1. EXPLORING COMPUTER SCIENCE Journal Entries, Portfolio Entries, And Check Your Understanding
Unit 2 – Strand 2 Problem Solving This unit focuses on developing computational practices and understanding the connections between problem solving, mathematics and computer science.
*Journal entries and Unit information is all © University of Oregon, 2016 This is a teacher copy of the curriculum and is intended solely for individual classroom use. **Strands and Standards are for the State of Utah *** Other content referred to can be found on code.org or
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2. How Is Data Linked Back To Us
Unit 2 – Days 1-2
Topic description: This provides an overview of data collection and problem solving that will be needed in order to complete the final project.
Objectives:
The student will be able to:
• recognize various forms of communication as data exchange
• Describe the implications of data exchange on social interactions
• Consider privacy of data that they create
• Explain the difference between data used for making a case and data that informs a discovery
• Describe good research questions

3. Journal Entry #9
 “Record 5 ways that your elbow partner(s) give off data?"

4. Articles to Read
You are going to read the following articles about aggregate search data—technically, making search data available to researchers would help improve search engines, but it turns out that search history is intensely personal. Then read Volunteering data on Facebook and other social networking sites might tell people more about you than you intend.

5. Community Problem Solving Activity
Based off of the information provided how would your group
Approach the problem
What kind of data they might need to collect
How they would collect and analyze the data
What differences are there between making a case and sharing a discovery.
Making a case (advocacy)
Discovery
Making a case (advocacy)—Use data to document situations that contribute to make a positive or negative case for something. (e.g., Let the Metro know about timing of trains and buses; tell the principal about something that needs to be done at the school; tell someone about something you’d like to see continued.
Discovery—Collect data to document situations and then use the data to learn something. (e.g., could your food choices be improved?; do I always take an efficient route to activities?)

6. Community Problem Solving Activity Continued
How would the choice between these determine the kinds of data you would collect? What research questions might you ask in each case? What is your research question? Why did you choose to collect these data for this question? What are the limits of this data? What can you confidently say based on your data?

7. Knowledge Check: Computational
Standard 1 Define computational practices (thought processes involved in expressing solutions to problems that can be carried out by a computer)
Define the following
Computational Practices
Computational Thinking
Troubleshooting

8. Home Work:
On 5 of your craziest and most busiest days collect data related to where you go after school—location, means of transportation (car, bus, walk, bike, etc.), how long it takes to get from one location to the next, any other data that you think would be interesting.

9. Day 1 data where all did you go after school location
means of transportation (car, bus, walk, bike, etc.)
how long it takes to get from one location to the next
any other data that you think would be interesting 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

10. Day 2 data where all did you go after school location
means of transportation (car, bus, walk, bike, etc.)
how long it takes to get from one location to the next
any other data that you think would be interesting 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

11. Day 3 data where all did you go after school location
means of transportation (car, bus, walk, bike, etc.)
how long it takes to get from one location to the next
any other data that you think would be interesting 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

12. Day 4 data where all did you go after school location
means of transportation (car, bus, walk, bike, etc.)
how long it takes to get from one location to the next
any other data that you think would be interesting 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

13. Day 5 data where all did you go after school location
means of transportation (car, bus, walk, bike, etc.)
how long it takes to get from one location to the next
any other data that you think would be interesting 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

14. Candy Bar Activity Unit 2 – Day 3
Topic Description: This lesson introduces four main phases of the problem-­‐solving process.
Objectives:
The students will be able to:
• Name and explain the steps in the problem-­‐solving process
• Solve a problem by applying the problem-­‐solving process
• Explain what the word algorithm means

15. Journal Entry #10
“What are the steps you use to solve a problem?"

16. Candy Bar Portfolio Activity
Standard 2
Solve a problem by applying appropriate problem solving techniques
(1: Understand the Problem, 2: Plan the Solution, 3: Carry out the Plan, 4: Review and Discuss your Solution)
Standard 3
Define algorithm (a set of clearly defined, logical steps to solve a problem.)
Performance Objective:
3) Become “computational thinkers” by applying a variety of problem-solving techniques.
“How many breaks do you think it will take?” “Your teams problem solving plan” “How many breaks did it actual take?” “If n equals the number of pieces needed. What is the formula for how many breaks you will need?”

17. Knowledge Check: Problem Solving Process
Standard 2
Solve a problem by applying appropriate problem solving techniques

18. Knowledge Check: Algorithm
Define what an Algorithm is and what it does.

19. Handshake Activity And Fence Post Activity
Unit 2 – 4-6
Topic Description:
Students will apply different strategies to help them make a plan and carry out the plan to solve several problems. These strategies may include (but are not limited to): draw a diagram or picture, make systematic lists, divide and conquer, find the pattern, and guess and check.
Objectives:
The students will be able to:
• Name and explain the steps in the problem-­‐solving process
• Solve a problem by applying the problem-­‐solving process
• Express a solution using standard design tools
• Determine if a given solution successfully solves a stated problem

20. Journal Entry #11
“How is solving this kind of problem the same/ different from how you solve a problem in “real life”?”

21. Understanding The Problem:
What data or information is known? What is unknown? What are the conditions?

22. Handshake Portfolio Activity
Standard 2
Solve a problem by applying appropriate problem solving techniques
(1: Understand the Problem, 2: Plan the Solution, 3: Carry out the Plan, 4: Review and Discuss your Solution)
Standard 3
Define algorithm (a set of clearly defined, logical steps to solve a problem.)
Performance Objective:
3) Become “computational thinkers” by applying a variety of problem-solving techniques.
“How many handshakes do you think it will take?” “Your problem solving plan” “How many handshakes did it actual take?” “If n equals the number of handshakes needed. What is the formula for how many handshakes you will need?”

23. Fence Post Portfolio Activity
Standard 2
Solve a problem by applying appropriate problem solving techniques
(1: Understand the Problem, 2: Plan the Solution, 3: Carry out the Plan, 4: Review and Discuss your Solution)
Standard 3
Define algorithm (a set of clearly defined, logical steps to solve a problem.)
Performance Objective:
3) Become “computational thinkers” by applying a variety of problem-solving techniques.
Fence Post Portfolio Activity
“How many fence posts do you think it will take?” “Your problem solving plan” “How many fence posts did it actual take?” “If n equals the number of fence posts needed. What is the formula for how many fence posts you will need?”

24. Handshake #2 Portfolio Activity
Standard 2
Solve a problem by applying appropriate problem solving techniques
(1: Understand the Problem, 2: Plan the Solution, 3: Carry out the Plan, 4: Review and Discuss your Solution)
Standard 3
Define algorithm (a set of clearly defined, logical steps to solve a problem.)
Performance Objective:
3) Become “computational thinkers” by applying a variety of problem-solving techniques.
Handshake #2 Portfolio Activity
“How many handshakes do you think it will take?” “Your groups problem solving plan” “How many handshakes did it actual take?” “If n equals the number of handshakes needed. What is the formula for how many handshakes you will need?”

25. Journal Entry #12
“Why are problems like these important to learn how to solve?” “How could this type of solution be of benefit to a carpenter, a chef, a teacher?”

26. Cultural Activities Unit 1 - Days 11-14
Topic description: In this lesson, students learn how computers can be used as a tool for visualizing data, modeling and design, and art in the context of culturally situated design tools. Connections between the design of the tools and mathematics will be explored.
Objectives:
The student will be able to:
Explain how computers can be used as tools for visualizing data, modeling and design, and art
Identify mathematical connections in the output of the tools
Unit 2 – Days 7-9
Topic Description: This lesson reinforces the four main phases in the problem-­‐solving process. Understanding the problem: What data or information is known? What is unknown? What are the conditions? Plan the solution: Show your plan for solving this problem. Carry out the plan: Using your plan, show your work and your solution. Review and discuss your solution: Reflect on your solution.
The students will be able to:
• Solve a problem by applying the problem-­‐solving process
• Express a solution using standard design tools
• Determine if a given solution successfully solves a stated problem

27. Binary
Unit 2 – Days 10-12
Topic Description: This lesson introduces the binary number system and how to count in binary. Students will learn how to convert between binary and decimal numbers in the context of topics that are important to computer science.
Objectives:
The students will be able to:
• Count forward and backward in binary
• Explain why binary numbers are important in computer science
• Use binary digits to encode and decode messages

28. Journal Entry #13 “How high can you count with your ten fingers?”
Standard 5
Explain why binary numbers are used in computer science
•Count in binary from 0-31
•Understand the binary system or pattern for counting up to 8 digits.
•Explain when a binary search would be more efficient than a linear search
Performance Objective:
3) Become “computational thinkers” by applying a variety of problem-solving techniques.
“How high can you count with your ten fingers?”

29. Knowledge Check: Algorithms
Standard 5
Explain why binary numbers are used in computer science
Count in binary from 0-31
Understand the binary system or pattern for counting up to 8 digits.
Explain when a binary search would be more efficient than a linear search
Define the following
Binary system
Binary pattern to count from 0-31

30. Tower Building Unit 2 – Day 13-14
Topic Description: This lesson introduces the binary number system and how to count in binary. Students will learn how to convert between binary and decimal numbers in the context of topics that are important to computer science.
Objectives:
The students will be able to:
• Count forward and backward in binary
• Explain why binary numbers are important in computer science
• Use binary digits to encode and decode messages

31. Journal Entry #14
“What is your prediction of the shortest amount of time that it will take to build the tower?” “What was the shortest amount of time that the class came up with?”

32. Knowledge Check: Algorithms
Standard 3 Define algorithm (a set of clearly defined, logical steps to solve a problem.) Standard 4 Create algorithms to solve a problem
Define the following
Algorithms

33. Knowledge Check: Algorithms
Standard 5
Explain why binary numbers are used in computer science
Count in binary from 0-31
Understand the binary system or pattern for counting up to 8 digits.
Explain when a binary search would be more efficient than a linear search
Define the following
Binary search
Linear search

34. Knowledge Check: Binary / Linear
Standard 5
Explain why binary numbers are used in computer science
Count in binary from 0-31
Understand the binary system or pattern for counting up to 8 digits.
Explain when a binary search would be more efficient than a linear search
Effective
Binary search
Linear search

35. Sorting Algorithms Unit 2 Days 15-16
Topic Description: In this lesson the concept of a list (sorted and unsorted) and sorting algorithms will be explored.
Objectives:
The students will be able to:
• Define sorted and unsorted lists
• Describe various sorting algorithms
• Compare various sorting algorithms

36. Journal Entry #15
"List as many examples of where it matters whether items are in order (sorted)?"

37. Journal Entry #15 continued
"Think of the data you are collecting about where you go after school each day: How easy would it be for you to sort the data by hand? Does it get harder with the more data you collect?" "Are you remembering to collect the data for your homework assignment?"

38. Knowledge Check: Data Define the following Standard 4
Create algorithms to solve a problem
Define and compare Sorting algorithms (include selection sort, quicksort)
Create and use visual artifacts to solve a problem (diagram, chart, graph, table, etc.)
Define the following
Quick sort
Selection sort
Ways of visualizing Data (Diagrams, Charts, Graphs, Tables)

39. Muddy City
Topic Description: Minimal spanning trees and graphs will be explored. Students will learn how graphs can be used to help solve problems.
Objectives:
The students will be able to:
• Solve a minimal spanning tree
• Draw a graph to solve a problem

40. The Muddy City Paste your completed image below.
Standard 4
Create algorithms to solve a problem
Use an algorithm to solve a minimum spanning tree
•Give a real- world application of a minimum spanning tree (pipes, electrical grids)

41. Journal Entry #16
“How many total pavers did you fill in?" “What strategies did you use to solve the problem?“ “How many buildings are there?“ “How many total road segments need to be built?“ “Describe at least two or three computer related or real life problems that might be similar to this one?"

42. Knowledge Check: Minimal Spanning Tree
Standard 4
Create algorithms to solve a problem
Use an algorithm to solve a minimum spanning tree
•Give a real-world application of a minimum spanning tree (pipes, electrical grids)
Define
Minimal spanning tree
Image
Real-World applications for minimal spanning trees.