Coding Pioneer

Grace Hopper helped make computer programming easier and more accessible during the early years of computing. This passage introduces students to her childhood curiosity, love of mathematics and science, service in the United States Navy, and work with the enormous Mark I computer during World War II.

This worksheet explores Hopper’s belief that computers should be programmed with instructions that people could understand more easily. Students learn about her work developing the first compiler and helping create COBOL, a programming language that used words instead of relying entirely on complicated codes. Readers also discover the famous story behind the term “debugging.” The passage develops skills in sequencing events, identifying important contributions, and understanding how Hopper’s persistence and innovative thinking helped shape modern computer programming.