Computer science learning in primary school classrooms has expanded, necessitating effective instructional strategies for this age group. Gallery Walks are a common activity to allow peers to share their work and give feedback on peers’ work. Like other skills, providing effective feedback may require scaffolding and/or instruction for some students.

With the global movement to incorporate computer science instruction into elementary education, learners are being introduced to computer science and computational thinking (CS/CT) ideas at increasingly younger ages. At these early ages, young learners are developing cognitive abilities foundational to their education. While other discipline-based education fields, such as math, science, and reading, have long studied the role of cognitive abilities, such as short-term working memory and long-term retrieval, in their respective fields, similar research in computer science education is relatively sparse.

Worldwide, national initiatives have led to many school districts implementing computing curricula at the primary level. At that age, students are learning the foundational skills of reading and math. It is important to understand how computing can influence the development of these skills. While some argue that learning computing sharpens problem-solving skills that are applicable to other subjects, evidence supporting this belief is thin.

With the growth of Computer Science (CS) and Computational Thinking (CT) instruction in the primary/elementary domain, it is important that such instruction supports diverse learners. Four categories of students -- students in poverty, multi-lingual students, students with disabilities, and students who have below-grade-level proficiency in reading and math, may face academic challenges that can hinder their learning in CS/CT curricula. However, little is known about how to support these students in CS/CT instruction, especially at this young age. TIPP&SEE, a meta-cognitive strategy that scaffolds learning by proceduralizing engagement through example code, may offer some support. A quasi-experimental study revealed that the gaps between students with and without academic challenges narrowed when using the TIPP&SEE strategy, indicating its promise in providing equitable learning opportunities in CS/CT.

With the rise of Computational Thinking (CT) instruction at the elementary level, it is imperative that elementary computing instruction support a variety of learners. A popular pedagogical approach for this age group is Use-->Modify-->Create, which introduces a concept through a more scaffolded, guided instruction before culminating in a more open-ended project for student engagement. Yet, there is little research on student learning during the Use-->Modify step, nor strategies to promote learning in this step. This paper introduces TIPP&SEE, a metacognitive learning strategy that further scaffolds student learning during this step. Results from an experimental study show statistically-significant performance gains from students using the TIPP&SEE strategy on nearly all assessment questions of moderate and hard difficulty, suggesting its potential as an effective CS/CT learning strategy.