithms, a complement to this chapter's screen-based lessons.

  9. Typing.com - Typing.com - A free, standards-aligned keyboarding curriculum used by millions of students, the typing-practice tool this chapter recommends before students move to text-based coding.

  10. Start a Club - Girls Who Code - Shows how an established club network sequences Scratch and Python instruction for beginners, a real-world reference point for this chapter's language progression.