Developed by the NYCDOE CS education team, the Introduction to Physical Computing course is a 54-hour long introductory computer science course that guides students to explore fundamental CS concepts through tinkering with the micro:bit, a simple programmable computer device. Each unit of the course guides students through the learning process with three practices: analyzing computer applications around them based on a given issue; prototyping a project that reflects the result of the analysis plus their interest; and communicating about their projects, including the functionality of a project, a project development process, influence from other projects and their contribution to a project when working in a group. The curriculum and support sessions assist educators in discovering the most effective way of facilitating this course for their own classroom, while helping them to become comfortable with the main tool, the micro:bit.

Students download the software needed to create Arduino programs and make sure their Arduino microcontrollers work correctly. Then, they connect an LED to the Arduino and type up and upload programs to the Arduino board to 1) make the LED blink on and off and 2) make the LED fade (brighten and then dim). Throughout, students reflect on what they've accomplished by answering questions and modifying the original programs and circuits in order to achieve new outcomes. A design challenge gives students a chance to demonstrate their understanding of actuators and Arduinos; they design a functioning system using an Arduino, at least three actuators and either a buzzer or toy motor. For their designs, students sketch, create and turn in a user's manual for the system (text description, commented program, detailed hardware diagram). Numerous worksheets and handouts are provided.

The Software Engineering Program (SEP) is a multi-year, comprehensive, standards-aligned computer science education program for grades 6 to 12. The goals of the program are:

-Increase the number of high school graduates, particularly from traditionally underrepresented groups, that are ready to pursue new and emerging technology-driven roles across industries.

-Develop student computational thinking and problem-solving skills in real-world contexts.

The SEP curriculum gives students instruction and experience in the following areas: computer programming, robotics, web design, physical computing, and game design. SEP students participate in local and central hackathons, and in work-based experiences with major industry leaders and partners.

Students are practicing using Scratch programming to program microbit sensors to continually read temperature.  Doing this will familiarize students with the Scratch programming software to program TDS and Temperature sensors for the fishtank in the hallway.