Below is the pre-work for Code the Dream’s Intro to Programming class. We anticipate that it will take around 15-20 hours to finish the pre-work (including the coding tutorial and your own short coding project), which is similar to the amount of time you should plan to spend on our class during a typical week. If you have any questions on the material, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We’re here to help! Email your questions to maryalice@codethedream.org or lori@codethdream.org.
Submitting Your Work
Use this assessment form to submit your answers. Please complete the pre-work by 11:59pm on Sunday night of the deadline to be considered for the class. Each numbered item in the pre-work below corresponds to a question on the assessment. You may want to write all your answers in a Word or Google Doc before copying them into the form, since you cannot save your form and go back to it. The Javascript tutorial will take many hours to go through, and you will be submitting a code sample at the end. But don’t let this intimidate you! The tutorial is fun and engaging and you will be surprised what you can do after this lesson!!
PART 1: PREPARATION (20-30 minutes)
A. Intro Video
If you haven’t already watched our intro video for this class, please do so below!
B. Mindset
Programming is hard, but not impossible. In any new and challenging situation, having the right mindset can make a difference. Read the following article and then answer the question prompt.
Fixed vs. Growth: The Two Basic Mindsets that Shape Our Lives
- What is the value of having a growth mindset when learning new and complex material?
- How would a person with growth mindset respond when they fail or are stuck and don’t know what to do next?
As you go through the rest of the pre-work, keep in mind the benefits of a growth mindset. You’ll probably get stuck on something or feel a little overwhelmed, but don’t worry! Advanced programmers get stuck all the time – just ask our apprentices.
C. Careers in Web Development
Code the Dream trains people to be web developers. If you’re new to programming, it might not seem immediately clear what a web developer does. This quick post from the Odin Project gives you a brief overview of the job description and work environment of a web developer. After you read it, think about the question below and write a short paragraph with your response.
- What are your career goals? In what type of work environment can you see yourself working? Why?
D. GitHub
GitHub is one of the essential tools that you’ll use as a developer, and you will be using it regularly as a Code the Dream student. Watch the video and use your own words to describe what GitHub is.
- What is GitHub?
PART 2: TUTORIAL (10-20 hours)
Intro to JavaScript: Drawing and Animation
Now for the core of the pre-work. The following tutorial is from Khan Academy and is a fun but in-depth introduction to JavaScript and a wide range of basic coding principles. You don’t need to create an account with Khan Academy to complete the tutorial, but creating an account will help you save your work (it’s free). The tutorial is long, 10-15 hours of work, but hopefully fun – it was written for young people, but we like it for adults too. You’ll have made some cool animations by the end of it, so enjoy the work rather than being stressed about it!
Also, we should note that it’s easy to find the answers to this tutorial online. Seriously, we found them in about three seconds of googling. Take the time to do this work correctly rather than trying to rush through it. There isn’t an award for finishing first, and your future self will thank you if you learn these concepts now.
In the tutorial, you’ll learn the following core concepts:
- Variables
- Strings
- Functions
- Logic and “if” statements
- Loops
- Arrays
- Objects
Complete Intro to JavaScript: Drawing and Animation and answer questions 5-8.
While we want you to complete the entire tutorial, pay particular attention to functions, arrays, classes, and objects. As you complete the tutorial, answer the following questions:
NOTE: The below questions will appear in the assessment form only after you’ve checked that you’re applying for the Intro to Programming class.
- Write an example of declaring a variable and assigning it a value.
- Write an example of a function that adds two numbers and returns the result.
- Create an array with the names of four fruits in it. Set the array equal to the variable “fruits”.
- Create an object that stores the following data about you: your age, three of your favorite movies or books, your hometown, and today’s date.
PART 3: DEMONSTRATION (2-10 hours)
Your Own Coding Project
Finally, you’re going to take the knowledge you just acquired and put it into practice.
Use Code Sandbox to show what you’ve learned.
Important!!! Code Sandbox does not auto-save, so you need to continually save the project (File-> Save) or it will not work.
- Follow the link here to start your project.
- Then click on the sketch.js file (the yellow square icon found on the lefthand sidebar of the screen, under “Files”) and follow the commented instructions.
- Now, follow the prompt below to create your own, original drawing. You are expected to do your own work for this exercise. Copied code will disqualify you.
- (Please note: Code Sandbox does not auto-save, so you need to continually save the project (File-> Save) or it will not work.)
Prompt
Important!!! Code Sandbox does not auto-save, so you need to continually save the project (File-> Save) or it will not work.
Please use your Code Sandbox file to create a drawing that includes each of the three following elements:
- use of a conditional statement, and
- use of a loop, and
- use of a function that you write and call in the code.
What you draw is up to you, but feel free to use these ideas as inspiration:
- A city skyline that features some sort of movement – clouds in the sky, cars on the street, etc.
- An animation featuring a rising sun and a following sunset.
- Abstract art that uses random numbers and loops to determine the placement and size of shapes and objects.
Code the Dream isn’t an art museum – we’re not looking for the next masterpiece. We just want you to demonstrate what you learned in the Khan Academy lesson. You won’t be graded on the quality of your artwork, but will be assessed on how you make use of a working conditional, function, and loop.
To reiterate, you are expected to do your own work for this exercise. Large blocks of copied code will disqualify you.
Once you’re finished, paste the link to your Code Sandbox project into the pre-work assessment form. This is the single most important part of the pre-work.
NEXT STEPS
Congratulations – You’re done with the pre-work! Once you have submitted the assessment form, we’ll review and score each submission, and then get in touch with you with instructions on the next steps.