Advanced Topics in Computer Science, HB Woodlawan
APCS Level A option
Timeline for 34 Weeks to AP Exam, EIMACS, Sept 6 - May 2 2017
Eimacs.com online course from the Institute for Mathematics and Computer Science.
See detailed syllabus when logged in

This calendar requires coursework over Thanksgiving, Winter, and Spring Breaks
Includes 5 weeks of review for weeks 30-34
For AP credit, the APCS Level A exam must be taken Tuesday May 2 2017 8am

Section 1: Java Basics

Unit 1: Introduction and Variables (Week 1). Sept 6-13:

• Introduction; Computer Hardware, Software, Systems, Ethical and Responsible Use; Integers; Doubles; and Casting.
• Exercises 1 - 6. Quick Reference 1.
• Test 1.

Unit 2: Expressions (Weeks 2 - 4) Tests 2-5. Sept 13 - Oct 4

• Arithmetic Expressions; Declaring and Assigning Values to Variables; Programming Shortcuts; Strings; Concatenation; String Methods; System.out Methods; Converting Between Numbers and Strings; Booleans; Relational Operators; Comparing Strings; Logical Operators; and Arrays.
• Activities 1 - 5.
• Quick References 2 - 5.
• Tests 2 - 5.

Unit 3: Program Control (Weeks 5-7) Tests 6,7,8,9 Activities 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. Oct 4 - Oct 25

• Conditional Statements; Blocks; Iteration; While Loops; For Loops; and For-each Loops.
• Exercises 51 - 74.
• Quick References 6 - 9.
• Activities 6 - 10.
• Tests 6 - 9.

Unit 4: Methods (Weeks 8-11) Test 10,11, Activities 11, 12, 13, Lab 1. Oct 25 - Nov 22

• Static Methods; Defining New Static Methods; The main Method; Java Comments; Multiple Variable Declarations; Overloaded Methods; and Recursive Methods.
• Exercises 75 - 92.
• Quick References 10 and 11.
• Activities 11 - 13.
• Lab 1
• Tests 10 and 11.

Section 2: Object-Oriented Programming This section introduces students to object-oriented programming. The remaining hidden code that is being added automatically by the web service is revealed.

Unit 5: Object-Oriented Programming Concepts (Weeks 12-16) Tests 12, 13, Activities 14. Nov 22 (Thanksgiving break) - Dec 27 (Winter break)

• An introduction to OOP in the context of Java; an overview of Classes and Instances; Simple Objects; A Person Class; A Point Class; Public Classes and the Java Compiler; The Java Compiler and the Virtual Machine; Errors, Exceptions, and Garbage Collection; Arrays and Objects; and ArrayLists.
• Exercises 93 - 115.
• Quick References 12 and 13
• Activities 14 - 16.
• Labs 2 and 3.
• Tests 12 and 13.

Unit 6: Inheritance and Polymorphism (Weeks 17 - 19) Tests 14, 15, Activities 17, 18, 19, Lab 4. Dec 27 (Winter break) - Jan 17

• Extending Classes; Class Hierarchies; Polymorphism; and Overriding Methods.
• Exercises 116 - 137.
• Activities 17 - 19.
• Lab 4.
• Quick References 14 and 15.
• Tests 14 and 15.

Unit 7: Class Definitions Revisited (Week 20) Test 16, Activities 20, 21, 22, 23. Jan 17 - Jan 24

• Class Methods; Class Variables and Constants; final Block Variables; Multiple Constructors; Overloaded Instance Methods; Wrapper Classes; Access Modifiers; this; and Object Aliasing.
• Exercises 138 - 151.
• Activities 20 - 23.
• Quick Reference 16.
• Test 16.

Unit 8: Abstractions (Weeks 21 - 23) Test 17, Lab 5, Activities 24, 25, 26. Jan 24 - Feb 14

• Abstract Classes; Interfaces; and, in particular, the List and Comparable Interfaces.
• Exercises 152 - 166.
• Activities 24 - 26.
• Lab 5.
• Quick Reference 17.
• Test 17.

Section 3: Algorithms
This section introduces students to basic algorithms in the context of arrays, and includes a variety of standard searching and sorting algorithms.

Unit 9: Introduction to Algorithms (Week 24) Activities 27-28, Lab 6. Feb 14 - Feb 21

• Algorithms; Traversals; Replacements; Insertions; and Deletions.
• Exercises 167 - 171.
• Activities 27 and 28.
• Lab 6.

Unit 10: Searching and Sorting, and Program Analysis (Weeks 25 - 29) Tests 18, 19, Activities 29, 30, Labs 7, 8. Feb 21 - March 28

• Sequential search; Binary search; Selection sort; Insertion sort; Merge sort; Assertions and Exceptions.
• Exercises 172 - 204.
• Activities 29 and 30.
• Labs 7 and 8.
• Quick References 18 and 19.
• Tests 18 and 19.

Section 4: Epilogue
The final section emphasizes the importance of review and practice in preparation for the Advanced Placement Exam.

Unit 11: Review and Practice (Week 30 - 34) March 28 (Spring Break Apr 10-14) - May 2 (Level A Exam Tuesday May 2 8am)

• Free-response Question Sets 1 - 3
• The eIMACS online edition of Be Prepared for the AP Computer Science Exam in Java, 6th ed., by Maria Litvin and Gary Litvin.