Information & Curriculum

This is NOT a computer skills camp. Basic computer literacy skills are REQUIRED so that our focus can be on teaching Java programming in a fun and interactive manner. 

Basics Level: Participants must be in grades 6-9 and have basic computer literacy skills to join the basics level camp.

Intermediate Level: Participants must be in grades 6-9 and have completed the basics level camp (as this is a direct continuation of the basics camp with minimal review) to join the intermediate level camp, should they wish to do so.

Participants will need access to a computer with internet connectivity for the virtual camp sessions. Additionally, participants will need to have IntelliJ IDEA Community Edition installed and set up on their computers for coding exercises. Please complete this before the start of the camp, as this will not be covered. Installation instructions can be found at the below links. Please read and follow both before the program starts.

• https://www.jetbrains.com/help/idea/installation-guide.html#requirements

• https://www.jetbrains.com/help/idea/creating-and-running-your-first-java-application.html (only read to the end of the “Create a new Java project” box)

This is a completely free class taught to improve accessibility to coding education for all. Visit this page for more information.

Week 1: Introduction to Java and Data Types

• Introduction to Java and Setup

• Primitive Data Types and Variables

• Reference Data Types and Variables

• Constants and Final Variables

Week 2: Operators and Control Flow

• Arithmetic, Assignment, and Comparison Operators

• Logical and Bitwise Operators

• If-Else Statements

• Switch Statements

Week 3: Loops and Arrays

• While Loops

• For Loops

• Enhanced For Loops (For-Each)

• Arrays and ArrayLists

Week 4: Methods and Scope

• Introduction to Methods

• Method Parameters and Return Types

• Method Overloading

• Scope and Variable Visibility

Week 5: Object-Oriented Programming Basics

• Introduction to Classes and Objects

• Class Methods and Attributes

• Constructors and Initialization

• Access Modifiers and Encapsulation

Week 6: Inheritance and Polymorphism

• Inheritance and Subclassing

• Method Overriding

• Polymorphism and Dynamic Binding

• Abstract Classes and Methods

Week 7: Interfaces and File I/O

• Interfaces and Implementing Multiple Interfaces

• File Input and Output (File I/O)

• Exception Handling (try-catch-finally)

Week 8: Review and Projects - Basic class rejoins

• Recap of Concepts Covered

• Project Work and Application Development

Final Projects Presentation and Review - May be multiple sessions depending on size of class, basic class can also join