Description
Computer Science and Programming Course Description
Computer Science & Programming is a full-year introductory course for middle and high school students that blends foundational computer science concepts with hands-on programming practice. Students explore how computers and the internet work, learn to think like computer scientists, and build real programs using problem-solving, logic, and creativity.
Students will develop skills in algorithms, simulations, data structures, and structured programming using variables, decision-making, loops, functions, and files. They will also examine the ethical and social impacts of computing—considering privacy, accessibility, artificial intelligence, security, and the role of technology in society.
Through guided lessons, coding challenges, mini-projects, and a final capstone project, students will learn to design, build, test, and refine their own programs. By the end of the course, students will have a strong foundation in computational thinking and a portfolio of projects that demonstrate their understanding.
This course is ideal for students who are curious about technology, enjoy solving problems, or want to begin exploring computer science, game development, web development, digital innovation, or software engineering.
High School Credits
- 1 credit
Grade Levels
- 9th – 12th grade
Required Materials
- Software used with this course: Visual Studio Code (VS Code) is a free, open-source source IDE (code editor) by Microsoft that runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux
Prerequisites
- None
Course Outline
- How Computers Work
- How the Internet Works
- Computational Thinking & Abstraction
- Algorithms & Simulations
- Introduction to Programming
- Introduction to Computers and Programming
- Input, Processing, and Output
- Decision Structures & Boolean Logic
- Repetition Structures (Loops)
- Functions
- Files and Exceptions
- Lists and Tuples
- Dictionaries and Sets
- Data Structures (CS Perspective)
- Classes & Object-Oriented Programming (Intro)
- Classes & OOP
- Inheritance
- Recursion
- Recursion (Applications)
- Algorithms Revisited
- Data Structure Application Project
- Software Design & Abstraction
- GUI Programming (Intro)
- Simulation Project
- Final Project
Estimated Workload
- 2 hours/week
