The student will construct programs to accomplish a task as a means of creative expression or scientific exploration using a block based or text based programming language, both independently and collaboratively

a) combining control structures such as if-statements and loops including nested conditionals and loops;

b) using clearly named variables that represent different data types, including numeric and non-numeric data, and perform operations on their values; and [Related SOL: Math 7.1, 7.2]

c) create procedures with parameters.

Terminology

• algorithms-- sets of step-by-step directions to complete tasks
• sequencing--arranging in a particular order
• loop -- A programming structure that repeats a sequence of instructions as long as a specific condition is true.
• event -- Any identifiable occurrence that has significance for system hardware or software. User-generated events include keystrokes and mouse clicks; system-generated events include program loading and errors.
• variable -- a symbol or letter, such as "x" or "y," that represents a value.
• conditional -- A feature of a programming language that performs different computations or actions depending on whether a condition evaluates to true or false. (eg if x =1, add 1)
• control structure -- A programming (code) structure that implements control. Conditionals and loops are examples of control structures.
• parameter -- a special kind of variable in computer programming language that is used to pass information between functions or procedures.

Related SOLs

Resources / Examples