Computer Science Curriculum

INSTRUCTIONAL APPROACH AND PEDAGOGY

In order to appeal to the broadest range of students and maximize recruitment & retention, 4D CS is the most engaging, relevant, and modern program, with regular content updates to meet the needs of this ever-evolving field.

4D CS includes comprehensive activities and resources from a variety of best-in-breed sources. (i.e., Unreal Engine, AppInventor, MIT Scratch, Android Studio, etc.). It also features the most comprehensive coverage of jurisdictional (CSTA) and global standards, and goes beyond those standards as well. The courses:

  • Include comprehensive integration of content, Core Concepts, and 21st Century Skills/Competencies (collaboration, critical thinking, ethics, growth mindset, etc.)
  • Offer a comprehensive classroom solution including the following components, all fully available online and in print: Teacher’s Guide with robust support for personalization and direct instruction; Student Activities, Projects, and Assessments; whole-class presentations for every lesson and activity; teacher support videos and instructional videos.
  • Include comprehensive and flexible PD course to train teachers from other subject areas to become successful CS teachers.

Extensive Curriculum:

Important notes: 

  • Students use real-life access to GitHub and Jupyter Notebooks
  • Entrepreneurship is weaved in starting grade 10

4D CS1, Grade 8 or 9

Intro to Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality Intro 4 Weeks
Intro to Computer Programming (with CoffeeScript and Pencil Code) 4 Weeks
Game Development with Scratch 4 Weeks
Intro to the Internet 4 Weeks
Introduction to Artificial Intelligence 5 Weeks
Online Safety & Security 3 Weeks
Web Design 3 Weeks
Mobile App Development 5 Weeks

*released in Fall 2019

4D CS2, Grade 10

Intro to Computer Hardware 4 Weeks
Cybersecurity 4 Weeks
Programming with Python 6 Weeks
Data & Machine Learning 2 Weeks
Intro to Digital Graphics 3 Weeks
3D Modeling 4 Weeks
Advanced Graphics for Gaming & VR 9 Weeks

 

*released Fall 2020

4D CS3, Grade 11

  • 4D CS 3.1 – Programming for Game Development with Unreal Engine
  • 4D CS 3.2 – Mobile App Development with Android Studio

*released Fall 2021

4D CS3, Grade 12

  • 4D CS 4.1 – Programming for Movie Making & Special Effects with Unreal Engine
  • 4D CS 4.2 – Java Programming for Mobile App Development with Android Studio
  • 4D CS 3.3 (Grade 11) – Cybersecurity 1
  • 4D CS 4.3 – Cybersecurity 2

*coming for Fall 2022

CCR 4D HS CS CSTA Standards Coverage

“Beyond simply coding, computer science [must] teach students other important skills. Students start to develop an understanding about the kinds of skills and knowledge and ways of thinking that ultimately will better position them to choose a computer science pathway”.

According to this survey, teachers said that problem solving and reasoning are critical skills computer science can help develop:https://edscoop.com/theres-a-shortage-of-k-12-computer-science-education-in-the-u-s-microsoft-survey-finds/