New Free Curriculum! AP Computer Science Principles with MakeCode

Posted on May 4th, 2021 by Jaqster

It’s May – the sun’s out, the flowers are blooming, and pollen is in the air here in Seattle! For most educators, many are looking forward to the end of a really crazy academic year. Summer is a great time to relax, recharge, do some professional development and plan for next year.

Are you planning to teach the AP Computer Science Principles course next year? If so, you may want to take a look at some new curriculum we’ve published that uses MakeCode Arcade as the programming tool.

It’s a really fun course that was written and tested in the classroom by Kelli Etheredge, an AP Computer Science Principles teacher herself. It was written so Teachers new to Computer Science could pick it up and teach – concepts are explained in plain language, daily materials and talking points are provided, and all solutions are included.

There are 9 units in the course that map to the AP CS Principles curriculum framework and prepare students for the AP CSP exam. Microsoft is recognized by the College Board as an endorsed provider of curriculum and professional development for AP® Computer Science Principles (AP CSP).

The curriculum was written to be culturally relevant to a wide variety of students with diverse backgrounds and experience levels. All computing terms are explained using language and analogies that students understand. Most projects encourage student choice in the topic to ensure that the learning aligns to their interests, and no prior knowledge or computing experience is assumed in the course design and pacing. With MakeCode, students can program in either Blocks, JavaScript or Python.

There are 3 free workshops available this summer for Teachers interested in using this curriculum next year:

• Workshop 1 : June 14th - 17th (4 full days)
• Workshop 2 : June 22nd, June 29th, July 6th, and July 13th (1 day a week for 4 weeks)
• Workshop 3 : July 18th - 23th (part of InfoSys Pathfinders Summer Institute)

Watch this 30-minute webinar to learn more about the course:

And, best of all, it’s free for anyone to use! Check it out at https://makecode.com/csp.