AP Computer Science A
Assignments by date
This is where each week's assignments in AP CS A are posted. Please let me know if you have any questions!
Week 16: Monday, December 4th – Friday, December 8th
Hello again! We're going to continue our work on Unit 5: Writing Classes so we have all the tools we need to complete Assignment 5 next week. Here's the plan for the first full week of December:
finish Unit 5: Lesson 6 - Constructors
Unit 5: Lesson 7 - Documenting a class
Unit 5: Lesson 8 - Static Vs. Instance
Unit 5: Lesson 9 - Wider Impacts of Computing
Next week, after we complete Assignment 5 you'll have time to complete the practice exam and study for the 1st Semester Exam, which is all multiple choice and should be very similar to the quizzes and exams you've seen so far. As always, let me know if you have any questions. Have a wonderful week!
Week 15: Monday, November 27th – Friday, December 1st
Welcome back from Thanksgiving Break! I hope you were able to rest, recharge and get caught up (if necessary) so we can make it through the next four weeks before we go on Winter Break. Here's the plan for the last week of November:
finish Unit 5: Lesson 4 - Return Methods
Unit 5 Quiz 🥪
Unit 5: Lesson 5 - Classes - The Basics
Unit 5: Lesson 6 - Constructors
I hope your first week back goes well! As always, let me know if you have any questions.
PS: Make sure you plug in your Chromebook to charge overnight!
Week 14: Monday, November 13th – Friday, November 17th
We finally made it to Thanksgiving Break! 🦃 Here's the plan as we continue our work on Unit 5: Writing Classes:
Unit 5: Lesson 2 - Parameters
Unit 5: Lesson 3 - Parameters - Primitive vs. Class
Unit 5: Lesson 4 - Return Methods
I hope you get some rest and relaxation over break! Use this time to get caught up if you need to, and please let me know if you have any questions about anything you're working on.
Week 13: Monday, November 6th – Friday, November 10th
Hello again! Here's the plan for the first full week of November as we wrap up Unit 4: Iteration and move on to Unit 5: Writing Classes:
finish Assignment 4: String Shortener
Unit 4: Review
Unit 4 Exam 🪥
start Unit 5: Writing Classes
Unit 5: Lesson 1 - Void Methods
Let me know if you have any questions, and have a great week!
Week 12: Monday, October 30th – Friday, November 3rd
It's the last week of October, and it's finally starting to feel like Fall! 🎃 I hope you got out and enjoyed the last bits of nice weather. Here's the plan for this week as we continue our work in Unit 4: Iteration:
Unit 4: Lesson 4 - Algorithms for Strings
Unit 4 Quiz 🐧
Unit 4: Lesson 5 - Nested loops
Unit 4: Lesson 6 - Algorithm Efficiency
start Assignment 4: String Shortener
As always, please let me know if you have any questions. Stay warm!
Week 11: Monday, October 23rd – Friday, October 27th
Welcome to 2nd Quarter! According to the Project STEM pacing guide, here's where we should be as we start Week 11 with Unit 4: Iteration:
BEGIN 2nd QUARTER
start Unit 4: Iteration
Unit 4: Lesson 1 - While Loops
Unit 4: Lesson 1 ½ - Tracing Code
Tuesday 10/24: Security Summit Field Trip to I-X Center (meet at the cafeteria entrance at 8:45am!)
Wednesday 10/25: Capture the Flag Competition! (in class)
Unit 4: Lesson 2 - Algorithms for Numbers
Unit 4: Lesson 3 - The For Loop
These coding activities should be a little quicker to finish, but as always, please let me know if you have any questions. Have a great week, and get out and enjoy the nice weather while it lasts!
Week 10: Monday, October 16th – Friday, October 20th
Welcome back from your 3-day weekend! Here's what we're doing for the last week of 1st Quarter as we wrap up Unit 3:
Unit 3: Lesson 7 - Comparing Objects
Assignment 3 - Crack the Code!
Unit 3: Review
Unit 3 Exam 🐘
END OF 1st QUARTER
Let me know if you have any questions. Have a great week!
Week 9: Monday, October 9th – Thursday, October 12th
I hope you had a great weekend! This week, we'll continue our work on Unit 3: Boolean Expressions and If Statements. Here's the plan for this abbreviated week:
Unit 3: Lesson 4 - Logical Operators and Truth Tables
Unit 3: Lesson 5 - Short Circuit Evaluation
Unit 3: Lesson 6 - De Morgan's Law
We'll also have these important events this week:
Monday 10/9: Parent-Teacher Conferences @5-8pm – sign up here!
Tuesday 10/10: Passport to IT Careers field trip (8:15am-2:00pm)
Thursday 10/12: Early Release Day
Friday 10/13: Teacher PD Day – NO SCHOOL
Enjoy your three-and-a-half-day weekend! Please let me know if you have any questions.
Week 8: Monday, October 2nd – Friday, October 6th
Welcome to the first week of October! Here's the plan for this week as we move into a new unit:
start Unit 3: Boolean Expressions and If Statements
Unit 3: Lesson 1 - Simple Ifs
Unit 3: Lesson 2 - Relational Operators
Unit 3: Lesson 3 - Else
Unit 3 Quiz
Boolean expressions and if statements are absolutely critical concepts in computer science. Some experts have argued that artificial intelligence (AI) is nothing more than lots and lots of if statements, so we'll want to make sure we have a solid understanding of these topics. I hope you have a great week! As always, please let me know if you have any questions.
Week 7: Monday, September 25th – Friday, September 29th
Hi there! We're going to wrap up Unit 2: Using Objects with an assignment that looks harder than it actually is, and then we'll take the Unit 2 Exam. Here's the plan for the first week of autumn 🍂:
Unit 2: Review
Assignment 2: Control Tower
Unit 2 Exam ⛵️
I hope you have a great week! Please let me know if you have any questions.
Week 6: Monday, September 18th – Friday, September 22nd
Hello again! For this final week of summer, we're going to continue our unit on objects in Java with important but less confusing topics. Here's the plan:
Unit 2: Lesson 6 - Using methods
Unit 2: Lesson 7 - Wrapper Classes
Unit 2: Lesson 8 - Math Functions
Methods are simply functions that somehow interact with or modify an object, while wrapper classes let us use methods with our primitive data types (like integers and floats). Easy stuff, I promise! As always, please let me know if you have any questions.
Week 5: Monday, September 11th – Friday, September 15th
Welcome back! I hope you had a great Homecoming weekend. This week, we're going to continue learning about objects in Java. Here are the topics we'll be working on:
finish Unit 2: Lesson 3 - String Methods
Unit 2: Lesson 4 - Classes and Objects
Unit 2 Quiz 🍍
Unit 2: Lesson 5 - Using Constructors
You've already been using classes like String and Scanner, so we're just going to dive a little deeper into their structure, which is defined by a constructor. It sounds a little weird, but with enough examples and analogies, I'm confident you'll understand it, and that knowledge is going to be extremely helpful going forward. Let me know if you have any questions, and have a great week!
Week 4: Tuesday, September 5th – Friday, September 8th
I hope you enjoyed your 3-day weekend! We're wrapping up Unit 1 this week and moving on to Unit 2: Using Objects. Here's the plan for this hot, hot week:
Unit 1 Exam
start Unit 2: Using Objects
Unit 2: Lesson 1 - Strings and Class Types
Unit 2: Lesson 2 - Escape Sequences and String Concatenation
start Unit 2: Lesson 3 - String Methods
As always, please let me know if you have any questions or need help with anything at all. Stay cool!
Week 3: Monday, August 28th – Friday, September 1st
I hope you enjoyed your unexpected 3-day weekend! Here's what we're doing in class for the last week of August:
Unit 1: Lesson 5 - Modular Division
Unit 1: Lesson 6 - Numeric Casts
Assignment 1: Calculating Grades
Unit 1: Review
The assignments in this course can sometimes be a little challenging, so please ask me for help as you're working on Assignment 1. We'll take the Unit 1 Exam next week after another 3-day weekend. Keep up the great work, and as always, let me know if you have any questions!
Week 2: Monday, August 21st – Friday, August 25th
Welcome to the first full week of the 2023-2024 school year! Now that we've had a few days to get to know each other and get everyone logged in to ProjectSTEM, we can get to work! Here's what we're doing in class this week:
Unit 1: Lesson 1 - Output In Java
Unit 1: Lesson 2 - User Input and Variables
Unit 1: Lesson 3 - Data Types
Unit 1 Quiz
Unit 1: Lesson 4 - Number Calculations
I've also included a link to a weekly schedule of all of the assignments for the year.
I hope you had a great first week and that you were able to get some rest this weekend before we attempt to go to school for five full days without strange bell schedules or burning birds. Let me know you have any questions!