Lesson 5.06a: Data Lab
In the summer of 2019, the college board released 4 new labs. Data Lab can be assigned after the completion of Unit 5.
Complete a long-form lab, using two dimensional arrays of objects, array traversing algorithms, program analysis, binary numbers, and inheritance.
Complete the College Board’s AP CS A Data Lab. Students will answer end of activity Check your understanding and open-ended activity.
A list of homework assignments is provided below.
Projector and computer
Data Lab Teacher’s Guide
Classroom copies of the Data Lab Student Guide
Associated Data Lab & Data Lab Extension Files
Read through the Teacher, Student, and Extension guides ahead of time to familiarize yourself with the parts of this long-form lab. Using the guides, complete the lab on your own to spot possible challenges for your students. Upload all student files onto each computer desktop for student access. Don’t give the finalClasses folder to your students—it contains sample answers!
Section | Total Time |
Student Activity 1 | Full class |
Homework: Summarize your notes in your notebooks. Notebook checks in class tomorrow! | TONIGHT |
Section | Total Time |
Student Activity 2 | Full class |
Notebook Checks | During class |
Homework: Outline Chapter 8 | TONIGHT |
Section | Total Time |
Student Activity 3 | Full class |
Notebook Checks | During class |
Homework:
Read and highlight Chapter 2 of Barron’s review book.
Skip “The | TONIGHT |
Section | Total Time |
Student Activity 3 (day 2) | Full class |
Notebook Checks | During class |
Homework: Take the Chapter 2 exam in Barron’s review book, skipping #20. Grade your answers. | TONIGHT |
Section | Total Time |
Student Activity 4 | Full class |
Check Barron’s review books for highlighting note-taking, and practice test completion and correction | During class |
Homework: Read and highlight Chapter 5 of Barron’s review book. | TONIGHT |
Section | Total Time |
Student Activity 4 (day 2) | Full class |
Homework: Read BJP 8.5 and answer self-check questions 29–30 | TONIGHT |
Section | Total Time |
Student Activity 4 (day 3) | Full class |
Creating a collage | During class |
Homework: Finish up creating a collage | TONIGHT |
Section | Total Time |
Student Activity 4 (day 4) | Full class |
Simple edge detection algorithm and implementation | During class |
Homework: Continue working on Simple edge detection. | TONIGHT |
All guides, sample code, answer code, and example code may be found by logging into the College Board AP Audit side and downloading the Steganography Lab materials.
Barron’s is an AP CS A review book that some schools provide students. If your school doesn’t provide Barron’s there are many alternative homework assignments that can be found at codingbat.com/java
Alternatively, you can save time spent on the lab by checking activities as homework.
To help students start the lab smoothly, start Activity 1 as a whole group.
Encourage students to use their Tricky Code Cheat Sheets, 4 Commandments of Scope, notebooks, textbooks, classroom posters, and homework assignments.
Offer occasional time-checks to help keep students on pace.
Grade notebooks and review books in between helping students so students can keep notebooks for homework and studying in the evenings.
In ELL classrooms, read all directions aloud before breaking into individual practice, and allow up to twice the amount of time for completion of the lab.
To save time on the rest of the lab, don’t spend too much time reviewing binary numbers, and restrict color exploration (Activity 2) to ~20 minutes.
Use the tactile exercises as suggested on page 6 of the Teacher’s guide (candy exercise and exploring the digital camera).
As needed, allow students to pair up to help each other with reading comprehension (but remind students that they each must submit their own code). Each day that you begin the lab, start with a quick survey of student concerns and questions.
Assessment questions have been relocated to the practice exam, WS 5.7.
