The Elizabeth Forward School District has been implementing a computer science based curriculum K-12 over the last several years and we believe that these additions to our curriculum are pushing the learning and thinking for our children. As early as kindergarten we have children using Puzzlets a game based programming tool from Dream Labs. In first and second grade our students are using Scratch Jr., Osmo Coding, and Code.Org to develop their coding skills. The third and fourth graders have been exposed to a variety of activities which help them see the application of coding. This is being accomplished by using Scratch to program Makey Makeys, Lego Wedos, Parrot Drones and Finch Robots. The fifth graders will be using Swift Programming this year with the help of Apple Inc. These programs are being integrated in the curriculum by a Technology Support Teacher who teaches the curriculum to all of the students. The strength of the program is that the regular classroom teachers are also involved in the teaching of the classes which builds a broader base of learning for our children and staff. All of our middle school students are exposed to Robot C Language and Python. These courses are supported by our MIT certified maker space called, The Dream Factory. Here again, students are experiencing the direct application to how programming can make things move and interact. Our students compete in Lego Competitions where they work as a team to program and build robots to complete activities. All students in grade nine at the high school are required to take Computer Science in our Elizabyte Academy. The course continues to build on the skills that the students have learned in their earlier grades so that there is a high level of interest in the course. The students at our high school are also offered courses in the Entertainment Technology Academy. In these classes students are teamed up as programmers, artists, creative writers and designers, to build apps and games for non- profit companies in the Pittsburgh Region. Last year students from these courses built a history game that was being used in our Social Studies curriculum. The structure of this class if based on the same format as Carnegie Mellon Universities Entertainment Technology Center. This partner ship has given our students the opportunity to work and meet people from the gaming industry from the region and around the world. We also are teaching students at the high school C++, Java, Unity, and Visual Basics. These courses are offered as regular classes, but students can also receive college credit through a dual enrollment agreement with the University of Pittsburgh. From Kindergarten to High School the students in the Elizabeth Forward School District are being exposed to computer science in a way that enables them to see the direct application to programming and how it works in their lives. We believe our district is on the cutting edge of engaging our children in the world of Computer Science.
