Exploring Computer Science

By Joanna Goode (University of Oregon) and Gail Chapman

©University of Oregon, 2019. This is a teacher's copy of the lessons. It is meant only for classroom use. Please do not copy or share it without written permission from ECS.

Version 9.0

Who Helped Make This Possible

This project was paid for with help from the National Science Foundation (NSF), a government group that supports science research. Several NSF grants supported different parts of this curriculum:

• A grant called "Into the Loop" helped colleges and K-12 schools work together. Its goal was to give more African American, Latino/a, and female students the chance to learn computer science in a large school district.
• The Introduction to Programming Unit was supported by a grant called "REAL-CS." This project studied fairness and access in computer science classes, and looked at how to grow high school computer science programs.
• The Computing and Data Analysis Unit was supported by a grant called "MOBILIZE." This project worked on new ways to teach computer science.
• The Robotics Unit was supported by a grant called "Taste of Computing." This project helped bring computer science classes to a big city school district.

Thank you to these helpers: George Benainous, Ron Eglash, Michelle Friend, Mark Hansen, John Landa, Pat Phillips, and Don Yanek.

For more information, visit www.exploringcs.org.

This version of the Exploring Computer Science curriculum is only for teachers to download for their own classroom. It cannot be copied or shared with others.

Graphic design by Mandy Quinn.

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Table of Contents

Course Overview — page 5

• Goals — 5
• Standards — 5
• What Students Need Before Starting — 5
• Computers Needed — 6
• Software Needed — 6

How This Course Teaches — page 7

• Teaching Approach — 7
• Teaching Strategies — 7
• Teacher Training — 9
• Grading — 9

About the Lessons — page 10

• Staying True to the Course — 10

Big Ideas and Skills Used Throughout — page 11

Order of Topics — page 12

Charts and Overviews — page 15

Topics and Learning Goals — page 21

• Unit 1: Human Computer Interaction (4 weeks) — 21
• Unit 2: Problem Solving (4 weeks) — 22
• Unit 3: Web Design (5 weeks) — 23
• Unit 4: Introduction to Programming (6 weeks) — 24
• Unit 5: Computing and Data Analysis (6 weeks) — 25
• Unit 6: Robotics (7 weeks) — 26
• How Computers Affect Society — 27

Unit 1: Human Computer Interaction — page 28

• Introduction — 28
• Daily Schedule — 29
• Daily Lessons — 30

Unit 2: Problem Solving — page 74

• Introduction — 74
• Daily Schedule — 75
• Daily Lessons — 76
• Final Project — 98

Unit 3: Web Design — page 100

• Introduction — 100
• Daily Schedule — 101
• Daily Lessons — 102
• Final Project — 122

Unit 4: Introduction to Programming — page 125

• Introduction — 125
• Daily Schedule — 126
• Daily Lessons — 127
• Final Project — 184

Unit 5: Computing and Data Analysis — page 187

• Introduction — 187
• Daily Schedule — 188
• Daily Lessons — 189
• Final Project — 254

Unit 6: Robotics — page 256

• Introduction — 256
• Daily Schedule — 257
• Daily Lessons — 258
• Final Project — 291

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Course Overview

Goals

Exploring Computer Science (ECS) teaches students about the many different parts of computer science. It does this through fun and easy-to-understand topics. Instead of spending the whole course learning just one computer program or coding language, this course focuses on the big ideas behind computing. Students learn to understand why certain tools or coding languages are used to solve certain problems.

The main goal is to help students learn important computer science skills. These include building step-by-step instructions (called algorithms), solving problems, and writing code (called programming). Students explore these skills using problems that connect to their everyday lives. Students will also learn about designing computer screens people use (called interfaces), what computers can't do, and how computers affect society and right-and-wrong choices.

This course was first created for students in the Los Angeles school district. The goal was to give more students a chance to learn computer science — especially girls and students of color. After it worked well in Los Angeles, Exploring Computer Science became known across the whole country. Many school districts now use ECS in different ways. Reaching students who haven't had as many chances to learn computer science is still one of the most important goals of this program.

Standards

Exploring Computer Science was built around both computer science content (the facts and ideas) and computer science practices (the things computer scientists actually do). Together, these help students understand what it's really like to work in computer science. ECS follows two official guides: the K-12 Computer Science Framework and the CSTA Computer Science Standards.

What Students Need Before Starting

Students should finish an Algebra math class before taking this course. ECS is designed to get students ready for college. It should be challenging, but still easy to understand, even with no computer science experience at all. No previous computer science knowledge is required.

Computers Needed

The best classroom for this course would have tables, chairs, and computers, all set up so students can work together in groups. It would be great if every student had their own computer. But since students work together often in this class, it's fine if two students share one computer if there aren't enough to go around.