Building on the concepts of symbols, codes, signals, and step-by-step instructions established in the previous grade, the goal of the instruction and cumulative experiences in this unit is for students to continue articulating steps of increasing complexity to solve problems. Beyond dissecting solutions into granular steps, students think forward in scenarios with conditional branching options (if-then statements) and loops (if-then, repeat prior instruction). Students relate what computing devices do to their programming, and they build an understanding that complex computer programming is the outcome of building, layering, and chaining together links of fundamentally simple code.

This unit provides fourth graders with a deeper look into how what we input into a computer will result in the computer helping us solve problems. Students carefully understand that each part of a system must work properly so that the entire system works well. Hardware and software issues can hinder problem solving and must be debugged when necessary. Collecting, organizing, and collaborating are all important aspects of achieving design, data visualization, and other computer goals.

The Problem-Solving and Computers Student Reader includes nine chapters and a student Glossary providing definitions of Core Vocabulary words. Each Student Reader includes a feature called Word to Know, which provides background information to help students understand key terms, and may sometimes include additional informational boxes, such as Think About.