There is computer science occuring all around us every day. It is just sometimes hard to see. Here are a few examples of computer science in our lives and examples of how the computer science standards can be understood by students in tangible ways.

Algorithms and Programming

Control

K-2.AP.12 Create programs with sequences of commands and simple loops, to express ideas or address a problem.

3-5.AP.12 Create programs that include events, loops, and conditionals.

6-8.AP.12 Design and iteratively develop programs that combine control structures and use compound conditions.

9-12.AP.15 Iteratively design and develop computational artifacts for practical intent, personal expression, or to address a societal issue by using events to initiate instructions.

9-12.AP.14 Justify the selection of specific control structures by identifying tradeoffs associated with implementation, readability, and performance.

9-12S.AP.15 Demonstrate the flow of execution of a recursive algorithm.

Algorithms

K-2.AP.10 Model daily processes by creating and following algorithms to complete tasks.

3-5.AP.10 Compare and refine multiple algorithms for the same task and determine which is the most appropriate.

6-8.AP.10 Use flowcharts and/or pseudocode to design and illustrate algorithms that solve complex problems.

9-12.AP.12 Design algorithms to solve computational problems using a combination of original and existing algorithms.

9-12S.AP.10 Describe how artificial intelligence drives many software and physical systems.

9-12S.AP.11 Implement an algorithm that uses artificial intelligence to overcome a simple challenge.

9-12S.AP.12 Implement searching and sorting algorithms to solve computational problems.

9-12S.AP.13 Evaluate algorithms in terms of their efficiency.

Modularity

K-2.AP.13 Decompose the steps needed to solve a problem into a sequence of instructions.

3-5.AP.13 Decompose problems into smaller, manageable tasks which may themselves be decomposed.

3-5.AP.14 Create programs by incorporating smaller portions of existing programs, to develop something new or add more advanced features.

6-8.AP.13 Decompose problems and subproblems into parts to facilitate the design, implementation, and review of programs.

6-8.AP.14 Create procedures with parameters to organize code and make it easier to reuse.

9-12.AP.16 Decompose problems into smaller subproblems through systematic analysis, using constructs such as procedures, modules, and/or classes.

9-12.AP.17 Create computational artifacts using modular design.

9-12S.AP.16 Analyze a large-scale computational problem and identify generalizable patterns or problem components that can be applied to a solution.

9-12S.AP.17 Construct solutions to problems using student-created components, such as procedures, modules, and/or objects.

9-12S.AP.18 Demonstrate code reuse by creating programming solutions using libraries and APIs.

Traffic Signals

A traffic light has programming that determines what it does. If someone hits the walk button that makes the green light in their direction longer or if there are no cars in a direction, it might skip that light. This is a complex loop with loops, events, and conditionals that could be modelled by students.

Tying Your Shoelaces

Tying your shoelaces is one of the first sets of instructions to complete a task that kids learn. There are also multiple ways to tie a shoelaces for different occasions. Students could consider at different grade levels why one might use a double knot algorithm vs. standard, for instance, or even at middle school create a flowchart to explain knot tying in other contexts.

Clothes Folding Robot

Folding clothes is a complex problem. There are lots of different clothes that people wear and you want to store them in a way that they can be used later. How do you break down a problem like this task? Once you have broken the task down can you break each subtask down further? Could we write a program that a machine could follow to do this, and how would we go about doing that?

Variables

K-2.AP.11 Model the way programs store data.

3-5.AP.11 Create programs that use variables to store and modify data.

6-8.AP.11 Create clearly named variables that store data, and perform operations on their contents.

9-12.AP.13 Create more generalized computational solutions using collections instead of repeatedly using simple variables.

9-12S.AP.14 Compare and contrast fundamental data structures and their uses.

Program Development

K-2.AP.14 Develop plans that describe a program’s sequence of events, goals, and expected outcomes.

K-2.AP.15 Give attribution when using the ideas and creations of others while developing programs.

K-2.AP.16 Debug errors in an algorithm or program that includes sequences and simple loops.

K-2.AP.17 Describe the steps taken and choices made during the iterative process of program development.

3-5.AP.15 Use an iterative process to plan and develop a program by considering the perspectives and preferences of others.

3-5.AP.16 Observe intellectual property rights and give appropriate attribution when creating, remixing, or combining programs.

3-5.AP.17 Test and debug a program or algorithm to ensure it accomplishes the intended task.

3-5.AP.18 Perform different roles when collaborating with peers during the design, implementation, and review stages of program development.

3-5.AP.19 Describe choices made during program development using code comments, presentations, and demonstrations.

6-8.AP.15 Seek and incorporate feedback from team members and users to refine a solution that meets user needs.

6-8.AP.16 Incorporate existing code, media, and libraries into original programs, and give attribution.

6-8.AP.17 Systematically test and refine programs using a range of test cases.

6-8.AP.18 Distribute tasks and maintain a project timeline when collaboratively developing computational artifacts.

6-8.AP.19 Document programs in order to make them easier to use, read, test, and debug.

9-12.AP.18 Systematically design programs for broad audiences by incorporating feedback from users.

9-12.AP.19 Explain the limitations of licenses that restrict use of computational artifacts when using resources such as libraries.

9-12.AP.20 Iteratively evaluate and refine a computational artifact to enhance its performance, reliability, usability, and accessibility.

9-12.AP.21 Design and develop computational artifacts working in team roles using collaborative tools.

9-12.AP.22 Document decisions made during the design process using text, graphics, presentations, and/or demonstrations in the development of complex programs.

9-12S.AP.19 Plan and develop programs for broad audiences using a specific software life cycle process.

9-12S.AP.20 Develop programs for multiple computing platforms.

9-12S.AP.21 Identify and fix security issues that might compromise computer programs.

9-12S.AP.22 Develop and use a series of test cases to verify that a program performs according to its design specifications.

9-12S.AP.23 Modify an existing program to add additional functionality and discuss intended and unintended implications.

9-12S.AP.24 Evaluate key qualities of a program through a process such as a code review.

9-12S.AP.25 Use version control systems, integrated development environments (IDEs), and collaborative tools and practices (e.g., code documentation) while developing software within a group.

9-12S.AP.26 Compare multiple programming languages, and discuss how their features make them suitable for solving different types of problems.

Video Game State

When you play a video game the state of your game is variables stored inside of more complex variables. One simple example is tetris. Each block has an X and Y coordinate, like the on a graph. They also have a direction that you have turned the block. They even have an arrangment and a color so that you know how the block looks on the screen. We can decide how we would store all of this information so it doesn't take up much space and so it is quick and easy to work with.

Barn Raising

A barn raising is a large community event. Everyone works together to build something to large for any one person to build. Coding is like that. Very rarely is there a product that is made by just one person. At the very least even if a coder is working alone at some point, he is working off of libraries and documentation made by someone else. These standards deal primarily with how we make plans so we can work together to make the best computational artifacts.

Impacts of Computing

Culture

K-2.IC.18 Compare how people lived and worked before and after the adoption of new computing technologies.

3-5.IC.20 Discuss computing technologies that have changed the world, and express how those technologies influence, and are influenced by, cultural practices.

3-5.IC.21 Propose ways to improve the accessibility and usability of technology products for the diverse needs and wants of users.

6-8.IC.20 Compare tradeoffs associated with computing technologies that affect people's everyday activities and career options.

6-8.IC.21 Discuss issues of bias and accessibility in the design of existing technologies.

9-12.IC.23 Evaluate the ways computing impacts personal, ethical, social, economic, and cultural practices.

9-12.IC.24 Identify impacts of bias and equity deficit on design and implementation of computational artifacts and apply appropriate processes for evaluating issues of bias.

9-12.IC.25 Demonstrate ways a given algorithm applies to problems across disciplines.

9-12.IC.26 Study, discuss, and think critically about the potential impacts and implications of emerging technologies on larger social, economic, and political structures, with evidence from credible sources.

9-12S.IC.27 Evaluate computational artifacts with regard to improving their beneficial effects and reducing harmful effects on society.

9-12S.IC.28 Evaluate how computational innovations that have revolutionized aspects of our culture might evolve.

9-12S.IC.29 Evaluate the impact of equity, access, and influence on the distribution of computing resources in a global society.

Social Interactions

K-2.IC.19 Work respectfully and responsibly with others when communicating electronically.

3-5.IC.22 Seek and explain the impact of diverse perspectives for the purpose of improving computational artifacts.

6-8.IC.22 Collaborate with many contributors when creating a computational artifact.

9-12.IC.27 Use collaboration tools and methods to increase connectivity with people of different cultures and careers.

Safety, Laws, & Ethics

K-2.IC.20 Describe approaches and rationales for keeping login information private, and for logging off of devices appropriately.

3-5.IC.23 Describe reasons creators might limit the use of their work.

6-8.IC.23 Compare tradeoffs associated with licenses for computational artifacts to balance the protection of the creators' rights and the ability for others to use and modify the artifacts.

6-8.IC.24 Compare tradeoffs between allowing information to be public and keeping information private and secure.

9-12.IC.28 Explain the beneficial and harmful effects that intellectual property laws can have on innovation.

9-12.IC.29 Explain the privacy concerns related to the collection and generation of data through automated processes.

9-12.IC.30 Evaluate the social and economic implications of privacy in the context of safety, law, or ethics.

9-12S.IC.30 Debate laws and regulations that impact the development and use of software.

Cell Phones

The way that we solve problems communicate, and enjoy media has changed since the arrival of the cell phone. Technologies can change societies and lives in unexpected ways.

The United Nations

The UN is an example of people from around the world sharing perspectives and working towards common good. These standards have to do with the global and deep impacts that computational products can have and the responsibility of developers to use best practices to make tools that benefit all.

Secrets

Privacy and Copyright can be thought of as secrets held both by users and by developers. At some points it is helpful for those secrets to be shared and for credit for where it came from to be acknowledge. In other cases the sharing of those secrets can be harmful. Understanding how we set up rules to deal with these secrets is important as we work together to create products or consider how we use already existing software and services.

Data and Analysis

Inference and Models

K-2.DA.9 Identify and describe patterns in data visualizations, such as charts or graphs, to make predictions.

3-5.DA.9 Use data to highlight and/or propose relationships, predict outcomes, or communicate ideas.

6-8.DA.9 Test and analyze the effects of changing variables while using computational models.

9-12.DA.11 Refine computational models to better represent the relationships among different elements of data collected from a phenomenon or process.

9-12S.DA.9 Evaluate the ability of models and simulations to test and support the refinement of hypotheses.

Storage

K-2.DA.7 Store, copy, search, retrieve, modify, and delete information using a computing device, and define the information stored as data.

3-5.DA.7 Explain that the amount of space required to store data differs based on the type of data and/or level of detail.

6-8.DA.7 Represent data in multiple ways.

9-12.DA.8 Translate between different representations of data abstractions of real-world phenomena, such as characters, numbers, and images.

9-12.DA.9 Describe tradeoffs associated with how data elements are organized and stored.

Collection, Visualization, and Transformation

K-2.DA.8 Collect and present data in various visual formats.

3-5.DA.8 Organize and present collected data visually to highlight relationships and support a claim.

6-8.DA.8 Collect data using computational tools and transform the data to make it more useful.

9-12.DA.10 Create data visualizations to help others better understand real-world phenomena.

9-12S.DA.7 Select and use data collection tools and techniques to generate data sets.

9-12S.DA.8 Use data analysis tools and techniques to identify patterns in data representing complex systems.

Weather Forecasts

We often see visual representations of large amounts of data gathered on the news or on our phones as weather reports. These predictions are based on models that computers and scientists make on how given weather conditions lead to future weather events.

Beads Braided into Hair

Beads added to braids in hair might have a meaning. For instance the colors might be those of a sports team or a school. We also could have a pattern that has meaning, like morse code or binary code, each group of beads represening a letter or number. As we have more beads, as long as we agree on the meaning, we can have extremely intricate messages and instructions designed into the pattern.

Traffic Suggestions

Our phones are gathering tons of data, that includes data on where we go and how fast we are moving. Driving apps like Apple Maps or Google Maps, take that data and make easy to understand visualizations that tell us about the traffic between where we are and where we are going.

Networks And The Internet

Network Communication and Organization

K-2.NI.4 Model and describe how people connect to other people, places, information and ideas through a network.

3-5.NI.4 Model how information is broken down into smaller pieces, transmitted as packets through multiple devices over networks and the Internet, and reassembled at the destination.

6-8.NI.4 Model the role of protocols in transmitting data across networks and the Internet.

9-12.NI.4 Describe issues that impact network functionality.

9-12.NI.5 Describe the design characteristics of the Internet.

9-12S.NI.3 Examine the scalability and reliability of networks, by describing the relationship between routers, switches, servers, topology, and addressing.

9-12S.NI.4 Explain how the characteristics of the Internet influence the systems developed on it.

Cybersecurity

K-2.NI.5 Explain why people use passwords.

K-2.NI.6 Create patterns to communicate a message.

3-5.NI.5 Describe physical and digital security measures for protecting personal information.

3-5.NI.6 Create patterns to protect information from unauthorized access.

6-8.NI.5 Explain potential security threats and security measures to mitigate threats.

6-8.NI.6 Apply multiple methods of information protection to model the secure transmission of information.

9-12.NI.6 Compare and contrast security measures to address various security threats.

9-12.NI.7 Compare and contrast cryptographic techniques to model the secure transmission of information.

9-12S.NI.5 Develop solutions to security threats.

9-12S.NI.6 Analyze cryptographic techniques to model the secure transmission of information.

Streaming Music

When we listen to music on our phones that is a complex technological achievement. There are multiple machines moving information from far away in packets. How do we engineer networks so the information reaches us quickly enough for the music to not stop, how do we make sure it is relyable so we hear the correct note?

A Message in A Bottle

Information on the internet is sent out and we have the expectation that it gets to its source and is only readable by those for whom it is intended. Cybersecurity has to deal with how we make that the case. Do we encrypt a message. How does the recipient know how to unlock it. What passwords do we use to unlock our information? Receiving your texts securely is an example of these standards.

Computer Systems

Troubleshooting

K-2.CS.3 Describe basic hardware and software problems using accurate terminology.

3-5.CS.3 Determine potential solutions to solve simple hardware and software problems using common troubleshooting strategies.

6-8.CS.3 Systematically apply troubleshooting strategies to identify and resolve hardware and software problems in computing systems.

9-12.CS.3 Develop guidelines that convey systematic troubleshooting strategies that others can use to identify and fix errors.

Devices

K-2.CS.1 Select and operate computing devices that perform a variety of tasks accurately and quickly based on user needs and preferences.

3-5.CS.1 Describe how computing devices connect to other components to form a system.

6-8.CS.1 Design modifications to computing devices in order to improve the ways users interact with the devices.

9-12.CS.1 Describe ways in which abstractions hide the underlying implementation details of computing systems to simplify user experiences.

9-12S.CS.1 Illustrate ways computing systems implement logic through hardware components.

Software and Hardware

K-2.CS.2 Explain the functions of common hardware and software components of computing systems.

3-5.CS.2 Demonstrate how computer hardware and software work together as a system to accomplish tasks.

6-8.CS.2 Design a project that combines hardware and software components to collect and exchange data.

9-12.CS.2 Compare levels of abstraction and interactions between application software, system software, and hardware.

9-12S.CS.2 Categorize and describe the different functions of operating system software.

Television

You have probably had something not work with your TV. Maybe you couldn't get to a streaming service or it didn't respond to the remote, or it didn't record your show. Can you describe the problem you have? Can you consider possible solutions to problems with this computer system? What would be a good procedure for fixing TV problems?

Desktop Setups

A Computer can carry out many tasks, like "surf the web" or allow you to type up your homework. There are lots of components to the computer, like the keyboard, mouse, and monitor. They all work together for you to be able to complete your tasks.

Video Game Systems

A computing system can have many parts, just like your video game system at home might. Controllers, a visor, or other parts all work together. Video Games take information like sensor readings or user input process it and create the visuals and sounds of the game.

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Computer Science Phenomena