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Quinn Stitt
LIS 515/Dr. Tilley
April 12, 2016
Program Plan-Coding for Chicks at Champaign Public Library!
Program Rationale:
As one might have seen in the recent initiatives in the past, there has been a greater
awareness of and pushes towards inclusion of women in STEAM fields, as men dominate many
professions in the field. Coding is an invaluable skill in this age of technology, and in order to
make coding more visible and accessible to girls, programming specifically to teach them
coding skills and about women in the field is needed. 27% of Champaigns population is also
currently under the poverty level, so teaching a marketable skill (even in those so young) is
important in insuring that this level decrease in the future. This type of programming also
supports Champaign Public Librarys mission statement, in that it, connects our community
with the power of knowledge, as well as supporting, the need for easy and equal access to
lifelong learning, and the value of enriching and inspiring experiences.1

Program Overview:
This program is planned to be put on by Champaign Public Library and using its current
resources. This program is intended for girls in 5th through 8th grade (ages 11-14) as there are
many resources for girls at this age, and there are no prerequisite skills needed to participate
(though knowing how to use a computer might be good). There would be two separate sessions
for this program; one would be learning code basics with the Hour of Code program and
Scratch, and the other would be an informational session about women in coding and STEAM
fields and future opportunities for these participants to get involved. For the first session,
unfortunately attendance would have to be capped at fifteen or twenty because they would need

Champaign Public Library Board of Trustees, Mission & Values, Champaign Public Library, last modified
December 2009, http://www.champaign.org/about_us/mission_plan/mission_and_values.
1

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to have computers to participate in the coding activities, and Champaign only has this many to
spare for this program. In addition to the computers needed, the other resources needed will be
Hour of Code and Scratch websites, a notepad for notes, and access to a screen and projector (so
relatively low cost, as the library already has these resources or they are free to access). For the
second session, there would be an ability for more girls (and their parents) to attend. Both
sessions would be held in one of the Champaign Public Librarys Robeson Pavilion Rooms on
the first floor (A, B, or C); depending on the interest in the second session, Room A and B can
be combined into one large room, but session one would be held in only one of the rooms.
These sessions could be offered same day with a break in between or on different dates, but it
would be quite a lot of content for one session without a break, as the combined time of both
sessions is estimated to be three hours. Because the first session is so small, it would need one
librarian (myself) and one or two volunteers to assist. Depending on the size of the second
session, more librarians and volunteers might be needed. There would be some partnership with
individuals in the community for specifically the second session of the program, but there are
many opportunities for community partnership (as listed below). Depending on the success
and/or demand for this program, it can be offered multiple times.

Program Outcomes:
I would participants to gain many different skills and knowledge as a result of this
program. My main objective in putting on such a program is to expose girls to new skills and
career paths that they may not have otherwise been exposed to. The main outcomes of this
program would be:

Girls will be able to display basic computing knowledge and skills in order to further
their personal skills and abilities.

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Girls will be able to understand and discuss futures for themselves in the STEAM and
Computing fields in order to have more options for future careers.

Girls will be able to make relationships (mentoring or otherwise) with other women in
the computing field in order to foster the building of skills and futures in the field.

Girls will be able to attain knowledge of women in coding history in order to understand
the foundations of computing and womens history they are building upon.

Community Partners:
There are many opportunities in Champaign for partnerships with community
organizations for this program series. Because Champaign is a college town, the Champaign
Public Library can partner with faculty in both the Computer Science and Library and
Information Science departments/schools at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, as
well as UIUC student groups (specifically GEMS-Girls in Engineering, Math, & Science).
Champaign Public Library could also partner with some of the technology businesses in the
Research Park on campus, as they sponsor many events around the area and would likely be
interested in kids learning code. CPL can also partner with the Champaign School District
(particularly its middle and high schools) in order to support existing curriculum and classes
with the program. In addition to this, CPL could partner with the Champaign Park District to
support their summer program offerings, including their Girls Explore STEAM day camps.
Finally, there are often regional programs put on by Girls Who Code and Hour of Code that
CPL can utilize for additional offerings of this program or that can support this program. The
opportunities are endless in terms of community partners for this type of programming, and that
is vital in ensuring its success.

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Session Outlines:
Below I will outline the approximate time and activities of each session, as well as what
materials will be used in each activity.
Session 1: Coding Basics: Hour of Code and Scratch (approx. 2 hours)
Time/
Duration
0:00-0:04
(4
minutes)

0:04-0:09
(5
minutes)

0:09-0:15
(6
minutes)

0:15-1:15
(1 hour)

Activity
Welcome!:
Introduce myself and my volunteers to the
participants.
Outline what were going to do in the
session.
What is Coding?
Part of evaluative process-see what the
participants know.
Ask following questions:
o What is coding/what do you know
about coding?
o What is coding used for?
o Are you interested in coding?
Introduction to Coding:
Answer the first two questions:
o Many of these questions will be
answered by a short video from
hour of code.
Explain the different kinds of
coding/coding languages
Give examples of coding, and ask for
examples from participants:
o Websites
o GPS
o Drones
o Computers
o Etc.
Hour of Code:
Explain what the mission of Hour of Code
is.
Ask girls which Hour of Code Tutorial
they would like to do.

Materials/Resources
Used

Notepad (to take

notes of responses to
evaluate progress
later)

What is coding?
video
Alternative video:
What is Computer
Coding?
Screen and Projector

Computers
Hour of Code
Screen and Projector

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1:15-1:20
(5
minutes)

1:20-1:50
(30
minutes)

o Star Wars: Building Galaxy with

Code
o Minecraft Hour of Code
o Code with Anna and Elsa
o Infinity Play Lab
o Play Lab
Once they all agree on one, have them go
through the Java tutorial (its only in
English, but they will be able to see the
actual scripting language and approved for
ages 11 and up) and create their own game.
o They may not take the whole hour
to get through the tutorial, so have
them play each others game while
others are completing the tutorial.
o Walk around and be available for
assistance if needed. Also ask the
girls if they are enjoying the
experience, etc. (evaluating the
usefulness and enjoyment of this
resource).
o If all the participants finish before
the hour is done, offer to show their
games on the screen and projector
to play.
o If the students want to save their
games, they have to sign up with a
username and password (might be
difficult if they dont have an
email, etc.).
Hour of Code Discussion:
Have the participants discuss what they did
and didnt like about the tutorial, as well as
what they learned.
Scratch:
Scratch is very similar to Hour of Code,
except it is more to animate rather than
build a game.

Notepad (to take

notes of responses,
to see if they fit with
the outcomes set
out)
Computers
Scratch

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1:50-1:55
(5
minutes)

1:55-2:00
(5
minutes)

Scratch doesnt come with a tutorial before

it, like Hour of Code, but girls can click
the tips section at the top of the page to get
step-by-step, specific motion, and groups
of actions help. It is a little more
complicated, but adds to coding
knowledge.
Participants can work with it and show
their creations to each other, but only a
half an hour (or more, if Hour of Code
doesnt take as long as anticipated) will be
allotted to this activity.
Scratch Discussion:
Have the participants discuss what they did
and didnt like about the site, as well as
what they learned.
Review:
Review what we have learned and done in
this session.
Ask following questions again
(evaluation):
o What is coding/what do you know
about coding?
o What is coding used for?
o Are you interested in coding?
Remind them of my name and let them
know Im willing to answer any questions
they have.
Plug the second session of the program.
Thank them for coming!

Notepad (to take

notes of responses,
to see if they fit with
the outcomes set
out)
Notepad (to take
notes of responses to
evaluate progress)

Session 2: Chicks and Coding: Futures in STEAM Fields (approx.. 1 hour)

Time/
Duration
0:00-0:05
(5
minutes)

Activity
Welcome and Review:
Introduce myself and my volunteers to the
participants.

Materials/Resources

Notepad (to take

notes of responses to

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0:05-0:13
(8
minutes)

0:13-0:43
(30
minutes)

0:43-0:50
(7
minutes)

Give a brief summary of what we did and

learned in the first session.
Outline what were going to do in the
session.
Women and Coding:
First ask the following questions:
o What do you know about women
in coding?
o Are you interested in coding?
Introduce the concept of women in the
coding field (using the Hour of Code
YouTube video)
Then ask these questions:
o Why is this important?
o Do you know any women in
coding?
Guest Lecturers:
I would bring in multiple women guest
lecturers (two or three at most), from the
University (students or faculty in
Computer Science or other STEAM
programs), Research Park, or local
businesses to discuss how they got started
in coding, how they got where they are,
and any advice for our participants.
Allow some time in between for
questions.
Famous Women Coders:
Discuss famous women in history that
were coders or involved with computer
programming.
Ask if the participants had ever heard
about these women before.

evaluate progress
from last session)

Notepad (to take

notes of responses to
evaluate progress
later)
Change the World
video
Screen and Projector

Screen and Projector

Screen and Projector

Various resources
about computing
women:
o Famous
Women in
Computer
Science
Pinterest
o The Ada
Project
o NPR Morning
Edition Blog

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0:50-1:00
(10
minutes)

Review and Future for these Girls

What have you learned in this session?
o What did you like about it? What
did you not like about it?
o What would you like to learn more
about?
Ask these questions:
o What do you know about women
in coding?
o Are you interested in coding?
Opportunities to learn more about coding
and careers in coding.
o Pass out a handout with and
discuss websites, camps, groups,
and scholarships that these girls
can utilize in the future to keep
coding.
Remind them of my name and let them
know Im willing to answer any questions
they have.
Have the guest lecturers give participants
their names and contact information if
they want to learn more from them.
Ask if they would be interested in more
programs like this and the previous
section.
Thank them for coming!

Notepad (to take

notes of responses to
evaluate progress)
Handouts

Marketing/Promotion:
There are many places in the community at which this program series could be
marketed. The program would not only be marketed in Champaign Public Librarys monthly
event email, but also on the event calendar on CPLs website. CPL could also reach out to the
Champaign Public School District and the local private schools to advertise the event, which
would be particularly advantageous as some school are forced to cut technology curriculum due
to lack of funds. The Champaign Park District is also holding summer programing for Girls in

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STEAM so they could advertise this event as an introduction or precursor to their program
series. Finally, I have included a flyer I designed to distribute in the library and in the
community for the event.

Evaluation:
I have planned multiple ways of evaluating this program throughout both sessions. One
such way is a pre- and post-test in which I would ask participants at the beginning and the end
of each session the same questions to see the growth in knowledge and whether my planned
activities and talks would be effective in increasing knowledge and understanding. This
feedback would be useful in planning future programs like this and evaluating the usefulness of
the resources utilized (and the way in which they were presented). I would also evaluate the
success of the program by seeing how the participants enthusiasm (or lack thereof) for coding
changed throughout the two sessions; if it increased, then such a program is important and
valuable. Finally, I would evaluate the success of the program by attendance. Because of the
popularity of the Teen STEAM programs at CPL last summer, I would expect the first session to
be full (especially considering its small size). Then I would evaluate how many of those
participants would attend the second session, and any additional attendants. If attendance
increased (and first session participants also attended), then I would consider the program a
success.

Additional Resources:
Thankfully there are many resources and additional programming out there for the
participants of this program to continue their coding education. Here is a list of additional
resources that would be presented to the girls at the conclusion of the second session.

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Summer Programs in C-U:

o Champaign Park District- Girls Explore! STEAM Camps
o Girls Engaged in Math and Science

Summer Camps around the World:

o App Camp for Girls
o Geek Girl Camp
o Girl Code
o Girls Who Code Summer Immersion Program
o Kode with Karlie Scholarship

Groups to Join
o Girl Scouts (Made with Code)
o

Girls in Engineering, Math, & Science (GEMS)

o Girls Who Code Clubs

Organizations to Follow
o 1000 Girls 1000 Futures
o Black Girls Code
o Coder Girl
o Dot Diva
o Girls Learning Code
o Girls Who Code
o Hour of Code (Events in Illinois)
o Rails Girls
o Tech Girlz

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o Women in STEM

Places to Enhance Skills

o Hour of Code (Partner Tutorials)
o Scratch
o Library Catalog

Miscellaneous
o Code Girl Film

Future Possibilities:
There are many possibilities for the Champaign Public Library following this program,
especially in terms of its collection and programming.

Expanding the Collection

o

When searching the children and teen collections for books on coding,
biographies about coders, and addition computer resources, I found very little
resources geared towards these groups. While there are adult resources regarding
coding and computer science, Champaign Public Library might consider (with
the help of a grant, possibly) building a larger child and teen collection on
coding, famous coders, and coding careers, especially if this program proves
popular. Participants could utilize the adult collection, but it is also important to
have age appropriate material.

Future Coding and STEAM Programs

o

Last summer, Teen Services held a new series of STEAM programming, and it
proved wildly popular (all sessions were full with a wait list!), and thus the
interest in this area is clear. Because Champaign Public Library is located in a

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university town, there are many opportunities to bring in university staff,

students, businesses, and community organizations to put on more STEAM
programming with experts in the field. Should this program prove popular, the
library (though its resources are limited, especially in terms of staffing) should
consider putting on more programming like it, especially for children under
twelve.

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Works Cited
Champaign Public Library Board of Trustees. Mission & Values. Champaign Public Library.
Last modified December 2009.
http://www.champaign.org/about_us/mission_plan/mission_and_values.