North Carolina Intro to Computer Science (2020)

In this lesson, students are introduced to Karel the Dog and how Karel can be given a set of instructions to perform a simple task.

In this lesson, students build on their understanding of how Karel the Dog can be given a set of instructions to perform a simple task.

In this lesson, students will learn how to define and call a function using proper syntax.

In this lesson, functions will be used to teach Karel a new word or command. Using functions allows programs to be broken down into smaller pieces and makes it easier to understand.

In this lesson, students will learn the importance of writing readable code and how using the start function can help achieve this.

In this lesson, students learn top down design and decomposition as the processes of breaking big problems into smaller, manageable pieces. The functions improve the readability of the code and avoid repeated code.

In this lesson, students will learn how to utilize comments in their code to explain what their code is doing. Comments should include preconditions and postconditions. Preconditions are assumptions we make about what is true before a function is called in our program. Postconditions are what should be true after a function is called in our program.

In this lesson, students will learn about abstraction. Abstraction is the act of managing complexity by dissociating information and details in order to focus on relevant concepts.

In this lesson, students will be introduced to SuperKarel and APIs. SuperKarel includes commands like turnRight() and turnAround() since they are so commonly used. These commands come prepackaged with the SuperKarel library (API).

In this lesson, students learn how to use for loops in their programs. The for loop allows you to repeat a specific part of code a fixed number of times.

A for loops is written as follows:

for(var i = 0; i < 4; i++)
{
    // Code to be repeated 4 times
}

In this lesson, students will learn about conditions and if statements. A condition is a function that returns a true/false answer. JavaScript uses if statements as a way to make decisions and execute specific code. If statements are helpful in writing code that can be used in different situations.

In this lesson, students will take a deeper look into conditional statements, more specifically if/else statements. If/else statements allow for one thing to be done if a condition is true, and something else otherwise.

We write if/else statements like this:

if(frontIsClear()) {
    // code to execute if front is clear
} else {
    // code to execute otherwise
}

In this lesson, students are introduced to a new type of loop: while loops. While loops allow Karel to repeat code while a certain condition is true. While loops allow for the creation of general solutions to problems that will work on multiple Karel worlds, rather than just one.

In this lesson, students take a look at all of the control structures. Control structures can be selective, like if and if / else statements and are based on a condition. Other control structures are iterative and allow for repeated code like for loops and while loops. Basically, control structures control the way the commands execute.

Debugging is a very important part of programming. In this lesson, students learn how to effectively debug their programs.

In this lesson, students learn about the importance of planning when writing complex programs. Students learn that flowcharts and pseudocode are essential tools that help break down a problem. Students also learn how to use comments in JavaScript as a way to make their code more readable.

In this lesson, students are introduced to algorithms which are step by step instructions that solve a problem. Programs implement algorithms. All algorithms are built using sequencing, selection, and iteration. Karel has control structures for each of these. This lesson is designed to test students’ knowledge of control structures and algorithm design in preparation for upcoming Karel challenges.

In this lesson, students will learn the proper way to indent their code. Indentation is especially important when using multiple loops, functions, and if statements to show the structure of the code. Indentation provides a good visual approach to see which commands are inside vs. outside of a loop or if statement.

In this lesson, students are introduced to Ultra Karel! Ultra Karel has all the abilities of Super Karel, plus two new functions (paint and isColor) added to the API.

Students will explore the Ultra Karel API and use Ultra Karel’s ability to paint the grid world to create digital images. Students will create generalized algorithms that solve Ultra Karel problems for multiple worlds.

This lesson is the first time students will use functions that accept parameters as inputs.

In this lesson, students will synthesize all of the skills and concepts learned in the Karel unit to solve increasingly challenging Karel puzzles.

In this lesson, students complete a summative assessment of the unit’s learning objectives.

We define what “code” is, find examples in the real world, and learn about programming as one specific example of code.

We learn about some of the applications of computer programs.

In this lesson, students will learn how to print messages out onto the console using the Javascript command println.

In this lesson, students learn how to assign values to variables, manipulate those variable values, and use them in program statements. This is the introductory lesson into how data can be stored in variables.

In this lesson, students learn how they can allow users to input information into their programs, and use that input accordingly.

In this lesson, students learn about the different mathematical operators they can use to perform mathematical computations and create useful programs that compute information for the user.

In this lesson, students will learn the basics of creating graphics objects. Graphic creation relies on setting the type, shape, size, position, and color on the artist’s canvas before adding to the screen. Using the geometric concepts, and the concept of getWidth() and getHeight(), multiple graphic objects can be created in JavaScript.

In this lesson, students are introduced to a way input can be taken from the user’s mouse using the mouse clicked method.

In this lesson, students review content with a 25 question Unit Quiz.

In this lesson, students will learn more about boolean values. Booleans refer to a value that is either true or false, and are used to test whether a specific condition is true or false.

In this lesson, students will learn about logical operators. Logical operators allow students to connect or modify Boolean expressions. Three logical operators are the !, ||, && characters.

• ! = NOT
• || = OR
• && = AND

In this lesson, students learn how to use comparison operators. Comparison operators let students compare two values.

In this lesson, students learn about if statements as a way to make decisions and execute specific code depending on the validity of a condition.

In this lesson, students will learn how to use keyboard keys to control events. Keyboard events capture when the user presses keys on the keyboard. This allows students to write programs that take input from the keyboard to change what is happening in the program.

In this lesson, students will learn in greater detail about for loops. For loops in Javascript are written and executed in the same manner as Karel exercises, except now students will explore modifying the initialization statement, test statement, and increment statements of the loops.

In this lesson, students will explore in more detail how they can modify the initialization statement, test statement, and increment statement in a for loop.

In this lesson, students will learn how to create for loops to solve increasingly challenging problems by using nested for loops and branching control structures.

In this lesson, students will learn how randomization can enhance a program and be used in combination with various control structures.

In this lesson, students will explore while loops and JavaScript variables. This combines the ideas of creating variables, updating variables throughout a loop, and determining the correct ending condition.

In this lesson, students will learn how to create a Loop and Half. A Loop and a Half is a specific way to write a while loop with the condition being true. Inside the loop, students create a SENTINEL value to break out of the loop whenever that condition is met, causing the loop to end.

In this lesson, students review content with a 15 question Unit Quiz.

In this lesson, students learn about lists/arrays and how to access an element in an array with an index so they can create ordered collections of items and use them in their programs.

In this lesson, students continue to work with array indexing to get and assign array values so they can incorporate arrays/lists into their programs and handle data more efficiently.

In this lesson, students learn how to add and remove elements at the end of an array using the push and pop methods.

In this lesson, students will be able to get the length of an array and learn how to loop through an array so they can have more functionality with arrays in their programs.

In this lesson, students will be able to get the length of an array and loop through an array so they can use arrays in problems involving random numbers and JavaScript graphics.

In this lesson, students learn and use another method on a list, indexOf in order to find elements in lists within their programs.

In this lesson, students will learn how to use the splice and remove methods to remove an element from an array to add more functionality to their programs.

This lesson is a summative assessment of the unit’s learning objectives.

How do computers store and manipulate information? In this lesson, students learn how computers abstract complicated information into manageable chunks that they can then store and manipulate.

In this lesson, students will learn what a number system is, the difference between the decimal number system and the binary number system, and how to convert between decimal and binary.

In this lesson, students will learn what a number system is, the difference between the decimal number system and the binary number system, and how to convert between decimal and binary.

In this lesson, students will learn how computers break down images into concrete values that can be stored. Students will learn how images are represented digitally using pixels.

In this lesson, students will learn about the essential internal components that make up a computer. Component categories include the motherboard (system board), firmware (BIOS), CPU (processor), GPU (graphics processor), storage, cooling, and NIC (network adapter).

In this lesson, students will learn and explain the purposes and use of various peripheral types. They will classify the peripherals as input or output devices and explore different ways of installing them on a laptop or PC.

In this lesson, students will discuss and examine policies regarding privacy and security. Using best practices like setting strong passwords, reading privacy policies, and using https can help in staying safe online.

In this lesson, students will learn what copyright laws are and how to avoid copyright infringement. They will explore why copyright laws are important and how they protect the creators.

This lesson is a summative assessment of the unit’s learning objectives.

In this lesson, students are introduced to the concept of design thinking and learn the steps in the design cycle.

In this lesson, students will be introduced to prototyping. They will be given guidelines for this step and shown examples in order to successfully create prototypes of their own final project ideas.

In this lesson, students will explore the testing step of the design process. They will see good and bad examples of testing practices and will be able to get feedback on their own prototypes before moving into the building process.

In this final programming module, students will put together all of the concepts learned throughout the course to create a website. They will work with partners or in groups to creatively develop a website that includes aspects from each part of the course.