Computer Science Discoveries

Computer Science Discoveries (CS Discoveries) is a computer science course where students create authentic artifacts (web development, animation, and game design) and engage with computer science as a medium for creativity, communication, problem solving, and fun.

What else are we learning in this class?
We are learn Google Docs, Touch-Typing, and Digital Citizenship.

Weekly Classwork:
The lessons at code.org are broken down into levels, and the lessons have an assessment level that is graded based on a 4-point rubric. This course fits the model of Equitable Grading and Instruction.

Web Pages (HTML), Drawing (coding), Animations, and Games

Unit 1: Problem Solving & Computing

8/21/25:
The Problem Solving Process: Select a problem you have solved and explain each step of the Problem Solving Process.

Type of Problem: 

• Define: 

• Prepare: 

• Try: 

• Reflect: 

8/20/25

Lesson 1: Problem Solving

What makes someone a good problem solver?

A good problem solver is someone who is helpful and has social skills; someone that works well with others..

Paper Towers 

First Round Tower height: 25 inches   

Second Round Tower height: 43 inches

-How did working in a team make this activity easier?

-How did it make the activity more challenging? 

-What helped your group overcome these challenges?

Getting-to-Know-You Survey

Please fill out this Survey at the beginning of the semester.

Unit 3: Drawing, Animation, and Games

4/17/25:
Journal Prompt:
Think of one time you gave/received a greeting card to/from someone.
Who was that person?
> 
What was the purpose of the card/occasion?
> 
What about the card made it specific to that purpose?
> 

Text in Motion:
To make text move horizontally, set a variable like: var Words = 0  (Do not use “text”). 

In The Draw Loop add: Words = Words + 1  (use -1 to move text to the left).
In the text command, replace the value of x with Words: text (“your moving text”, Words, 50);

3/24/25:

Journal Prompt: 

List as many types of movement and animations as you can remember from the previous lessons. Describe your animation!

Lesson 12: Animations, Sprite Movement
The Counter Pattern is used for movement: x = x + 1 

Replace the x by a sprite property:
sprite.x, sprite.y, sprite.rotation, sprite.scale, etc.

Lesson 7: Mini Project: Robot Face Samples

2/3/25:
Journal Entry:
So far, our programs have done the same thing every time that we run them. When would you want a program to do something differently each time it was run?

1/27/25:
Journal Entry:
All computers do four things: input, output, processing, and storage. Where do you see input, output, storage, and processing in Game Lab?

1/13/25:
Journal Entry:
What things are important in communicating about position, color, and order of the shapes in this activity?

1/7/25:
Lesson 1: Programming for a Purpose

Go go code.org and look at each template. Fill out this Google form explaining why you would recommend each template: https://forms.gle/H2erS4VYPkPiGczn9 

Unit 2: Web Development

11/21/24:
Checklist: What else can I add to my web page?
-Lesson 6, Level 12 (Styling Text): Font-family, Text Shadow, Border Around Title...
-Lesson 9, Level 10 (Styling Elements): Borders, Round Corners, Background Img
-You can always add more images & info, like Reviews. Who is your competition?
-Don't forget the Copyright License for all your Pictures!
-Try viewing your web page in a new Browser!

10/17/24:
Adding images with the <img> tag:
<img src="dog.jpg" alt="My Dog">
img ("image"), tells HTML to include an image
src ("source") says where to find the file
alt ("alternate") is text used if the file cannot be found

10/16/24:
How to find images for your web page:
Go to openverse.org to search for an image
Click on the image and drag it to the Desktop
Rename to _____.jpg  (click the file name, wait 1 second, click the file name again)
Copy the license (or attribution)
Go back to code.org and click on "Add Image" from the Desktop:
<img src="_____.jpg" alt="Your Image">
<p>Paste your license inside these tags</p>

10/2/24:
The link tag in index.html:
  <head>
    <link rel="stylesheet" href="style.css">
  </head>

Your style.css file contains rule sets, like:
p {
  color: blue;
  font-size: 20px;
}

List of HTML Tags

<p>Paragraph</p>

<h1>Biggest Heading</h1>

<h2>Big Heading</h2>

<h3>Medium Big Heading</h3>

<h4>Medium Small Heading</h4>
<h5>Small Heading</h5>
<h6>Smallest Heading</h6>

10/9/24:
Journal Entry:
Come up with 3 rules for people who want to use your original, creative work:
1)
2)
3)

9/23/24:
Journal Prompt - HTML Tags
Add this list of Heading HTML tags
<br> Line break
<hr> Horizontal line
To type “<” use this code: &lt;
To type “>”use this code: &gt;
For double quotation marks “ ” use &quot;
To type ampersand “&” (and) use &amp;

9/18/24:
Lesson 4: Journal Prompt

Quick Write: Digital Footprint

Name 2 or 3 social media websites that you have accounts on:

What kind of information could someone learn about you by looking on these websites?

9/12/24:
Lesson 3: Headings & Lists:
Journal Prompt - HTML Tags:
<!DOCTYPE html> Tells the computer that this is a document written in HTML

<html> Indicates the beginning of your code written in HTML

<head> 

This is where information (sometimes called “metadata”) about your web page goes. 

</head>

<body> 

<p>Contains all the main content of your web page</p> 

</body>
</html>

9/6/24:
Lesson 1: Exploring Webpages
Journal 3-2-1:
3 - What are 3 topics you might be interested in creating a website about?
2 - What are 2 reasons you think someone might visit a website that you create?
1 - What's 1 thing you’re most interested in learning about creating websites?

Lesson 1: Journal Entry 

For each template in Lesson 1, explain why or when you would use that kind of web page:

1 Photo Gallery: I would use it to share my family vacation pictures with my friends. 

2 Dominic Lee Resume: I would use this web page to .

3 Maria Bonita Catering: 

4 Top 5 Cutest Dogs:
5 Visit Tucson: 

Unit 1: Problem Solving & Computing

8/26/24

Lesson 6: Four Kinds of Processing:

If/Then: If something is true, then do this.

Comparing: Check if things are the same, or one is bigger than the other.

Finding a Match: Search a list or group of things for a match.

Counting: Keep track of how many of something there are.  

8/23/24:
Lesson 5: Input & Output

Journal Entry

Think of a new app idea. What does the app do?  

> 

What inputs and outputs does it need?

>

Archived Entries Below:

5/29/24:
Journal Prompt:
Using the blocks we already know how to use, how could we create the sprite interaction we can see in this image? Here are some blocks to consider:
sprite.isTouching(), sprite.velocityX, sprite.velocityY, sprite.x, sprite.y
> 

5/22/24:
Journal Prompt:
What is the difference between these two kinds of jumping?
How would you code the second kind of jumping?
> 

Computer Science Week

The Hour of Code (code.org):

Classic Maze

Artist

Minecraft

Poem Art

Text Compression

Encryption

More Options!

HTML - Hypertext Markup Language, a language used to create web pages

HTML Element - A piece of a website, marked by a start tag and often closed with an end tag

HTML Tag - The special set of characters that indicates the start and end of an HTML element and that element's type

Presentation Peer Grading:

Use the link below to grade your fellow students and share any feedback:

Student Grade & Feedback

Research how computer science (CS) plays a role in (pick one): Movies, Television, Music, Games, Art, etc. Answer the following questions:

• What problem does computer science (CS) solve?

• How does CS improve that form of entertainment?

• What’s an interesting fact about that field of entertainment?

Here is how to Submit a Google Drive Resources to an Assignment.
Need to see the full article? Here it is! 

Reference:
- Web Lab Documentation: https://studio.code.org/docs/weblab/
- Game Lab Documentation: https://studio.code.org/docs/gamelab/