Illinois Introduction to Computer Science

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

In this lesson, students learn more about Karel and Karel’s world. Students learn about walls in Karel’s world, the directions Karel can face, and how to identify a location in Karel’s world using rows and columns. In these exercises, students will begin to see the limitations of Karel’s commands. Students will need to apply Karel’s limited set of commands to new situations. For example, how can they make Karel turn right, even though Karel does not know a turnRight command?

In this lesson, students will learn how they can create their own commands for Karel by calling and defining functions. Functions allow programmers to create and reuse new commands that make code more readable and scalable.

In this lesson, students learn in more detail about functions, and how they can use functions to break down their programs into smaller pieces and make them easier to understand.

In this lesson, students will deepen their understanding of functions by learning about the main function. The main function helps to organize the readability of code by creating a designated place where code that is going to be run in a program can be stored:

function main(){
   turnRight();
}

function turnRight(){
   turnLeft();
   turnLeft();
   turnLeft();
}

main();

In this lesson, students learn about Top Down Design and Decomposition. Top Down Design is the process of breaking down a big problem into smaller parts.

In this lesson, students learn how to style their programs by including comments. Comments allow students to leave notes on their program that makes it easier for other to read. Comments are written in plain English.

Commenting Your Code Example:

/*
 *  multi-line  comments
 */

// single line comments

In this lesson, students are introduced to Super Karel! Since commands like turnRight() and turnAround() are so commonly used, students shouldn’t have to define them in every single program. This is where SuperKarel comes in. SuperKarel is just like Karel, except SuperKarel already knows how to turnRight and turnAround, so students don’t have to define those functions anymore!

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

For loops are written like this:

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

In this lesson, students learn about the conditional statement “if”. Code within an “if statement” will only execute IF the condition is true.

if (frontIsClear()) {
    // Code to be executed only if front is clear
}

In this lesson, students learn about an additional control structure, if/else statements. If/else statements let students do one thing if a condition is true, and something else otherwise.

if/else statements are written like this:

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

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

In this lesson, students review how they should indent their code to make it easier to read.

In this lesson, students learn how to combine and incorporate the different control structures they’ve learned to create more complex programs.

In this lesson, students get extra practice with control structures. Students will continue to see different ways that the if, if/else, while, and for loops affect their code and what Karel can do.

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

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

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 what pair programming is, why it is used, and the appropriate behaviors of a driver and navigator.

In this lesson, students will learn how randomization can enhance a program.

In this lesson, students will learn how to create basic functions using JavaScript and use them to improve the organization, readability, and flow of their programs.

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

In this lesson, students will learn about the graphics canvas and its coordinate system. Students will explore how to create and position shapes anywhere on the canvas. Graphic creation relies on setting the type of shape, size, position, and color on the artist’s canvas before adding it to the screen.

In this lesson, students will get more practice with graphics objects. They will also learn how to find images on the internet and use them in their projects. Web images can be loaded into a graphics project using the WebImage class and passing a web image address to it and they can be resized using the setSize method. Apart from loading images and resizing them, students will also learn how to add text objects to their canvas.

In this lesson, students will further explore the positioning of their graphics and the importance of the order in which functions are called.

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 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 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 will apply their understanding of if/else statements to graphics programs. Students will also learn how to use else if statements to check for multiple conditions.

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 use a break statement to break out of the loop whenever that condition is met, causing the loop to end.

In this lesson, students will apply their understanding of while loops to graphics programs.

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 apply what they have learned about for loops to graphics programs.

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

In this lesson, students will expand their use of functions by learning about and implementing parameters.

In this lesson, students learn about return statements and how to use them to send information between functions.

In this lesson, students learn how to set default values for their function’s parameters.

In this lesson, students will explore the scoping of a variable, which is where the variable is “defined” or where it exists.

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

In this lesson, students will be introduced to the concept of using timers to animate their graphics.

In this lesson, students will get more time practicing with timers as they learn how to stop their timers when a specific condition is met.

In this lesson, students learn about the logic required to implement their own collision detection functionality in their graphics animations.

In this lesson, students learn how to detect and take action upon a mouse click event.

In this lesson, students learn how to extend mouse events to make interactive animations using the movement and dragging motion of the mouse.

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 review content with a 25 question End-of-Unit Quiz.

In this final programming module, students will put together all of the concepts learned throughout the course to create a program of their choice. They will work with partners or in groups to creatively develop a program of their choosing.

In this lesson, students learn about student organizations and the role they can play in their lives as they think about future careers.

In this lesson, students will learn how computers are used to collect, store, manipulate, and visualize data in order to answer questions and gain knowledge of the world.

In this lesson, students will learn about the impact of visually representing data to make information easier to analyze and use.

In this lesson, students learn how computers can be used to collect and store data. They learn best practices for interpreting data that is presented. Data visualizations can be very helpful in recognizing patterns and answering questions, but can also be used to mislead if skewed or full of bias.

Students will work with a partner to answer a question of personal interest using a publicly available data set. Students will need to produce data visualizations and explain how these visualizations led to their conclusions. They will develop a computational artifact that illustrates, represents, or explains their findings, communicate their findings to their classmates, and embed their artifact in their personal portfolio website if they choose.

In this lesson, students will learn what is meant by cybersecurity and explore a few news worthy cyber attacks. They will also discuss the Internet of Things and the increase in connected devices.

Cybersecurity is the protection of computer systems, networks, and data from digital attacks. Increased connectivity via the Internet of Things and reliance on computer devices to send and store data makes users more vulnerable to cyber attacks.

In this lesson, students will learn and examine recent cyber attacks. Cyber attacks result in financial loss, lowered trust, disruption of important services, and more. There is a growing need for cybersecurity experts, and careers in the field are lucrative with high-impact.

In this lesson, students will learn about The CIA Triad. The CIA Triad is a widely-accepted security measure that should be guaranteed in every secure system. It stands for Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability.

• Confidentiality is the protection of information from people who are not authorized to view it.
• Integrity aims at ensuring that information is protected from unauthorized or unintentional alteration.
• Availability is the assurance that systems and data are accessible by authorized users when and where needed.

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

In this lesson, students understand how they can control and protect their footprint. As students use the Internet, they are building their digital footprint. This includes social media posts, emails, picture and video uploads amongst other online activities.

In this lesson, students will learn about and discuss cyberbullying. Cyberbullying is the use of electronic communication to harass or target someone. Cyberbullying includes sending, posting, or sharing negative, harmful, false, or mean content about someone else.

In this lesson, students will learn to recognize online predatory behavior and strategies on how to avoid and respond to it. The Internet is a great place to socialize, but it is important to be aware of risks. Common sense and following safety guidelines can help students stay safe online.

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 about and discuss information literacy. Information literacy is having the ability to find information, evaluate information credibility, and use information effectively.

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.

In this lesson, students will explore and discuss the ethics and legality around hacking. A security hacker is someone who seeks to break through defenses and exploit weaknesses in a computer system or network. There are white hat hackers, who help companies find and protect exploits in their systems, and black hat hackers who hack maliciously.

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

In this lesson, students will learn about the basic functions and types of operating systems. Students will also explore the process for upgrading and installing Windows and Mac operating systems.

In this lesson, students delve deeper into the differences between the three main operating systems. They learn how operating systems store and manage files and the differences and similarities in each system’s interface.

In this lesson, students continue to compare and contrast different operating systems. Students learn how operating systems use file extensions to determine how to view different data types and how some extensions are only compatible with specific operating systems. Additionally, students learn about processors and the difference between a 32-bit processor and a 64-bit processor.

In this lesson, students learn about the different types of software. Through interactive exercises, students explore how different software can be used in the workplace and our every day lives. Students also learn about single and cross-platform software.

In this lesson, students learn about the different types of software licenses as well as the different methods of installing software based on the application’s architecture.

In this lesson, students will learn about the importance of application security and what they can do to protect applications once they have been installed on a device.

In this lesson, students will learn about browser security features and ways to configure their browsers to enhance security.

In this lesson, students learn how to use user accounts and permissions to secure a device. Students also learn about system hardening and how to strengthen the security of a network by setting up and implementing host security.

In this lesson, students learn how to use the command line interface to interact with files and folders, and access information about computer processes.

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

In this lesson, students will look under the hood of web sites and web applications by using “view page source” in a browser. This will enable them to see HTML markup for images, navigation, and page layouts, CSS styling, and even JavaScript source code or links to JS files. Students will also view code that has been minified and understand what that means. Lastly, students will also take a first look at OWASP (Open Web Application Security Project) which is an important organization in cybersecurity.

In this lesson, students will learn about and use the developer tools in a browser. Web developers actually use these to help build and test websites. Cyber professionals need to be very familiar with the different ways of looking at how sites and apps function so they can use various tools to detect vulnerabilities or even detect attacks as they are starting.

In this lesson, students will learn about the impact of visually representing data to make information easier to analyze and use.

In this lesson, students will take a look at what databases are, how they are organized and used, the major parts of a database, and what a database schema is and generally looks like.

In this lesson, students take a look at what client and server devices and applications are, the client-server model, and how databases are part of that client-server model. They will get a high-level view of how clients and servers work together to help exchange information and data over a network or the Internet.

In this lesson, students will be introduced to SQL (structured query language). Students will also learn how a database is structured into tables and rows.

In this lesson, we learn about and use the SELECT statement in SQL. The SELECT statement is used to query the database and return a row or multiple rows from a table in the database.

In this lesson, students learn about the WHERE clause and basic filtering of queries in SQL.

In this lesson, students learn the overall concept of security: what it means to them personally and what it means to organizations in a digital world. They will reflect on what makes them feel secure.

This lesson provides an overview of what SQL injection is, the impact, how it works, and how hackers use SQL to attack a site. The lesson also has connections on the Equifax cyber attack that was a very large scale SQL injection.

In this lesson, students will learn and discuss types of SQLi and ways to prevent or at least mitigate an attack.

In this lesson, students will explore at a high-level what the internet is and how the internet works.

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 about the hexadecimal number system, and how it is useful in storing digital information. They will also learn how to convert numbers from the hexadecimal system to binary and vice versa.

In this lesson, students will explore the hardware that makes up the internet and the characteristics of that hardware that define our experience on the internet.

In this lesson, students will explore how internet hardware communicates using Internet Addresses and the Internet Protocol.

In this lesson, students will explore the DNS system and how it maps human readable domain names into actual accessible IP addresses.

In this lesson, students explore how messages get from one address on the internet to another.

In this lesson, students learn about the last piece of the puzzle for how the Internet works: Packets and Protocols. All information sent over the internet is broken down into small groups of bits called packets. The format for creating and reading packets is defined by open protocols so that all devices can read packets from all other devices.

In this lesson, students learn how all of the pieces of the puzzle (IP addresses, the DNS system, routing, and packets and protocols) fit together to send information over the internet. Students will extend these new concepts to consider net neutrality and its ramifications on cybersecurity.

In this lesson, students are presented with different ways that the Internet impacts their lives. The Internet affects the way that people communicate (emails, social media, video chat) and collaborate to solve problems. It has revolutionized the way that people can learn and even buy things. Because the Internet is present in almost every facet of people’s lives, there are severe ethical and legal concerns that derive from the Internet.