Virginia Computer Science Foundations
- Level High School
- Contact Hours 135
- Timeframe Year
This course builds on the concepts of computer science developed in prior grade levels and provides a transition from block-based programming to a text-based programming language and familiarize students with developing and executing computer programs.
To view the entire syllabus, click here or click to explore the full course.
MODULES - 10
Students learn topics on Internet etiquette, how to stay safe on the web, potential effects of digital footprints, how to protect their information, and the implications of cyberbullying.
Karel helps teach foundational skills in programming by simplifying JavaScript to four simple commands. Using these commands, students solve increasingly difficult problems and explore how complex programming languages can be developed from simple commands.
Students take all the foundational concepts from Karel to solve programming challenges.
Students explore the structure and design of the internet, and how this design affects the reliability of network communication, the security of data, and personal privacy.
Students are introduced to the basics of JavaScript, including variables, user input, mathematics, and basic graphics.
Students learn how to pair program and take all the foundational concepts from JavaScript Graphics to solve some programming challenges.
Students learn how to use control structures such as if/else statements and loops to make more advanced programs in JavaScript.
Students take all the foundational concepts from the Control Structures unit to solve programming challenges.
Students learn to write reusable code with functions and parameters and learn about various data structures.
Students learn the theory and practice of user interface design. With rapid prototyping and user testing, they design and develop their own engaging web pages.
Explore programs that your students will build throughout this course!
Here are a few examples of teacher resources and materials to use in the Virginia Computer Science Foundations course
| Standards Framework | Alignment |
|---|---|
| Virginia Computer Science Foundations | 100% View |
| Virginia 8 | 77% View |
| Virginia Computer Science Principles | 69% View |
Create and organize Assignments in any CodeHS course that you're teaching. You can even add custom assignments to pre-existing CodeHS courses.
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It covers 100% of the Virginia Computer Science Foundations standards. The CodeHS standards page lists each standard next to the lesson that covers it.
It is the bridge from blocks to text. The description says it builds on computer science developed in earlier grades and provides the transition from block-based programming to a text-based language, familiarising students with writing and running real programs.
Some computer science in earlier grades, in blocks. The course explicitly builds on that rather than starting from nothing, which makes it different from the other Foundations courses in this family.
It sits at 9th grade in both the Virginia High School Computer Science pathway and the Virginia Advanced Computer Science pathway, and CodeHS lists it for grades 9 and 10 in the Virginia state pathway.
About 135 contact hours, built to run across a full school year.
They are different courses that overlap. The national Foundations of Computer Science covers the Virginia Computer Science Foundations standards at 92%, close but not complete, and it starts from nothing rather than from block-based programming. This course covers the Virginia framework at 100% and is written as a transition course.
