8th+-+Special+Projects

Essential Questions

 * How can you program a computer to respond to the keyboard and the mouse?
 * How are computer games designed?
 * How does the computer generate the illusion of many simultaneous activities, and when does that illusion break down?
 * What is event-driven programming, and what kinds of challenges does it present?
 * How is programming a robot different than programming a computer, and how is it the same?
 * Does the construction of a robot impact how it performs a task?
 * How are robotic sensors like our own senses, and how are they different?
 * If a robot is not working the way it was planned to work, how should the problem be diagnosed and solved?

Course Units

 * Game Design
 * Robotics

Benchmark Skills
Students should be able to:
 * design and program a computer game.
 * use variables to keep track of data and modify the way the program runs.
 * identify bugs in their code and determine their source.
 * understand how to program a robot, including sensors, flow control and variables.
 * describe the design-implement-test cycle, and follow it methodically.
 * construct a robot of their own design to accomplish a specific task.

Resources

 * Scratch (game programming)
 * LEGO Robotics NXT

Assessment
Assessment of students takes place weekly, based on regular journal entries.

Each weekly journal entry will be assessed on three scales. This indicates how the student used his or her class time during the week. Good evidence is detailed, with specific examples, and it should show the progress that was made during the week. This is the student's reflection about the past week in class. Good reflection is honest, questioning and probing. It thinks about why and how, not just who and what. This is the style of writing. Good communication is easy and clear to read, and presents a coherent narrative to the reader.
 * Evidence**
 * Self-analysis**
 * Communication**