Sova Coding AP CSA Prep Curriculum

Overview

This curriculum is designed for absolute beginners in Java programming, gradually introducing AP CSA concepts across 10 lessons.
It includes practice problems and examples to reinforce learning.

The lessons cover:

1. Printing, variables, working with files/classes
2. Math operators, user input (Scanner), for loops
3. Comparison operators, if/else, modulo, nested conditionals
4. Classes & objects (fields, constructors, methods)
5. Arrays (indexing, length, traversing)
6. Methods (parameters, return values, scope)
7. Searching arrays & counting items
8. Summing and finding min/max in arrays (using helper methods)
9. while loops, nested loops, 2D arrays, arrays of objects
10. Large Problem Set of 15 problems of varying difficulty covering all previous lessons

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How to Use

• Teacher-led instruction is required.
• The teacher will explain the concepts using the sample code provided in each lesson.
• After instruction, students complete problem sets for practice.
• The problems do not contain answers: students are expected to attempt solutions themselves.
• Teachers may give hints but encourage independent problem-solving.
• For Lesson 10, students are encouraged to solve independently, with fewer points awarded if teacher help is used.

Using Codespaces

1. Open the repository in GitHub Codespaces by clicking the green Code button on the repo page and selecting Codespaces → New codespace.
2. When prompted, select 2-core machine for better performance.
3. This will launch a ready-to-use online development environment in your browser, with Java pre-installed.
4. Students can code directly in Codespaces without needing to install anything locally.

Saving Your Work in Codespaces

1. When you make changes, they are saved automatically in the Codespaces environment, but not yet in GitHub.
2. In the left sidebar, click the Source Control icon (or press Ctrl+Shift+G / Cmd+Shift+G).
3. Write a short description of what you changed in the message box (e.g., "Completed Lesson 2 Practice").
4. Click the ✓ Commit button.
5. Click Sync Changes (🔄) to upload your work to GitHub so your teacher can see it.

Shutting Down Codespaces

• Always shut down your Codespace after use to save resources:
  • Go to the Codespaces tab on GitHub (under your profile).
  • Find the running Codespace.
  • Click the ⋯ menu and select Stop Codespace.

Sharing with Teachers via Live Share

• Inside Codespaces, open the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P or Cmd+Shift+P on Mac).
• Search for Live Share: Start Collaboration Session.
• Copy the generated Live Share link and send it to your teacher so they can join your coding session in real-time.

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Structure

• Each lesson has:
  • Sample code
  • Practice problems
• Lesson 10 only includes a problem set which has points per problem based on difficulty.