Computer Science
Mr. Witherell
5th Grade
The first week was building the routine of reading our google classroom stream posts and explaining how we use these for our day’s jumping point. Students can expect daily posts of the class’s agenda for the day posted before class where there will be a brief description along with a link of where to go.
Code.org is where the majority of class time is spent in the two thirds of the trimester for 5th grade students. When in Course F students go through a series of block-based coding challenges structured to build around core concepts such as: coding, programming, computational thinking, sprites, behaviors, events, variables, and much more.
5th Grade
Considering the amount of time students spend on the devices, as a department we constantly introduce new and practice learned ways of how to navigate around a student device, how to update them regularly, and how to utilize chromebook specific keyboard shortcuts.
Keyboard Shortcuts can significantly improve a student’s confidence in computer science as well as raise interest on the inputs and outputs of a computer hardware and software system. Some of the early additions to the student’s Book of Shortcuts include
Student Chromebooks
Chromebooks Keyboards
5th Grade
Off Screen Activities, too!
empathy: to imagine the feelings that someone else is experiencing
interpret: to understand something based on our point of view
Lesson 5: The Power of Words
5th Grade
Lesson 6: Blank Space Stories
Overview
In this context-setting lesson, students will use fill-in-the-blank stories (similar to Mad Libs®) as a context for understanding how computers take and store input from a user, then use it later as a program runs.
Purpose
This lesson provides a shared context that will be helpful for understanding how variables work when students return to programming.
More Off-Screen Activities
Lesson 7 and beyond
Skills built and continually practice throughout the levels foster repetitive use of recently introduced skills as well as those that were previously covered.
5th Grade
Students often get opportunities to apply their practical skills taught through all of the lessons to then create mini-projects with classmates or on their own in order to showcase their skills.
5th Grade
Coding is DIFFICULT!
5th Grade
Soon, students will move into Loops, Repeats, and learning how to use (x,y) coordinate planes to improve their understanding of how web pages and programs are designed.
6th Grade
PLTW is the where we take information that we focused on in 5th grade, including the problem solving design process and bring them into the real world. We explore how the design process is fluent and often involves reworking a solution. Students will build a robot and have to improve on the basic design.
Code.org is where the majority of class time is spent in the two thirds of the trimester for 6th grade students. When in CS Discoveries students will use a series of puzzles, and challenges to connect real world problems to the apps and technologies that they use. They will shift from blockly programming to utilizing HTML to begin to build a webpage.
6th Grade
The Problem Solving unit is a highly interactive and collaborative introduction to the field of computer science. Through a series of puzzles, challenges, and real world scenarios, students are introduced to a problem solving process and learn how computers input, output, store, and process information.
6th Grade
Students are empowered to create and share their own content using the Web Lab platform in the Web Development unit. They engage in problem solving as it relates to programming, as they learn valuable skills such as debugging, commenting, and structure of language.
6th Grade
Students transition from thinking about computer science as a tool to solve their own problems towards considering the broader social impacts of computing in the Design Process unit. Through a series of design challenges, students prototype technological solutions to a problem both on paper and in App Lab, before testing their solutions with real users.
6th Grade
Project Lead The Way module, Robotics and Automation.
In this module, students explore robotic history and learn more about a particular type of robot. The activities and projects in this module develop skills and knowledge associated with robotics and the use of VEX® IQ equipment.
The majority of schools don’t teach computer science
Source: Access Report
Source:
Change the Equation
Even when students enjoy computer science and the arts the most
Computer science is just about learning technology
Some may think:
Computer science is just
about learning technology
Computer science is about logic, problem solving, and creativity
Technology affects every field
Every 21st century student should have a chance to learn about algorithms, how to make apps,
and how the internet works.
believe offering computer science is more or equally as important as any required course.
83% of parents and 64% of principals in rural and small towns
Source: Brookings
The value of a computer science education
500,000 current openings:
These jobs are in every industry and every state, and they’re projected to grow at twice the rate of all other jobs.
Computing jobs are the #1 source of new wages in the United States
K-12 computer science
University computer science
Software workforce
Women who try AP Computer Science in high school are ten times more likely to major in it in college, and Black and Hispanic students are seven times more likely.
Sources: College Board, National Center for Education Statistics, Bureau of Labor Statistics
Solving the diversity problem begins in K–12
Sources
Slides 10-12: https://code.org/educate/csd
Slide 13: PLTW Family Letter
Slides 17-26: https://code.org/promote
Slide 7 Video: https://youtu.be/vgkahOzFH2Q
Slide 4 video: Link to Video