Standards Reflection

Algorithms & Programming — Grades PK-2

What This Activity Is For

You have spent ten weeks studying algorithmic thinking and programming. This activity asks you to look at the proposed 2026 Iowa PK–12 Computer Science Standards for Grades PK-2 and reflect on two questions for each cluster:

  1. Did this course prepare you for this standard? If so, where did you see it?
  2. How ready do you feel to actually teach these standards to your students?

There are no wrong answers. Some standards will map clearly to what we did in class. Others will not — and that is important to notice too.

Use the Google Doc below to record your responses. Make a copy of the document so you can save your work and return to it across multiple sessions.

Open the Response Document for Grades PK-2 ›

File → Make a copy — then save your copy to your own Drive before starting.

Course Activities Reference

Use this list as a reference when answering Question 1 for each cluster. Name activities specifically when they apply.

Activities completed in this course:
  • Code.org
    • Graph Paper Programming (sequences)
    • Getting Loopy (loops/iteration)
    • Conditionals with Cards (conditionals)
  • Scratch Programming
    • Animations  (assignment)
    • Harry Potter Extension (practice)
    • Tell Me a Story (assignment)
    • Mad Libs (practice)
    • Personal Introductions (assignment)
    • Exploring Text/Keyboard Interaction (practice)
    • Debugging (practice)
    • Shall We Play a Game (assignment)
    • Functional Artwork (assignment)

The Standards Clusters

The standards below cover the Algorithms & Design and Programming strands of the 2026 Iowa CS Standards, organized by subconcept into 7 clusters. Each cluster shows the standards for Grades PK through Grade 2. Read each cluster, then respond to the three questions in your Google Doc.

Cluster 1 Algorithms & Design Algorithmic Problem Solving

IdentifierGradeStandard
EK-ALG-PS-01 PK/K Carry out algorithms in daily activities.
E1-ALG-PS-01 Grade 1 Decompose a problem or task into individual parts to develop an algorithm.
E2-ALG-PS-01 Grade 2 Create an algorithm that includes sequence, events, and iteration to solve a problem or express ideas.

Record your responses for this cluster in the Google Doc.

Cluster 2 Algorithms & Design Machine Learning

IdentifierGradeStandard
EK-ALG-ML-02 PK/K Recognize attributes of objects to notice patterns and make decisions.
E1-ALG-ML-02 Grade 1 Recognize that AI systems are a technology that uses patterns in data to make decisions or generate new things.
E2-ALG-ML-02 Grade 2 Examine how data is used to train machine learning models.

Record your responses for this cluster in the Google Doc.

Cluster 3 Algorithms & Design Impacts of Algorithms & Design

IdentifierGradeStandard
EK-ALG-IM-03 PK/K Describe how people create algorithms to solve problems.
E1-ALG-IM-03 Grade 1 Explain how changes to algorithms lead to different outcomes.
E2-ALG-IM-03 Grade 2 Describe how algorithms might impact peers in varied situations.

Record your responses for this cluster in the Google Doc.

Cluster 4 Programming Program Development

IdentifierGradeStandard
EK-PRO-PD-04 PK/K Create a sequence of commands to complete a simple task or express ideas.
E1-PRO-PD-04 Grade 1 Create code from an algorithm that includes sequence to complete a task or express ideas.
E2-PRO-PD-04 Grade 2 Create code from an algorithm that includes sequence, events, and iteration to complete a task or express ideas.

Record your responses for this cluster in the Google Doc.

Cluster 5 Programming Variables & Data Storage

IdentifierGradeStandard
EK-PRO-VD-05 PK/K Identify everyday gestures and symbols that represent information people use to make choices.
E1-PRO-VD-05 Grade 1 Identify terms that refer to data values that change over time in everyday life.
E2-PRO-VD-05 Grade 2 Label different representations of information with a name and whether its value is constant or changes.

Record your responses for this cluster in the Google Doc.

Cluster 6 Programming Reading & Documenting

IdentifierGradeStandard
EK-PRO-RD-06 PK/K Describe how a sequence of commands completes a task.
E1-PRO-RD-06 Grade 1 Explain the function of code that includes an event and sequence.
E2-PRO-RD-06 Grade 2 Explain the steps taken to create a program.

Record your responses for this cluster in the Google Doc.

Cluster 7 Programming Testing & Refining

IdentifierGradeStandard
EK-PRO-TR-07 PK/K Identify steps in a sequence of commands that do not work as expected.
E1-PRO-TR-07 Grade 1 Debug programs that include a sequence.
E2-PRO-TR-07 Grade 2 Debug programs that include sequence, events, and iteration.

Record your responses for this cluster in the Google Doc.