Part I – Course Parameters

Course Title: Exploring Programming                                                                          Grade: 7 and 8

Prerequisite: Technology skills class or teacher consent

Books & Materials: None for now

Course Description: This course is designed for the students who feel comfortable with the basics of technology as taught in the MS Tech Skills course, and who want to go further especially in the area of programming graphics, animation, sound, music, and games. The course is designed as a one year course, with students able to exit at the end of the first semester.

Part II – Processes

Writing  Students write explanations/documentation for algorithms and programs.

Communication  Students verbalize problem-solving methods and explain algorithms in debugging sessions. Group projects require communication among teams and individuals.

Research  Students use language reference manuals, on-line help, and other reference materials in problem-solving and program-writing.

Human Relations/Responsibility  Students learn about abuse of technology, and articulate a personal code of ethics.  The general atmosphere must help to develop mutual trust.

Critical Thinking Skills  The primary focus of the course is problem-solving.  Students begin to develop their own methods for analyzing and solving problems with the computer.

Participation Skills Group projects require collaboration. All students are encouraged to contribute ideas in problem-solving sessions.

Reflection/ Assessment/ Evaluation  Students have the opportunity to see programs work.  Self-evaluation is part of the assessment process.

Global Responsibility  Students are frequently reminded of their responsibilities as technology gurus.  Rather than being taught as a unit, the ethical considerations are part of the atmosphere and everyday discussions.

Part III – Critical Questions

What is a program?

What is a high-level programming language?

Why do we write programs and who are they for?

What resources are available for learning to create and debug computer programs?

How does mathematics relate to computer programming?

What are the responsibilities that accompany programming knowledge?

Part IV – Technology Use and Library Use

Technology is the focus of this course.

Part V – Topic Summary & Key Concepts

Subject Content:  Logo, Spreadsheet programming, Visual Basic.

Spreadsheets    Cell as variable, graphing and exploring  functions with a spreadsheet

Logo    Basic commands, writing and running a procedure, top-down programming design, inputs and parameters in procedures, input from the user, tail recursion, if-then statements, random turtle vs. chaotic turtle.

Visual Basic       Object programming, using some common objects, procedures (modules), loops, decision statements, debugging techniques, graphics, sound, animation, music.

Student Outcomes: (What skills do we want students to possess after successful completion of course?)

Use spreadsheet, Logo, or Visual Basic to:

·        Write a program that manipulates variables and formulas.

·        Write a program that gets input and produces output

·        Write a program that uses looping

·        Write a program that makes decisions

·        Write a program that uses procedures and parameter passing.

·        Demonstrate ethical behavior in the use of technology

Part VI – Examples of Expanded Assessment

Student progress will be assessed in a number of ways:

1.      Content:  As students learn each type of routine, they will be required to demonstrate that they understand these routines and demonstrate uses for each by successfully coding a program that requires these routines.

2.      Ethics:  Students will  be assessed on their understanding of the ethics of programming, which will be done by giving them ethical dilemmas for which they will need to propose solutions. These will be in group and individual settings.

3.      Showcase Portfolio:  Students will use their work to create a showcase portfolio for each grading period that showcases their progress and highlights their major accomplishments during the period.

4.      Projects:   Students will develop two or more programming projects during the course. Students will be responsible for selecting the type of program, although the criteria for the project will give the expected complexity and the type of objects that are expected. At least one project will be small-scale and developed independently by each student. Other projects will require teams of three to five students to jointly develop a program, with each member responsible for coding a portion of the program. These projects will also have a “customer.” Assessment will include both group and individual, and will assess the process used as well as the end product.

5.      A final assessment will be coordinated with the HS Computer Science teacher to determine whether or not the student will be able to move directly to the High School Intermediate Programming course.

Those involved with preparing this syllabus: Paul Paulson, Marguerite Arnote, Thomas Tobiason, Derrel Fincher

Date of this draft:  January 7, 1999