Indiana Grades 6-8 Computer Science Academic Standards

Programs and Algorithms

Tools & Resources

Select appropriate tools and technology resources to support learning and personal productivity, publish individual products, design, develop, and publish data, accomplish a variety of tasks, and solve problems.

Long Description

Students should learn how to select applications for productivity, such as spreadsheet, PowerPoint, word processing, etc., and how to use them efficiently. Students should also learn how to design data visualizations ethically and with effective communication.

Explanation For Teachers

Students should be able to pick the right method of processing to do an activity.

Purpose

Students will encounter data in science and math courses that may need to be manipulated. This standard will help students understand computer applications for presentations that could be used in all courses, including presentations for English courses. Tools presented throughout this standard will help students gain valuable communication skills that will assist with delivering information concisely and in a visually appealing manner.

Objectives

  • Primary programs for data manipulation / graphing
  • Good practices for data graphing, such as when to use certain forms, ethical color schemes, making charts as legible as possible, labelling axes, etc.
  • Importance of visually presenting data over a table of numerical data

Alternative Approaches

  • Students with dyscalculia/acalculia (difficulty comprehending numbers, mathematics, arithmetic) may benefit from more visual representations of data
    • Extend visual representation to physical objects - blocks, weights, etc.
  • Students can possibly learn programmatic/algorithmic approaches for data input, etc. rather than manipulating input data directly - bysteps potential attention disorder issues by providing an engaging, puzzle-solving task rather than rote data entry
  • Use color-blind friendly colors for presenting graphical data. Commonly, orange and blue combinations are easier to visualize than red and green combinations.

Problem Solving with Programming

Implement problem solutions using a programming language that includes looping behavior, conditional statements, logic, expressions, variables, and functions.

Long Description

Students should be able to solve problems with programming and computational thinking. They should be able to use looping behavior, conditional statements, logic, expressions, variables, and functions and recognize when and where they are necessary.

Explanation For Teachers

Students should be able to use computational thinking to solve problems; i.e. logic puzzles.

Purpose

Basic programming is able to teach students valuable problem-solving skills that can help them in every course. Alongside this, students will be required to understand programming syntax which can help in understanding English and mathematical symbols. Lastly, students will be able to implement fail-until-succeed techniques.

Objectives

  • Logical/step-by-step problem-solving
  • Basics of programming including:
    • Writing code
    • Functions, expressions, and variables
    • Loops and Conditiionals

Alternative Approaches

Flexibility in Problem Solving

Demonstrate dispositions amenable to open-ended problem solving and programming.

Long Description

Students should be comfortable with solving open-ended problems (e.g., comfort with complexity, persistence, brainstorming, adaptability, patience, propensity to tinker, creativity, accepting challenge). This should include both in general and with programming. should be able to solve problems with programming and computational thinking. They should be able to use looping behavior, conditional statements, logic, expressions, variables, and functions and recognize when and where they are necessary.

Explanation For Teachers

Students can solve open-ended problems.

Purpose

Students will often face problems on homework assignments or in life that do not have a clear path to follow. This standard will build problem solving skills to help students resolve issues that may not have obvious solutions. Some of the skills students will learn include flexibility in addressing an issue by looking at the problem from various angles, adaptability to change the working solution as better solutions become known, and persistence in pursuing solutions through potential failure.

Objectives

  • Open-ended problem solving skills such as:
    • Flexibility
    • Adaptability
    • Persistence

Alternative Approaches