Fifth through Eighth Grade
During middle school, all CS learning is project-based and integrated into other disciplines. New CS skills are learned based on the needs of the projects. Students gain confidence using a variety of programming platforms and physical computing devices to bring their ideas and projects to life.
Fifth Grade
In fifth grade, students are given several opportunities to create technology projects across disciplines. These projects expand their computational thinking and design skills as students are given creative freedom within the framework of the learning objectives of the classroom project. As their projects gain complexity, fifth graders will also begin making independent decisions about when and where to incorporate variables, boolean logic, and procedures to create their own solutions.
Platforms: Scratch, TurtleArt, MakeyMakey, Micro:Bit, Mindstorm Robotics Projects:
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Sixth Grade
In sixth grade, our hope is that students will begin to recognize that they can use their computer science skills to create tech projects that reflect their learning across other curricular areas. We will challenge them to consider the usability of their designs and to begin to iterate their solutions.
Platforms: Scratch, Twine, Google Sites, MakeyMakey, Micro:Bit, Mindstorm Robotics Projects:
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Seventh Grade
In seventh grade, students begin to understand more fully the impact of computer science and technology on the world around them including the way we educate, govern, work, and communicate. Through science and math, students explore the power of big data and computer modeling. They must also begin to weigh the ethical consequences of using their power to create tech for good or ill.
Platforms: Scratch, NetLogo, Thimble (HTML/CSS/JavaScript), Weebly, Processing, MakeyMakey, Micro:Bit, Hummingbird Robotics Projects:
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Eighth Grade
In eighth grade, students learn methods of design that will help them decompose large problems into functional units. They will continue to explore the unifying numerical constructs that underpin all of computer science and the fundamentals of computation, as they determine what next steps they want to take in their computer science education in the Upper School.
Platforms: Scratch, Thimble (HTML/CSS/JavaScript), Weebly, Processing, MakeyMakey, Micro:Bit, Hummingbird Robotics Projects:
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