What's Going On? January 2nd through January 4th

Welcome Back!

I hope everyone had a relaxing winter break and had a chance to spend some time with family and friends.  We have a short time between now and the end of the semester, so I hope we are all refreshed and ready to finish the semester strong!

App Development


This week, students will work on our last group unit of the semester.  This week, we will focus on loops and arrays.  This is in preparation for our last end-of-unit app challenge: Rock, Paper, Scissors.

Programming the Web

This week, students will work on hosting web assignment 13.  We will learn how to make our page visible to the public.

Once we have completed our hosting assignment, students will have the remainder of the semester to work on our final project.  For this assignment, students will create a web site that includes four pages.  Throughout the four pages, students will highlight many of the techniques we have learned about.  Students will demonstrate their knowledge of HTML and CSS coding by creating and designing a website of their choosing.

AP Computer Science


This week, students will dive into our seventh unit on Arrays and Array Lists.  We will focus on how to create an array, search through an array, and how to perform some common algorithms.  Students should be analyzing the material while completing the guided notes template.



Registering for the AP Computer Science A Exam

Students should also be aware that the registration portal to register for the AP exam is now open.  Students can register at http://www.TotalRegistration.net/AP/502389.  Students must register by January 28, 2019 to avoid any late fees.

For students who are already starting to plan ahead, you can see which colleges accept the AP Computer Science score.  Please check out https://apstudent.collegeboard.org/creditandplacement/search-credit-policies or http://uwhelp.wisconsin.edu/prep-for-college/credits/testing-ap-ib for more information about the type of credit that will be received for successfully completing the AP exam.



January Exam Schedule

For those of you who like to plan ahead, here is our exam schedule for January.  We will talk in detail about the exam as we get closer to the end of the semester.

What's Going On? December 17th through December 21st

App Development

This week, students will work on our end of unit app called "Word Play".  This app is similar to "Mad-Libs".  The app will prompt for an adjective, noun, and verb and insert the provided information into a story.  Students should finish up this app before winter break.






Programming the Web

This week, students will work on web assignment 13.  For this assignment, students will build on the "home page" we created for web assignment 12.  Additionally, students will complete the lesson 13 review questions during class on Thursday.




AP Computer Science


This week, students will spend time on Monday finishing up our programming project 6 and our Magpie lab.  Both of these assessments are summative.  On Tuesday, we will review for our summative.  On Wednesday, we will complete our summative.  All reviews, programming projects and labs are also due on this day.  We will spend the rest of the week focusing on discussing how computing connects to the global society as well as taking a diagnostics test from our "5 Steps to a 5" book.



Registering for the AP Computer Science A Exam

Students should also be aware that the registration portal to register for the AP exam is now open.  Students can register at http://www.TotalRegistration.net/AP/502389.  Students must register by January 28, 2019 to avoid any late fees.

For students who are already starting to plan ahead, you can see which colleges accept the AP Computer Science score.  Please check out https://apstudent.collegeboard.org/creditandplacement/search-credit-policies or http://uwhelp.wisconsin.edu/prep-for-college/credits/testing-ap-ib for more information about the type of credit that will be received for successfully completing the AP exam.



January Exam Schedule

For those of you who like to plan ahead, here is our exam schedule for January.  We will talk in detail about the exam as we get closer to the end of the semester.

What's Going On? December 10th through December 14th

App Development

This week, students will complete our "Intergalactic Travel" hackwich where we will practice creating multiple screens and passing information between them.  Once this is complete, students will work on our end of unit app called "Word Play".  This app is similar to "Mad-Libs".  The app will prompt for an adjective, noun, and verb and insert the provided information into a story.






Programming the Web

This week, students will continue to work on web assignment 12.  For this assignment, students will need to format photos appropriately for the web.  Once the photos have been formatted, students will create the "home page" for the website we will be building over the next two weeks.  Additionally, students will need to complete their reading guides by Wednesday and the lesson 12 review questions during class on Thursday.




AP Computer Science

This week, students will spend time on Monday finishing up programming project 6 where we focus
on how to incorporate loops in order to repeat a section of code.  Students should be working on our review exercises and turn them into Google Classroom by the start of class on Tuesday.  Once this is complete, students will begin work on our first lab: Magpie.  For this assignment, students will practice interacting with existing code in order to create a chatbot program.  Students will read in a user's input and design the program to respond appropriately to the input based on keywords.  Students should finish up the lab by the end of class on Friday.



Registering for the AP Computer Science A Exam

Students should also be aware that the registration portal to register for the AP exam is now open.  Students can register at http://www.TotalRegistration.net/AP/502389.  Students must register by January 28, 2019 to avoid any late fees.

For students who are already starting to plan ahead, you can see which colleges accept the AP Computer Science score.  Please check out https://apstudent.collegeboard.org/creditandplacement/search-credit-policies or http://uwhelp.wisconsin.edu/prep-for-college/credits/testing-ap-ib for more information about the type of credit that will be received for successfully completing the AP exam.



January Exam Schedule

For those of you who like to plan ahead, here is our exam schedule for January.  We will talk in detail about the exam as we get closer to the end of the semester.

What's Going On? December 3rd through December 7th

App Development

This week, we will focus in on creating multiple screens and navigating between them.  We will set up our storyboard and define what each screen looks like, we will create a new coding file and attach it to each screen, and then talk about how we are able to travel between screens.

Programming the Web

At the beginning of the week, we will spend some time working on our lesson 11 web assignments on responsive web design.  Students should have their reading guides completed by Wednesday's class and we will complete our lesson 11 review questions on Thursday.  Once this is complete, we will spend the rest of the time diving into Photoshop and learning how to properly format images for a web page.

AP Computer Science A

During class on Monday, we will talk about common loop algorithms and on Tuesday we will finish the unit discussion by talking about nested loops.  For the remainder of the week, students will have time to work on our summative programming project #6.  Students should be prepared to finish this project by the end of the week.  Additionally, students should complete the review exercises which can be found on Google Classroom.

Registering for the AP Computer Science A Exam

Students should also be aware that the registration portal to register for the AP exam is now open.  Students can register at http://www.TotalRegistration.net/AP/502389.  Students must register by January 28, 2019 to avoid any late fees.

For students who are already starting to plan ahead, you can see which colleges accept the AP Computer Science score.  Please check out https://apstudent.collegeboard.org/creditandplacement/search-credit-policies or http://uwhelp.wisconsin.edu/prep-for-college/credits/testing-ap-ib for more information about the type of credit that will be received for successfully completing the AP exam.



January Exam Schedule

For those of you who like to plan ahead, here is our exam schedule for January.  We will talk in detail about the exam as we get closer to the end of the semester.

What's Going On? November 26th through November 30th

App Development

Now that our unit on "Tip Calculator" is complete, it is time to move into our next unit.  This week, we will focus in on how to work with arrays and generate random numbers.  To check our level of understanding, students will complete the "Arrays Challenge".

Programming the Web


During class on Monday, students will work on our assignment 10a.  During class
on Wednesday, we will run through assignment 10b as a group.  Students should have their reading guides for lesson 10 completed by Wednesday and be ready for our lesson 10 review questions at the start of class on Thursday.  After this, we will dive into lesson 11.



AP Computer Science A

During class on Monday, we will finish up our unit 5 summative assessment that ran long before Thanksgiving break.  Students who have finished the summative can get a head start on unit 6 where we will focus on loops.

For the remainder of the week, we will talk about while and for loops.  Students will have some practice exercises to complete so that we can spend a little time coding each day before we get to our end of the unit summative programs.  Additionally, students will get some practice working with a larger-scale program when we work on the assignment "Lab".

Registering for the AP Computer Science A Exam

Students should also be aware that the registration portal to register for the AP exam is now open.  Students can register at http://www.TotalRegistration.net/AP/502389.  Students must register by January 28, 2019 to avoid any late fees.

For students who are already starting to plan ahead, you can see which colleges accept the AP Computer Science score.  Please check out https://apstudent.collegeboard.org/creditandplacement/search-credit-policies or http://uwhelp.wisconsin.edu/prep-for-college/credits/testing-ap-ib for more information about the type of credit that will be received for successfully completing the AP exam.


On an Unrelated Note...

There will be a Cyber Monday sale on yearbooks.  If you have not yet pre-ordered your yearbook, they will be offered for a discounted price on Monday through yearbookforever.com.  Order forms can also be turned in to Mrs. Torzala in room 910 or Mrs. Kamenar in room 300 on Monday to take advantage of the sale.





January Exam Schedule

For those of you who like to plan ahead, here is our exam schedule for January.  We will talk in detail about the exam as we get closer to the end of the semester.

What's Going On? November 19th and 20th

It's a short week!

This is a reminder that with the Thanksgiving holiday, students will only be in school on Monday and
Tuesday this week.  On Monday we will run our 8-period day schedule with AE (yellow day) and on Tuesday we will run our 8-period day schedule without AE (purple day).  Enjoy your Thanksgiving Break!




January Exam Schedule

For those of you who like to plan ahead, here is our exam schedule for January.  We will talk in detail about the exam as we get closer to the end of the semester.

App Development

This week, students will be finishing up their Tip Calculator Apps.  Students should complete their reflection forms and show off their working apps by the end of class on Monday.  Tuesday's class will include a code review for students to show off their products.






Programming the Web


During class on Monday, we will talk through our lesson 10 material on page layouts.  During class
on Tuesday, we will run through several methods that can be used to design the template for a website.  Students should have their reading guides for lesson 10 completed by Wednesday after Thanksgiving break.



AP Computer Science A

During class on Monday, we will review for our unit 5 summative assessment on conditional
statements.  Students will need to complete the summative review and Programming Project #5 by Tuesday in preparation for our summative.

We will complete our summative assessment on conditionals during class on Tuesday.  Students should expect to see 40 multiple choice questions in the style they will see for the AP exam.  Students will also have a free response section of the summative where they will need to write out Java code by hand to demonstrate their understanding of conditional statements.







Registering for the AP Computer Science A Exam

Students should also be aware that the registration portal to register for the AP exam is now open.  Students can register at http://www.TotalRegistration.net/AP/502389.  Students must register by January 28, 2019 to avoid any late fees.

For students who are already starting to plan ahead, you can see which colleges accept the AP Computer Science score.  Please check out https://apstudent.collegeboard.org/creditandplacement/search-credit-policies or http://uwhelp.wisconsin.edu/prep-for-college/credits/testing-ap-ib for more information about the type of credit that will be received for successfully completing the AP exam.

What's Going On? November 12th through November 16th

App Development 1


This week we will be wrapping up our unit with our third end of unit app challenge, "Tip Calculator".  For this project, students will be creating an app that will allow someone to type in their bill amount at a restaurant.  The app will then calculate the amount of money that should be left for a 15% tip.  Students can then expand on this project to allow the app user to select a different percentage for the tip.  Students will be receiving two grades for this summative project: one for the application development (the code) and one for the application design (how the app looks).



Programming the Web

Now that we have completed our midterm, it is time to move on with our next lesson.  This week, we will focus in on lesson 9 where we will continue to learn about new CSS techniques.  This week's lesson will allow us to practice floating and positioning.  Floating items will give us more control over the location of our elements on our web page.  This will allow us to position items next to each other rather than only stacking items vertically.



AP Computer Science A

This week, we will continue our study of conditional statements.  Students will finish reading chapter 5 in our "Big Java" textbook and should have a completed notes template to go along with it to check for understanding.  We will work on our Programming Project #5 this week, so students will have some time to work in the lab.  Students who need additional time in the lab should connect with me to come in during the morning or make an appointment for after school.

Registering for the AP Computer Science A Exam

Students should also be aware that the registration portal to register for the AP exam is now open.  Students can register at http://www.TotalRegistration.net/AP/502389.  Students must register by January 28, 2019 to avoid any late fees.

For students who are already starting to plan ahead, you can see which colleges accept the AP Computer Science score.  Please check out https://apstudent.collegeboard.org/creditandplacement/search-credit-policies or http://uwhelp.wisconsin.edu/prep-for-college/credits/testing-ap-ib for more information about the type of credit that will be received for successfully completing the AP exam.

What's Going On? November 5th through November 9th

Need to Touch Base?  Sign Up for Parent-Teacher Conferences on Wednesday

This Wednesday, from 5:00-7:00pm, North will be hosting parent-teacher conference by appointment.  If you would like to talk about your student's progress, please sign up for a time through Sign-Up Genius:   https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e0f4daba628a1fe3-math.  If you are not available this night, but would still like to touch base, please contact me.

App Development 1

This week, we will be talking about "conditionals".  Students will work on our "Conditionals Challenge" during class on Monday.  After this, we will move into talking about the scope of variables and how to work with gesture recognizers such as the "Pan Gesture" and the "Tap Gesture.



Programming the Web

This is midterm week!  Students will have the week to complete our midterm exam.  This is made up of two parts: a set of multiple choice questions and creating a website.  We will complete the 20-question multiple choice assessment at the beginning of class on Thursday.  This will be made up of 20 out of the 80 multiple choice questions that we have seen so far this semester.  Students will not be able to use any resources during this time.

The second part of the midterm exam will involve creating a four-page website.  I will show students pictures of the final product, and it will be their job to recreate it.  For this, students may use any resource, except for each other.  All work for this site must be submitted by the end of class on Friday.  While the midterm is designed to be completed during class time, students who need additional time need to make arrangements with me to get into the lab before school, after school or during lunch.


AP Computer Science A

This week, we will start our fifth unit of the year on conditionals.  Students will focus on the use of if, if...else, and if...else if...else statements in order to determine which statements in a program are executed and when.  Along with this unit, this week students will work on our notes template to guide the textbook reading and some practice exercise sets.  Students who need additional work time in the lab should make arrangements with me to get into the lab before school, after school or during lunch.



Registering for the AP Computer Science A Exam

Students should also be aware that the registration portal to register for the AP exam is now open.  Students can register at http://www.TotalRegistration.net/AP/502389.  Students must register by January 28, 2019 to avoid any late fees.

For students who are already starting to plan ahead, you can see which colleges accept the AP Computer Science score.  Please check out https://apstudent.collegeboard.org/creditandplacement/search-credit-policies or http://uwhelp.wisconsin.edu/prep-for-college/credits/testing-ap-ib for more information about the type of credit that will be received for successfully completing the AP exam.

What's Going On? October 29th through November 2nd

App Development

This week, we will continue our study of functions.  Students will work on our "Functions Challenge" for the first two class periods this week.  This will allow students to practice writing functions and calling functions within the context of a larger Swift program.  This challenge will serve as a formative for the class.  Additionally, students will see a short multiple choice formative this week to gauge our level of understanding of how and why functions work.  At the end of the week, we will spend some time talking about conditionals.

Programming the Web 1

We will start off this week by finishing up lesson 7.  Students should upload our lesson 7 web

assignments (7A, 7B, and 7C) by the end of class on Monday.  On Wednesday, we will start with our lesson 7 review questions.  Once lesson 7 is complete, we will begin lesson 8.  This lesson will focus on the "Box Model" where we will learn how to apply padding and margins to different elements within our web page.  Students will have one web assignment tutorial to complete this week (8A).  We will end the week by checking in our lesson 8 reading guides and our lesson 8 review questions.

This is the last lesson before we complete our midterm exam.  For the midterm, students will see 20 questions from the 80 review questions we have completed so far.  Students will also have the week to create a four-page web site based on provided screenshots.  During the exam, students can use past assignments, our textbook, and Google.

AP Computer Science A

This week, students will spend the class periods on Monday and Tuesday working on our summative
Programming Project #4.  For this project, students will work on four different Java programs that demonstrate their understanding of reading in input from the program user, performing mathematical operations, and using methods from the String class.  Students should also be working on the Review Exercises and be prepared to turn them in by Tuesday.  During class on Wednesday, we will talk about our unit 4 summative assessment and during class on Friday, students will complete the unit 4 summative.  Students should also turn in their Summative Review (practice test) and Programming Project #4 by the beginning of class on Friday.


Registering for the AP Computer Science A Exam

Students should also be aware that the registration portal to register for the AP exam is now open.  Students can register at http://www.TotalRegistration.net/AP/502389.  Students must register by January 28, 2019 to avoid any late fees.

For students who are already starting to plan ahead, you can see which colleges accept the AP Computer Science score.  Please check out https://apstudent.collegeboard.org/creditandplacement/search-credit-policies or http://uwhelp.wisconsin.edu/prep-for-college/credits/testing-ap-ib for more information about the type of credit that will be received for successfully completing the AP exam.

What's Going On? October 22nd through October 24th

Modified Schedule October 22nd through October 24th

Since we have a shortened week next week (students do not have school on Thursday and Friday), school will start at 7:35 each day and students will see all eight classes each day.  Additionally, Wednesday is an early release day.  This is the schedule we will follow on Wednesday:

App Development 1

This week, we will move into our third unit of the year.  We will focus this shortened week on functions and analyzing function headers.  This will help us prepare for our end of unit app challenge, Tip Calculator.

AP Computer Science A

This week, we will continue our study of fundamental data types.  We will talk about how to format output, the Math class and how to modify strings.  Students will be working on our four Practice Exercise Sets this week to reinforce our discussions of Java concepts.

Programming the Web 1

This week, we will focus on lesson 7 where we will talk about backgrounds and colors.  Students will complete three web pages which are listed as tutorials in the book.  We will learn how to apply a background color and image as well as different ways colors are treated in web design.  Along with this week, students will also have a reading guide and our review questions.

What's Going On? October 15th through October 19th

Parent-Teacher Conferences

This week, we will be holding parent-teacher conferences on Wednesday night in the Field House from 5:00-7:00pm.  Please stop by!



App Development 1

This week, students will focus on our end of unit app challenge, "Multiply".  Students will need to create two text fields, read the information from the two text fields, multiply the numbers together and display the results.  Students can expand on this by adding "add", "subtract", and "divide" options.  Students can also expand on this by showing a different image which changes based on the result of the mathematical operation.










AP Computer Science A

This week, we will finish up our third unit where we focused on how to write and read classes.  Students will turn in their review questions on Monday, complete their programming project #3 by Tuesday, and then complete our summative assessment.  There will also be a practice test provided to help students prepare for the assessment.

Students should also be aware that the registration portal to register for the AP exam is now open.  Students can register at http://www.TotalRegistration.net/AP/502389.  Students must register by January 28, 2019 to avoid any late fees.

For students who are already starting to plan ahead, you can see which colleges accept the AP Computer Science score.  Please check out https://apstudent.collegeboard.org/creditandplacement/search-credit-policies or http://uwhelp.wisconsin.edu/prep-for-college/credits/testing-ap-ib for more information about the type of credit that will be received for successfully completing the AP exam.




Programming the Web 1


This week, students will dive into our sixth lesson of the year.  This week, we will focus on how to use DreamWeaver to stylize our pages using CSS.  At this point, we have pretty much learned all of the HTML we will need to use throughout the course and now we will focus on how to change the look of our pages through CSS.