In the companion activity, students experimented with Arduino programming to blink a single LED. During this activity, students build on that experience as they learn about breadboards and how to hook up multiple LEDs and control them individually so that they can complete a variety of challenges to create fun patterns! To conclude, students apply the knowledge they have gained to create LED-based light sculptures.

Whether you want to light up a front step or a bathroom, it helps to have a light come on automatically when darkness falls. For this maker challenge, students create their own night-lights using Arduino microcontrollers, photocells and (supplied) code to sense light levels and turn on/off LEDs as they specify. As they build, test, and control these night-lights, they learn about voltage divider circuits and then experience the fundamental power of microcontrollers—controlling outputs (LEDs) based on sensor (photocell) input readings and if/then/else commands. Then they are challenged to personalize (and complicate) their night-lights—such as by using delays to change the LED blinking rate to reflect the amount of ambient light, or use many LEDs and several if/else statements with ranges to create a light meter. The possibilities are unlimited!

Students are challenged to design their own small-sized prototype light sculptures to light up a hypothetical courtyard. To accomplish this, they use Arduino microcontrollers as the “brains” of the projects and control light displays composed of numerous (3+) light-emitting diodes (LEDs). With this challenge, students further their learning of Arduino fundamentals by exploring one important microcontroller capability—the control of external circuits. The Arduino microcontroller is a powerful yet easy-to-learn platform for learning computer programing and electronics. LEDs provide immediate visual success/failure feedback, and the unlimited variety of possible results are dazzling!

Are you looking for desktop publishing resources? Tonya Skinner is a business educator who has compiled resources to enrich the business classroom. Resources include: lesson plans, activities, and desktop publishing links.

While it is too early to assess the damage caused by this global pandemic, there are signs that it will permanently change the way society functions. From its impact on the global economy to our daily lives, COVID-19 will leave an enormous impact on how we consume, how we learn, how we work, and how we socialize and communicate. This article and video discuss these changes and the impact the pandemic is having on our use of technology. The limitations we are experiencing with our current technology systems will undoubtedly lead to new technological solutions in the near future. (Published March 16, 2020) [8:58]

In a few minutes, with Code.org's simple drag-and-drop tutorials students can make their own Flappy game from any web browser or tablet, and share it instantly with friends. [1:33]

Students expand their knowledge of selection statements and Boolean expressions using two-way selection statements and the NOT ( ! ) logical operator. Students practice using these to check the state of an object and executing a specific set of instructions based on the result.
This lesson is aligned to CSTA standards.

Students learn to print information to the console as a debugging tool to identify logic errors in their programs. Students expand an existing subclass to implement a new method that displays information about the state of an object and use this method within other methods to troubleshoot errors.
This lesson is aligned to CSTA standards.

Students are introduced to decomposition and top-down design to deconstruct problems into smaller tasks and develop algorithms for these tasks. Students analyze decomposition examples and identify the importance of writing clear and specific pseudocode. Students write and translate algorithms into methods and consider potential edge cases to improve their programs.
This lesson is aligned to CSTA standards.

Students write a new subclass and practice decomposition to develop algorithms. Students translate algorithms to write methods in their new subclass.
This lesson is aligned to CSTA standards.

Students write an additional new subclass and practice using decomposition to develop algorithms. Students translate algorithms to write methods in their new subclass and create multiple objects in their program.
This lesson is aligned to CSTA standards.

Students examine open source code and connect real-world applications and the concepts they have learned in this unit. Students review the characteristics of software engineers and reflect on how they demonstrate these characteristics while planning and implementing solutions.
This lesson is aligned to CSTA standards.

For this project, students use the skills they have developed to create asphalt art in The Neighborhood. Students choose a theme or concept for their asphalt art that represents something they are interested in or meaningful to them. After brainstorming and planning, students develop their programs to create their designs
This lesson is aligned to CSTA standards.

Students have designed a new class to create their asphalt art. In this lesson, students decide which classes and methods they have developed throughout the unit to use and their new class to create their design. Students reinforce software development skills and processes by participating in a code review to give and use feedback.
This lesson is aligned to CSTA standards.

Students participated in a code review at the end of the previous lesson to give and receive feedback to identify areas of improvement and fixes for problems they encountered. Students consider this feedback as they finalize development in this lesson. Students share their final projects with their peers to celebrate their successes.
This lesson is aligned to CSTA standards.

Students are introduced to AP CSA Free Response Questions (FRQs) and practice decomposition and problem-solving skills to develop solutions to a mock FRQ. Students use annotation strategies to identify the key components of the problem and validate their solutions using Scoring Guidelines.
This lesson is aligned to CSTA standards.

Believing in one's own software engineering identity develops confidence and perseverance. In this lesson, students are introduced to key characteristics and skills of software engineers and explore common perceptions. Students realize that they have many of the same characteristics and skills as software engineers and discover their software engineering identity.
This lesson is aligned to CSTA standards.

Students are introduced to the Java Lab programming environment to navigate Java source code files and identify correct Java syntax. Students experiment with the structure of a Java program to identify syntax rules of the Java programming language. While experimenting with Java syntax, students explore The Neighborhood and how the Painter can perform a task when given a set of instructions.
This lesson is aligned to CSTA standards.

Students explore the structure of The Neighborhood to identify the organization of the grid and potential obstacles. Students learn that classes are blueprints that define the attributes and behaviors that an object can have and analyze the Painter class to identify these components. Students then practice creating Painter objects using the new keyword and determining the current state of the objects.
This lesson is aligned to CSTA standards.

Students learn the syntax for calling methods in Java to practice navigating and painting The Neighborhood. Students call void methods from the Painter class and practice debugging syntax errors.
This lesson is aligned to CSTA standards.