Intro to Computer Programming
Essential Questions:
- How is computer programming important in today's society?
- How do gender differences impact participation in this field?
- What is the basic structure and concepts of computer programming?
- How are creative thinking, logical reasoning and problem-solving used in computer programming?
Content:
- Statistics on the participation of women in computer science.
- Uses of computer programming in today's society
- Types of programming commands/blocks: Controls, Sensing, Operators, Loops, waits, reporters, variables, sounds, motion, appearance, broadcasts, lists, strings, boolean values
- Elements of the software interface
- Options in the paint editor
Skills and Processes:
- create sprites
- create costumes
- create stages
- create scripts using various types of programming blocks
- add sounds, photos, images from the internet
- animate people/objects in a scene
- use the paint editor
Assessment:
- Holiday e-card Project
- Rubric for assessing SCRATCH programs
- Gender Based Attitude Survey
Resources:
- PowerPoint on the State of Computer Programming in the US
- SCRATCH - MIT
Multicultural Dimension:
Gender-based unit
Integrated Learning:
Art, design, problem-solving, technology, linear and logical thinking