6-12 Curriculum Pathway

6-12 Computer Science Curriculum Pathway

Lights Innovation Labs LLC helps schools and districts build a comprehensive Middle School to High School computer science pathway starting from introductory level block-based programming courses all the way to AP level text based courses in many languages.

This table shows our recommended 6-12 curriculum pathway which provides a robust, coherent computer science pathway that teaches students 5 programming languages over the course of middle school and high school. The courses include block programming and significant text-based programming. The pathway starts with courses for beginners with no experience and builds to college-level courses.

6th	7th	8th	9th	10th	11th	12th
Rock the Band (Javascript))
Turtle Race (python)
Introduction to the Internet
World of Computing
Cybersecurity
	Web Design
	Creative Computing
			Intro to JavaScript
			Web Design
			Intro to Python
				Cybersecurity
					Mobile Apps
					AP Java

	6th Grade: Introduction to Programming with Rock the Band Learn the basics of computer science, programming, and computational thinking with band . Students give commands to rock the band ant to practice foundational concepts and solve programming puzzles. This is a great first course for middle schoolers and can be done with text or block-based programming.
	7th Grade: Web Design The Lights Innovation Labs LLC Web Design course is a project-based course that teaches students how to build their own web pages. Students will learn the languages HTML and CSS, and will create their own live homepages to serve as portfolios of their creations.
	8th Grade: Computing Ideas With a unique focus on creativity, problem solving and project based learning, Computing Ideas gives students the opportunity to explore several important topics of computing using their own ideas and creativity and develop an interest in computer science that will foster further endeavors in the field.
	9th Grade: Intro to Computer Science in JavaScript The Lights Innovation Labs LLC introduction to computer science curriculum teaches the foundations of computer science and basic programming in JavaScript, with an emphasis on helping students develop logical thinking and problem solving skills.
	10th Grade: Intro to Computer Science in Python The Lights Innovation Labs LLC introduction to Python course teaches the fundamentals of computer programming as well as some advanced features of the Python language. Students use what they learn in this course to build simple console-based games.
	12th Grade: AP Computer Science in Java The Lights Innovation Labs LLC AP Java course is a year-long course designed to help students master the basics of Java and equip them to successfully pass the College Board AP Computer Science A Exam at the end of the school year.