At Western School of Science & Technology our students begin their Computer Science journey in the 7th Grade. We are partners with Amazon’s Project STEM. The curriculum allows the students to experiment with block coding and eventually takes them all the way to AP courses. Below is the sequence of computer science classes that your child will be taking.
7th Grade – Computer Science Explorations 1:
The CSE 1 Unit 1 Motion in Scratch unit is a highly interactive and collaborative introduction to fundamental computer science concepts around events and sequencing, as framed within the broader context of motion in Scratch. Through a series of real world scenarios, projects and challenges, students are introduced to foundational concepts that they will return to repeatedly throughout the unit and course. Students learn how they can use Scratch programming to instruct computers to trigger instructions to make things happen within their programs. The unit concludes with students developing a program that incorporates the concepts covered the unit of their choosing.
8th Grade – Computer Science Explorations 2:
Computer Science Explorations 2 is an introductory computer science course for 6 – 9th grade students. Mapped to CTSA standards, the course takes a wide lens on computer science by covering topics such as problem solving, programming, physical computing, user centered design, and data, while inspiring students as they build their own interactive coding projects, games and animations in Scratch.
High School Computer Science Courses:
CS Python Fundamentals is an introductory-level course for students brand new to programming and computer science. In this course, students will learn problem-solving strategies, software design, and the foundations of computer science using two key tools: the Project STEM programming environment and EarSketch, a software package that turns your code into music.
Not only will this course prepare students for continuing their studies in computer science (for example, by taking AP Computer Science A and AP Computer Science Principles), but it will also teach them how to think like a scientist and solve real-world problems, skills that are important to every 21st-century citizen.
AP Computer Science Principles is an introductory college-level computing curriculum that introduces students to the breadth of the field of computer science. Students learn to design and evaluate solutions and to apply computer science to solve problems through the development of algorithms and programs. They incorporate abstraction into programs and use data to discover new knowledge. Students also explain how computing innovations and computing systems—including the internet—work, explore their potential impacts, and contribute to a computing culture that is collaborative and ethical.
The curriculum is designed to be equivalent to a first-semester introductory college computing course. The major areas of study in the curriculum are organized around big ideas that encompass ideas foundational to studying computer science.
AP Computer Science A will introduce the Java programming language while emphasizing universal language techniques like syntax, semantics and readability. Students will gain mastery in programming concepts by using a subset of Java features that are required for the AP Computer Science A exam, including abstraction, algorithms, data structures, and object-oriented programming. This allows the student to understand and master important concepts that will apply to programming problems in many additional languages.
This curriculum will prepare students for advanced college coursework and careers in computer science.
