AP Computer Science Principles Framework
Computational Thinking
Big Ideas
Essential Questions
Creativity
How can a creative development process affect the creating of computational artifacts?
How can computing and the use of computational tools foster creative expression?
How can computing extend traditional forms of human expression and experience?
Abstraction
How are vastly different kinds of data, physical phenomena, and mathematical concepts represented on a computer?
How does abstraction help us in writing programs, creating computational artifacts, and solving problems?
How can computational models and simulations help generate new understanding and knowledge?
Data and Information
How can computation be employed to help people process data nad information to gain insight and knowledge?
How can computation be employed to facilitate exploration and discovery when working with data?
What considerations and trade-offs arise in the computational manipulation of data?
What opportunities do large data sets provide for solving problems and creating knowledge?
Algorithms
How are algorithms implemented and executed on computers and computational devices?
Why are some languages better than others when used to implement algorithms?
What kinds of problems are easy, what kinds are difficult, and what kinds are impossible to solve algorithmically?
How are algorithms evaluated?
Programming
How are programs developed to help people, organizations or society solve problems?
How are programs used for creative expression, to satisfy personal curiosity, or to create new knowledge?
How do computer programs implement algorithms?
How does abstraction make the development of computer programs possible?
How do people develop and test computer programs?
Which mathematical and logical concepts are fundamental to computer programming?
The Internet
What is the internet? How is it built? How does it function?
What aspects of the Internet’s design and development have helped it scale and flourish?
How is cyber security impacting the ever-increasing number of Internet users?
College Board. (2016). AP Computer Science Principles: Course and exam description. New York, NY: College Board.
Computational Thinking
- Connecting Computing
- Creating Computational Artifacts
- Abstracting
- Analyzing Problems and Artifacts
- Communicating
- Collaborating
Big Ideas
Essential Questions
Creativity
How can a creative development process affect the creating of computational artifacts?
How can computing and the use of computational tools foster creative expression?
How can computing extend traditional forms of human expression and experience?
Abstraction
How are vastly different kinds of data, physical phenomena, and mathematical concepts represented on a computer?
How does abstraction help us in writing programs, creating computational artifacts, and solving problems?
How can computational models and simulations help generate new understanding and knowledge?
Data and Information
How can computation be employed to help people process data nad information to gain insight and knowledge?
How can computation be employed to facilitate exploration and discovery when working with data?
What considerations and trade-offs arise in the computational manipulation of data?
What opportunities do large data sets provide for solving problems and creating knowledge?
Algorithms
How are algorithms implemented and executed on computers and computational devices?
Why are some languages better than others when used to implement algorithms?
What kinds of problems are easy, what kinds are difficult, and what kinds are impossible to solve algorithmically?
How are algorithms evaluated?
Programming
How are programs developed to help people, organizations or society solve problems?
How are programs used for creative expression, to satisfy personal curiosity, or to create new knowledge?
How do computer programs implement algorithms?
How does abstraction make the development of computer programs possible?
How do people develop and test computer programs?
Which mathematical and logical concepts are fundamental to computer programming?
The Internet
What is the internet? How is it built? How does it function?
What aspects of the Internet’s design and development have helped it scale and flourish?
How is cyber security impacting the ever-increasing number of Internet users?
College Board. (2016). AP Computer Science Principles: Course and exam description. New York, NY: College Board.