Curriculum Overview

• Projects, Lessons, and Gaming Activities
• Presentations on Java Teaching and Learning
• Strategies for Success

Participating schools in the Java Grant Program developed curricular materials to meet the needs of diverse groups of learners at the middle, high school and college levels. The curricular materials are broken down into pre-Java and Java activities as described:

• Java Projects feature rubrics while making cross-curricular connections to core subjects in history, math, science, and social studies;
• Lessons offer educators ways to explore basic and more advanced concepts in Java, complete with activities and code samples;
• Gaming Activities give students a chance to develop and design interactive games while exploring the power of Java;
• Presentations show snapshots of various school programs and Java teaching approaches
• View all Java Projects, Lesson, Gaming Activities, and Presentations developed by participating schools

Projects, Lessons, and Gaming Activities

As part of Sun's commitment to community, all of the projects, lessons, and gaming activities developed by the program participants have been revised for use by a wider audience of educators invested in Java teaching and learning. Specific references to school activities and other programmatic-specific language has been taken out of the materials.

Features of the sample projects, lessons and gaming activities include the following:

• Summary of Outcomes
• Students Assessment
• Prerequisite Knowledge and Skills
• Subject Areas
• Curriculum Framing Questions
• Targeted Content Standards, Curriculum Frameworks, and National Standards
• Materials and Resources Required
• Activity or Lesson Plan Outline
• Activity/Lesson Plan Overview*
• Pacing/Timeline
• Teacher Reflection
• Sample Code and Handouts*
• View all

Presentations on Java Teaching and Learning

Some Java Grant Program participants have developed presentations on topics more closely related to the specific design, development, and implementation of pre-Java and Java courses and programs within their school or district. Presentations are provided as additional resources for educators in search of more information about innovative programming models and teaching ideas. View all »

Strategies for Success

Several of the Java Grant Program participants offered incentives to students to learn and apply their Java skills. In many cases, the use of real-world projects gave students a chance to apply their knowledge and skills to the design of a solution used to meet a corporate, school, or community need. Students had opportunities to work with real clients within both the Denver Public Schools Computer Magnet Program, The East Side Union High School District, and over 52 schools signed on with Youth Tech Entrepreneurs.

Other incentives for student achievement and excellence included a "Java bucks" reward system used to encourage students to turn in assignments and activities in a timely and professional manner.

The development of gaming activities offered students a way to learn about Java in a collaborative way. Several schools developed interactive games to stimulate critical thinking and problem solving -skills necessary for the participation age and success in the 21st century.