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CodeTrain Teaching Resources

How do you best engage Computer Science students?  Our lessons focus on art, creativity and design.  Students are taught to use code to create interesting visuals and our assignments encourage them to use their creativity to tap into their own personal passions.  But Computer Science is not just about coding.  We embed a series of lessons about hardware, ethics, emerging technologies and a variety of other topics to create a robust CS Program

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We have resources for both 1-year and 2-year computer science programs. Our resources  can be used for students taking AP or IB computer science or provincial CS curriculum. Our resources are endorsed by the College Board for teaching Computer Science Principles. 

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Our resources are best complemented with professional development via our workshops, but you are welcome to use them in any way you like.

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What's included:

  • All units, projects and optional topics mentioned above plus others

  • Lesson Plans including Teaching Examples 

  • Student activities and assessments

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If you attend our workshops, you will also receive:

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  • Detailed explanations and walk-throughs

  • Lesson on advanced algorithms and pedagogy

  • Samples of real student work for all assessments

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Plus our Programming Bootcamp for Teachers is a great YouTube video series introducing you to P5.js and how we use it in our lessons.

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Sample Student Work
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CodeTrain Resource Package Summary

New and Coming Soon

  • Newly released in the summer of 2023 is our CSA and Java Resources. Scroll down for access to the package.

  • For Ontario Teachers:  Did you know that our Year 1  Lesson Plans (from Version 3) are almost perfectly aligned with Ontario's new Digital Technology and Innovations in the Changing World course.  

  • New asychronous PD videos include "How I Teach with Replit", "Huffman Compression Algorithms" and many others.  Access the videos here.

  • Coming Soon: In the spring of 2024, watch for a complete set of Lesson by Lesson videos for our Version 3 package.  These videos can be used for your own PD or directly with your students.

Lesson Package Version 3

  • Our recommended package

  • Two Year package of lessons and resources

  • Focuses on Javascript and the P5.js library

  • Designed for both AP CS Principles and non-AP CS courses

  • Supported by our Programming Bootcamp for Teachers

  • Scroll down to learn more and access the documents

Lesson Package Version 2

  • One Year package designed for schools to complete all of the AP CS Principles course in one year.

  • Focuses on Javascript and the P5.js library

  • Supported by our Programming Bootcamp for Teachers

  • Scroll down to learn more and access the documents

Lesson Package Version 1

  • Our original package

  • Two Year package of lessons and resources

  • Focuses on Processing in year 1 and Java in year 2

  • Designed for AP CS Principles and for schools not doing CSP

  • Scroll down to learn more and access the documents

The Details

New: CSA and Java Resources

  • Newly released in the summer of 2023 is our CSA and Java Resources

  • Designed as a follow up course to our other packages, these lessons and resources introduce students to the Java language and can be used to prepare students for AP CSA exam.

  • Note that these resources are only in Beta form.

  • Access them here:  CodeTrain CSA Resources

Version 3 - Two Year Program 
(Recommended for AP CS Principles and for schools not doing CSP)

Quick Links:

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Our latest version (aka Version 3) of our program takes place almost entirely in Javascript with much of the most fun content using the P5.js library.  P5.js is an easy to use add on to Javascript that makes it incredibly easy for students to program graphics, be creative and get inspired. 

 

Year 1 of this program is an entire self-contained course that will hit the majority of outcomes for every introductory Computer Science curriculum in Canada and elsewhere.  The Year A Lesson Plan includes:

  • Introductory programming units using the P5.js library of the Javascript programming language. They cover basic logic and loops using P5’s cool graphics.

  • Theory unit covering trends, issues and basic hardware

  • Optional Units for Web Design and a Major Wrap Up Project

 

Year 2 continues into more advanced content and is designed to also prepare students for completing AP CS Principles for those schools that want to do so.The Year B Lesson Plan includes:

  • Programming units in Arrays and Functions.  

  • Theory unit expands on the Year 1 Theory unit and includes many topics specific to the AP CS Principles course

  • AP CS Principles exam prep unit

  • A Major Project also serving as the AP CS Principles Create Task

  • Optional Unit for Object Oriented Programming

 

The Lesson Plans and all Companion Resources are linked through two documents.  

Year 1 is available here.    Year 2 is available here.

 

Included in those documents are:

  • Full year sets of daily lesson plans

  • Links to all the student-facing assignments and activities

  • Links to fully coded examples used in the lessons

 

Also Available:  Student Assignment Exemplars (This resource is only available to teachers who attend our PD sessions.)  Contact us at info@codetra.in to our PD contact list.

 

Plus our Programming Bootcamp for Teachers is a great YouTube video series introducing you to P5.js and how we use it in our lessons.

 

Both are based on materials used in Alberta classrooms today and both contain enough optional and malleable content to be customized for the subtleties of any jurisdiction's curriculum.  Not only will our materials cover most curricula, as an Advanced Placement Endorsed Provider, Codetrain’s lessons can also be used to cover the entire AP CS Principles course. 

 

We recommend a two year program over a one year program for CS Principles as it gives students more opportunities for freedom, creativity and exploring their own interests.  This inspires them to master the content and not coincidentally is also more fun to teach!  

Version 2 - One Year Extended Program 
(Recommended for AP CS Principles)

Quick Links:

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If you are looking for an introductory level course and NOT intending to have your students write AP CS Principles after that one year, then we recommend using Year 1 of the program above. However, if you need your students to complete the AP CS Principles course in one school year, then this accelerated program will fulfill all the requirements and prepare your students for the exam.

 

Our One Year Extended Program (aka Version 2) uses Javascript to give students a broad introduction to Computer Science.  Not only will our 1-Year Program cover most provincial curricula, as an Advanced Placement Endorsed Provider, Codetrain’s lessons can also be used to cover the entire AP CS Principles course. 

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The Lesson Plans and all Companion Resources are linked through one document.  

Access the document here. 

 

Included in that document is:

  • One full year of lesson plans

  • Links to all the assignments and activities

  • Links to fully coded examples used in the lessons

 

Also Available:  Student Assignment Exemplars (This resource is only available to teachers who attend our PD sessions.)  See the link above to be added to our PD contact list.

 

Plus our Programming Bootcamp for Teachers is a great YouTube video series introducing you to P5.js and how we use it in our lessons.

Version 1 - Two Year Program 
(Recommended for schools that want to use Processing and Java)

Our original Two-Year Program (aka Version 1) is our original package and it uses Processing and Java. These lessons cover a 2 year Computer Science Program but are designed with optional units that can be added or removed to better fit your provincial curriculum and timelines.  We used Processing in our classes because of its ease of transition to Java with the AP CSA course in mind, perhaps completed in a 3rd year.  However, Processing has traditionally required a downloaded programming environment which makes it less ideal for online or blended learning environments. As such, we have transitioned to a 2 year program that is entirely in Javascript (Version 3, see above).

 

The 2-Year Program differs from our 1-Year Program in that it offers students more opportunity to practice, use their creativity and gain mastery over the skills.  It is designed with a first year general course covering introductory programming concepts. The second year introduces advanced skills and prepares students to complete the AP Computer Science Principles exam where desired. Our 2-Year Program uses Java in the second year as it is designed to lead into a 3rd year that could be used to cover the AP CSA course.   Year 3 is not available here at this time but please contact us if interested in learning more about higher level materials.

 

Due to the nature of Processing and Java, all resources are shared through a variety of links and folders described below.  

 

Lesson Plans

These lessons cover a 2 year Computer Science Program but are designed with optional units that can be removed to help teachers build a 1 year program.  

 

As an Advanced Placement Endorsed Provider, Codetrain’s lessons can be used to cover the entire AP CS Principles course.  They are also designed to lead into a 3rd year that could be used to cover the AP CSA course.  Year 3 is not available here at this time.

 

The Year 1 Lesson Plan includes:

  • Introductory programming units using the Processing programming language. They cover basic logic and loops using Processing’s cool graphics.

  • Note that if you want to complete our Two-Year program but start in P5.js rather than Processing, it should be an easy transition.  Our P5.js programming lessons in our One-Year program are almost identical to those used in Processing. 

  • Theory unit covering trends, issues and basic hardware

  • Optional Units for Web Design and a Major Wrap Up Project

 

The Year 2 Lesson Plan includes:

  • Programming units in Functions and Data Structures.  Currently these lessons are in the Java programming language.  Check back for updates later in 2020 which include more Processing activities using Functions and Data Structures.  

  • Theory unit expands on the Year 1 Theory unit and includes many topics specific to the AP CS Principles course

  • AP CS Principles exam prep unit

  • Optional Unit for Object Oriented Programming


 

Companion  Resources For the 2-Year Program

Three key folders of additional resources are needed to supplement the lesson plan documents:

  • Shared Activities Folder - Link to a folder of assignments and other resources  required by the lesson plans

  • 2020 Code Train In-Class Teaching Examples.zip - Link to a downloadable folder of all the code examples discussed in the lesson plan docs (in Processing)

  • Student Assignment Exemplars - Link to a folder of student example work for most assignments (This resource is only available to teachers who attend our PD sessions.)  See the link above to be added to our PD contact list.

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