Teacher Guide

Cascade Middle School

Basic
Computer
Science and
Skills
Table of contents

3 Syllabus
4 Computational thinking
5 Unit 1 The Digital Citizen - Basic Skills
9 Unit 2 The Computational Thinker-Programming in Swift
13 Unit 3 The Innovative Designer - Hopscotch Game design
15 Unit 4 The Creative Communicator - Sphero Group Challenge
18 Unit 5 The Knowledge Constructor - Choice Project

20 ISTE Standards
21 CSTA Standards
22 Video Resources
23 Additional Resources and Curriculum
24 Rubric
Sample Course Syllabus
Instructor:
Course Description
Students who participate in Basic Computer Science and Skills
will learn the foundational concepts and skills they will need for
success in high school Computer Science courses. Although
learning to code and program is a central task, the course is
designed to introduce students to ALL of the concepts of
Computer Science through engaging activities that are both on
and off the computer. They will solve real world problems that
require both hard and soft skills as individuals and in groups.
The course will strengthen the learners ability to communicate,
collaborate, critically think and be creative through various
projects that depend on their willingness to persevere and work We will obviously need to make our own photos!
accurately.

Course Goals Grading

• Introduce students to Computer Science as a discipline Students would be graded on their proficiency and abilities
based on the CSTA K12 Computer Science Standards https://
• Develop foundational skills and understanding of the five www.csteachers.org/page/standards
concepts and practices Computer Science.
Additionally, students will be asked to work and think in different
• Strengthen problem solving and critical thinking skills. roles based on the ISTE Technology Standards for Students
• Foster creativity, collaboration, and communication.
• Explore issues raised by present and future societal Example: Empowered learner for one task becomes the Creative
impacts of computing. Communicator for a different task.

• Demonstrate that all students can be successful in

computer science.
What is
computational
thinking?

When we want to speak to a computer we learn code.

But what does it mean to think like a computer? In the
simplest terms it means we need to know how to break
down patterns, work accurately, and always be able to
come to a concrete solution. This is not easy and it is
certainly not for everybody. Fortunately you can train
your brain to think like a computer. We will begin class
everyday with an exercise. Take it seriously. Find the
pattern. Look for an algorithm that leads you to
success. It will become routine over time. Until then you
must struggle to find a singular solution that will work to
solve a complex problem.
Unit 1
The Digital Citizen -
Basic Skills

Homerow Keyboarding

Collecting Data using numbers or a

table in this book

Appropriate and Ethical use / Digital

Citizenship

Everyone can Create Curriculum

Ten Fast Fingers

Remember if you type slower than

thirty words per minute at 100%
accuracy….you might as well use
your pencil!

Words per minute data table

We are responsible Creators trusted with powerful tools! It is not a digital footprint but
instead it is a tatoo. I will complete these thoughts very soon. The point is that all
students should pass the grades 6-8 digital citizenship tests prior to beginning unit 2.

Grade Digital Life Digital Life 101 Strategic A Creator’s Rights

6 Searching

Grade Managing your screen A Creator’s Safe Online Which Me Should

7 time Responsibilities Talk I Be?
Grade Social Me-Dia Trillion Dollar Crossing the Rework Reuse
8 Footprint Line Remix
Apple Everyone can Create Curriculum

This curriculum comes in an easy access iBook form

Link to beta preview version of teachers guide that is designed to work best on iPad. Students will
learn photography and videography techniques as well
as many techniques to make creative digital projects for
work in ALL of their classes. I could work well to have
this in the basic skills section of a longer course.
Unit 2
The Computational Thinker
Programming in Swift

Understand Swift Language

Complete all lessons in Learn to Code 1

and 2

Create CS word wall

Codable Drone Activity

Swift Playgrounds and the
“Everyone can Code” Curriculum
The work that both the teacher and student do in Swift
playgrounds SHOULD be the primary source curriculum
for CS at the middle school level. “There are 40–45
hours of core coding lessons with up to 45 hours of
supplemental activities that help students apply what
they’ve learned and start designing their very own app.
Lessons are designed for 45- to 60-minute class
periods, and some span multiple class periods. The
suggested amount of time needed to complete each
section in a lesson is included.”

During the Swift Programing unit each day should be

split equally between the lesson from the Learn to Code
Curriculum the second half with students working in the
swift playgrounds app.

Important links to be familiar with:

Swift playgrounds info and website

Learn to Code 1 and 2 iBook

Learn to Code book 3 (more advanced, teaches your

students to make their own iPad app)
Computer Science Word Wall
Loop function
Space for codable drone activity
assignment
Unit 3
The Creative Innovator
Hopscotch Game Design

Video tutorials in hopscotch

Complete three projects from website

Hopscotch lunchtime ol’ fashioned

arcade

Writing assignment. Write a descriptive

operations manual with two sections.
Creating the game. Instructions for the
game
Hopscotch Video
Tutorials and class
creation.

Video tutorials
Students should sign into your class in hopscotch. Once there,
they should complete all available lesson tutorials.

Link to “Everything Hopscotch”

The site above will take you to a web resource from both
Hopscotch and from other Bend La Pine Students.

From here, students should make their first game. They can do
the etch-o-sketch lesson as a way to begin.
Hopscotch
Writing assignment
Hopscotch
Ol’ Fashion video arcade
Design Project
Unit 4
The Creative Communicator
Sphero Group Challenge

Sphero Line to Line Activity (Ratios)

Students complete Blocks lessons 1-4

Sphero Charriot Collaboration

Challenge

service bot mission project

Getting started with Sphero
Sphero Troubleshooting Activities for the first day (or three)
ONLY USE SPHERO.EDU app! 1. Open with a whole class activity. Pass around the sphero
1. Spheros take about an hour to Charge and you get about 30 and let students see what is inside. Let them name and
minutes of use. However, you get A LOT more time out of come up with parts they recognize.
your Sphero if you do not permit remote control driving! The 2. PLAY HOT POTATO- Students pass the sphero in a circle
rule is code only! firmly to one another. Explore code and see what they
2. When charging in the blue case, Reseat the Spheros like recognize in the code just like when they looked for things
eggs. Make sure the blue motherboard is horizontal to the they recognized in the robot.
charger. Hot potato. Go to Programs (bottom) > Sphero (top) >
3. Avoid using the reset button on the charger! Only use the use filter to search hot potato.
reset button if the spheros are going to sit for over a week. 3. Blocks ONE Activity-
Using the reset button puts the Sphero into deep sleep. We This activity is made by sphero to teach kids about device
have found that it takes as much as 5 minutes to wake a and how it is used. They will end up programing a square in
sphero out of this state. several ways.
4. Spheros are used on the floor unless the activity states Go to Activities (bottom) > Sphero (top) Blocks one will be on
otherwise first page. There are 5 steps with 4 videos. They may need
5. Skins only for outside use headphones or their own space.
6. Commercial carpet is ideal surface. Tile scratches the
sphero very quickly.
7. Report all damage. Sphero offers a one year warranty. MY Favorite simple activity! LINE TO LINE-
7. Students sign in as guest or sign in using Clever Set up two pieces of blue tape on about 15-20 feet apart. Start
with a new blank program. Go to My Programs (bottom) Green
Joining Sphero plus. Students will use one command ROLL (this is in
1. Make sure bluetooth is on. Movement menu)
2. Students always work in partners or triads. The student with THE GOAL- Start on one line….land on the other. Every
the most battery life gets to join the sphero. The rest put partnership can start at once and go as often as needed. But if
away their iPad. they go OVER the line, even by an inch. They are in jail for 60
3. Students line up in partners quietly in one corner of room. seconds! Every time a team lands on the line, the data is
Spheros are in in case in the furthest corner from students. recorded on a table on the board. Speed and Duration. No one
4. On teachers signal, student pairs walk to case ONE PAIR AT else can use that combination. You will end up with several
A TIME and place the iPad directly on the spheros while they solutions. These should be ratios of the other solutions!
are in the case. The robot that joins their iPad is the one they
get. The iPad CHOOSES the Student. This works so much
faster than passing out robots.
Chariot Races
Review of aim and Roll so drivers are prepared
Maker Time!
Kids will design (on paper) and build the cart to carry their
Goals 4 C activity. Introduction to coding. Design lego person for the chariot race
Challenge Make sure you have lots of clean recyclables, pipe cleaners,
Community Building popsicle sticks. glue guns etc.

Day 3 competition
Day 1- Introduce the “race course” by doing the line to line Start with a test run of all carts.
challenge from the previous page Then allow for 20 minutes for refinements!
All teams to the official course for the preliminary race.
Introduce the challenge- Each team places their chariot on pit crew poster. Each
Everyone will get a lego person that must be attached to group has a chance to say their cheer and present poster
the sphero with a chariot. The lego person should have a
before competition. winner is the team that gets closest to
clear line of sight in the direction the sphero is moving in
the line with out going over. NOT the fastest group.
the race. The chariot must be made of recycled materials,
no legos or blocks and nothing can be taped glued or 2 to 3 teams per race. winner moves on to simis and then
permenently attached to the sphero. (think of the sphero as finals.
a horse!)

Make your teams of 3 to four students

There is the driver (ipad programer) engineer (turns in
design of chariot) Creative team (lead designer of poster,
slogan and pit area.

All teams must help one another to:

make the chariot
practice driving the chariot
make a poster with team name
make a cheer or slogan that includes team name
Make a pit area Poster to place the chariot while waiting for
race to begin

Day 2
Mission To
Mars
Resources

https://spark.adobe.com/page/
EEoOUFEDs1AC5/

Students in Strive starting with mission to mars

Mission to Mars from Bend High

2016

Mission to Mars Resources from

Mike Nye Redmond School District
Unit 5
The Knowledge Constructor
Choice Project

Begin using resources

Guest speaker

Not sure need to look deeper

Unit 6
Empowered Learner
Study extensions

code.org

Khan Academy Java Script

SAMlabs Logic

Digital Portfolio
ISTE Standards for
Students

Successful students in Basis Computer Programing and

Skills will challenge themselves to have the correct
mindset needed to achieve needed to complete the task
at hand.

Every unit in our course will require specific skills for

success. These skills are based on technological skills
from
K12CS Standards as interpreted by CS for Oregon Plan
Video Resources

Code.org’s Learn to Code Video Apple Swift programing language

Hadi Partovi Ted Talk 2014 Getting Started with Sphero

Push Yourself-Anyone can learn! Google CS first video

Apple- Everyone Can Code ISTE Video promotion of standards

Icon Key

Collaborate
Get

Collect Data Work

Consider
Watch / Read

Complete Reflect