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Course F

The last course in CS Fundamentals is tailored to the needs of students in the fifth grade. In these lessons, students will create programs with different kinds of loops, events, functions, and conditionals. They will also investigate different problem-solving techniques and discuss societal impacts of computing and the internet. By the end of the curriculum, students create interactive stories and games that they can share with their friends and family.

Modifications for Virtual and Socially-Distanced Classrooms

Are you teaching in a virtual setting or in a socially-distanced classroom?

Check out our modifications for Course F for suggestions and resources to modify the curriculum as needed for your current teaching situation.

Journaling

The lessons in this course include journaling prompts. Journals are also useful as scratch paper for building, debugging, and strategizing. Journals can become a fantastic resource for referencing previous answers when struggling with more complex problems.

Think Spot Journal Student Handout

Debugging

From beginners to professionals, debugging is an essential yet often underrated practice. It is likely that your students will find most of their "coding" time is actually spent fixing bugs! To encourage students to take ownership of this practice, we provide this handy reference they can use while coding. Please consult the "Debugging" section of our CS Fundamentals Curriculum Guide for more information on this, as well as other debugging facilitation strategies for your classroom.

Debugging Guide Student Handout

Ramp Up

Lesson 1: Functions in Minecraft

  • Warm Up (10 min)
  • Main Activity (30 min)
  • Wrap Up (15 min)

Can you figure out how to use functions for the most efficient code?

Lesson 2: Swimming Fish with Sprite Lab

Skill Building | Ramp Up

  • Warm Up (10 min)
  • Main Activity (20 min)
  • Wrap Up (15 min)

Learn how to create and edit sprites.

Lesson 3: Alien Dance Party with Sprite Lab

Skill Building | Ramp Up

  • Warm Up (5 min)
  • Main Activity (30 min)
  • Wrap Up (10 min)

Create an interactive project that can be shared with classmates.

Lesson 4: Drawing with Loops

Skill Building | Ramp Up

  • Warm Up (15 min)
  • Main Activity (30 min)
  • Wrap Up (15 min)

In this lesson, loops make it easy to make even cooler images with Artist!

Lesson 5: Nested Loops in Maze

Skill Building | Ramp Up

  • Warm Up (10 min)
  • Main Activity (30 min)
  • Wrap Up (15 min)

Loops inside loops inside loops. What does this mean? This lesson will teach you what happens when you place a loop inside another loop.

Digital Citizenship

Lesson 6: The Power of Words

Unplugged | Cyberbullying

  • Warm Up: Same Word. Different Meaning. (5 min)
  • Watch: The Power of Words (35 min)
  • Investigate: What's the Problem? (15 min)
  • Wrap Up: Crossing the Line (10 min)
  • Extended Learning

Bullying is never okay. This lesson will teach you about what is and isn't okay to say online.

Teacher Links: Slide Deck | Lesson Video | Website Students Links: Student Handout | Form

Variables

Lesson 7: Envelope Variables

Unplugged | Variables

  • Warm Up (10 min)
  • Main Activity (20 min)
  • Wrap Up (10 min)
  • Assessment (10 min)
  • Extended Learning

Envelopes and variables have something in common: both can hold valuable things. Here you will learn what variables are and the awesome things they can do.

Teacher Links: Unplugged Video | Worksheet Answer Key | Assessment Answer Key Students Links: Worksheet | Assessment

Lesson 8: Variables with Artist

Skill Building | Variables

  • Warm Up (15 min)
  • Bridging Activity - Variables (15 min)
  • Main Activity (30 min)
  • Wrap Up (15 min)

Don't forget to bring creativity to class! In these puzzles you will be making fantastic drawings using variables.

Students Links: Student Video | Manipulatives

Lesson 9: Changing Variables with Bee

Skill Building | Variables

  • Warm Up (15 min)
  • Main Activity (30 min)
  • Wrap Up (15 min)

This bee loves variables!

Lesson 10: Changing Variables with Artist

Skill Building | Variables

  • Warm Up (5 min)
  • Main Activity (20 min)
  • Wrap Up (15 min)

In this lesson, you'll make drawings using variables that change as the program runs.

Students Links: Student Video | Manipulatives

Data

Lesson 11: Simulating Experiments

Unplugged | Data

  • Warm Up (5 min)
  • Activity (35 min)
  • Wrap Up (5 min)

Run simulations on the computer and experiment by changing variables.

Students Links: Worksheet

Lesson 12: AI for Oceans

  • Warm Up (5 min)
  • Activity (30 - 40 min)
  • Wrap Up (5 - 10 min)
  • Extended Learning

Tutorial Summary: First students classify objects as either "fish" or "not fish" to attempt to remove trash from the ocean. Then, students will need to expand their training data set to include other sea creatures that belong in the water. In the second part of the activity, students will choose their own labels to apply to images of randomly generated fish. This training data is used for a machine learning model that should then be able to label new images on its own.

Students Links: Video | Video | Video

Lesson 13: The Internet

Unplugged | Internet

  • Warm Up (20 min)
  • Main Activity (20 min)
  • Wrap Up (15 min)
  • Assessment (5 min)

Ever wondered how information travels across the internet? It's not magic! This lesson will teach you the basics of how the internet works.

Teacher Links: Assessment Answer Key Students Links: Unplugged Video | Manipulatives | Assessment

For Loops

Lesson 14: For Loop Fun

Unplugged | For Loops

  • Warm Up (20 min)
  • Main Activity (20 min)
  • Wrap Up (15 min)
  • Assessment (5 min)
  • Extended Learning

You're going to have loads of fun learning about for loops!

Teacher Links: Unplugged Video | Teacher Key | Lesson in Action Video | Worksheet Answer Key Students Links: Worksheet | Assessment

Lesson 15: For Loops with Bee

Skill Building | For Loops

  • Warm Up (15 min)
  • Bridging Activity - For Loops (15 min)
  • Main Activity (30 min)
  • Wrap Up (15 min)

Buzz buzz. In these puzzles you will be guiding a bee to nectar and honey using for loops!

Students Links: Manipulatives

Lesson 16: For Loops with Artist

Skill Building | For Loops

  • Warm Up (15 min)
  • Main Activity (30 min)
  • Wrap Up (15 min)

Get ready to make your next masterpiece. Here you will be using for loops to make some jaw-dropping pictures.

Sprites

Lesson 17: Behaviors in Sprite Lab

Skill Building | Behaviors

  • Warm Up (15 min)
  • Main Activity (30 min)
  • Wrap Up (15 min)

Learn to program your own sprite behaviors!

Lesson 18: Virtual Pet with Sprite Lab

Application | Sprites

  • Warm Up (15 min)
  • Main Activity (30 min)
  • Wrap Up (15 min)

In this lesson, students will create an interactive Virtual Pet that looks and behaves how they wish. Students will use Sprite Lab's "Costumes" tool to customize their pet's appearance. They will then use events, behaviors, and other concepts they have learned to give their pet a life of its own!

End of Course Project

Lesson 19: End of Course Project

End of Course Project

  • Day 1 - Explore Project Ideas (45 min)
  • Day 2 - The Design Process (45 min)
  • Day 3 - Build Your Project (45 min)
  • Day 4 (Recommended for 5th Grade) - Revise Your Project (45 min)
  • Day 5 & 6 - Present Your Project (45 min each)
  • Extension Activity

Projects this big take time and plenty of planning. Find your inspiration, develop a plan, and unleash your creativity!

Teacher Links: Teacher Prep Guide | Worksheet | Rubric