How to Use This Unit

Overview

This unit was built as an integrated unit for a high school visual arts class. While it can be implemented in any grade, we would find it especially appropriate for grades 10 and up, with students who have an established understanding of art fundamentals. It assumes no prior knowledge of code and focuses on mastering key skills that will allow students to engage in the mini and final projects.

This single unit is broken into 7 lessons and includes one mini project and a two part final project. Teachers are welcome to modify the duration or requirements for tasks and projects to better fit the needs and interests of their students/class.

NB: These lessons were developed using the p5.js library, which is the JavaScript version of Processing. If your school utilizes the Introduction to Computational Media - JS curriculum, students may already be familiar with these code concepts, in whch case you could do an abbreviated unit using just lesson 1, the mini project, lesson 7, and the two part final.

If your school uses the Introduction to Computational Media - PY curriculum, please know that while similar, that uses the Python version of Processing. Code could be adapted to fit this language - this was not the original model for the unit as JavaScript is a front end web development language that lends itself well to art and design. Please reach out to your school CS teacher or a CS4All team member for assistance.

What We Provide

This curriculum provides detailed lesson plans, sample code and starter code when appropriate, and links to additional resources, such as worksheets or other documents.

We do not provide other classroom materials such as lesson slides or rubrics, as we believe these are things that often need to be customized to meet the needs of your class, your specific learners, and in the case of rubrics, your school's grading policies. We also believe that developing these resources can help you to better grasp the concept and specific changes you may want to make for your classroom. If you would like to thought-partner on any of these or look over examples, please reach out to a CS4All Team member.

Our hope is that given the robust lesson plan and learning materials, it will be quick work for teachers to turn these into slides. To assist, we have created a Lesson Slide Template that may hasten the process.

Lesson Duration and Pacing

You'll notice that many of the lesson plans state a duration beyond a single day. That is because many code concepts need to be explicitly taught - they cannot be derived through exploration alone - but also require opportunities for practice and application.

These multi-day sequences are planned into the course. The range given is a recommendation; if you have students with prior coding experience, it may take them significantly less time. Students who are true beginners may take slightly more time. All options are acceptable if they fit the needs of your classroom. As a note, it is also not required for every student to complete every piece of practice and extension; if you feel students have a solid grasp of a concept, you are welcome to move forward.