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Course 1 · Fall · Tech+ IBC

CompSci 1 / Tech+

From no formal computer instruction
to real computer proficiency.

Students earn their Computer Science I credit and prepare for CompTIA’s Tech+,
and build the skills the AP Computer Science A and CompTIA A+ courses start from.

Standards roadmap

What CompSci 1 / Tech+ teaches,
checked against the official standards.

CompTIA Tech+ (FC0-U71)

The exam's six domains and CompTIA's own topic list for each, with the weeks that teach it. Weights are the share of the exam.

Tech concepts and terminology 13%

  • Computing basics: input, processing, output, storageWeek 2
  • Notational systems: binary, hexadecimal, decimal, octalWeek 2
  • Units of measure: bits and bytes, KB to TB, MHz and GHz, bps to GbpsWeek 2
  • Troubleshooting methodology, step by stepWeek 3

Infrastructure 24%

  • Computing devices: phones, tablets, laptops, servers, IoTWeek 4
  • Internal components: motherboard, CPU, RAM, drives, NIC, GPUWeek 4
  • Storage types: volatile and non-volatile; local, network, cloudWeek 4
  • Peripheral setup: printers, scanners, monitors, driversWeek 4
  • Device interfaces: USB, HDMI, Ethernet, Bluetooth, NFCWeek 4
  • Virtualization and cloud: hypervisors, SaaS, PaaS, IaaSWeek 6
  • Networking basics: LAN and WAN, IP and MAC addresses, routers, switches, firewallsWeek 5
  • Wireless networks: 802.11 standards, speed, interferenceWeek 5

Applications and software 18%

  • Operating systems: mobile, desktop, server, embeddedWeek 7
  • OS components: file systems, GUI and command line, utilities, driversWeek 1, Week 7
  • Software types: productivity, collaboration, browsers, remote supportWeek 7, Week 8
  • Browser features: private browsing, add-ons, passwords, cacheWeek 7
  • Artificial intelligence: chatbots, assistants, generative AIWeek 8

Software development concepts 13%

  • Programming languages: compiled, interpreted, scripting, markup, assemblyWeek 9
  • Data types: characters, strings, integers, floats, BooleanWeek 3, Week 9
  • Programming concepts: variables, constants, arrays, functions, objectsWeek 9
  • Organizing code: pseudocode, flowcharts, branching, looping, objectsWeek 9

Data and database fundamentals 13%

  • The value of data: decisions, reporting, monetizationWeek 10
  • Database concepts: relational and non-relational, tables, keysWeek 10, Week 11
  • Using a database: queries, reports, scale, cloud and localWeek 11
  • Backups: file and system, local and cloudWeek 11, Week 13

Security 19%

  • Confidentiality, integrity, availability; authentication and authorizationWeek 12
  • Device security: anti-malware, firewalls, patching, safe browsingWeek 13
  • Password practices and password managersWeek 12
  • Encryption: data at rest and in transit, HTTPS, VPNsWeek 12

Source: CompTIA Tech+ (FC0-U71) exam page, domains, weights and topic list, checked October 30, 2026.

Louisiana computer science standards, grades 9–12

11 of the 49 standards are taught and assessed directly, and 16 more in part. See every standard and where it is taught.

Source: K-12 Louisiana Student Standards for Computer Science.

The on-ramp to AP Computer Science A

The daily Java benches read, trace and choose: no code writing in this course. They prepare these topics from the College Board's course framework.

  • 1.1 Algorithms, programming and compilers CED p. 30
    B07 Trace Tables · B11 The Shape · B12 Start to Stop · B14 Java Symbols
  • 1.2 Variables and data types CED p. 32
    B15 Boxes and Types
  • 1.3 Expressions and output CED p. 33
    B13 Print It · B17 Java Math · B18 Join the Strings
  • 1.4 Assignment statements CED p. 35
    B16 Trace It
  • 1.7 API and libraries; the Java Quick Reference CED p. 39
    B27 Look It Up
  • 1.9 Method signatures CED p. 41
    B21 Read the Signature
  • 1.10 Calling class methods CED p. 43
    B19 Into a Method and Back · B20 Bring a Value Back · B22 Methods Together
  • 1.15 String manipulation CED p. 49
    B18 Join the Strings · B28 Inside a String
  • 2.2 Boolean expressions CED p. 62
    B09 True or False · B23 Java True or False
  • 2.3, 2.4 if and nested if statements CED p. 63
    B24 If It Is True · B25 Otherwise · B26 Decisions Together
  • 2.5 Compound Boolean expressions CED p. 65
    B23 Java True or False · B26 Decisions Together

Source: AP Computer Science A Course and Exam Description (effective fall 2025). Topic numbers and page numbers are the CED's own.
Students: start here

Bookmark this page. Press Ctrl and D (or click the star at the right end of the address bar), then Done.
Press Ctrl, Shift and B to show your bookmarks bar, so it is one click away every day.

Click the dropdowns (+) below to learn more.

How every class runs
  1. 1

    Do Now 10 min

    Bell ringer. Yesterday's skills, a few quick questions.

    Claim code
  2. 2

    I Do 17 min

    An ACT-style reading: a passage with numbered paragraphs and nine ACT-style questions beside it.

    Claim code
  3. 3

    We Do 23 min

    The skills of the day, page by page with the class, and Try Its to check in the notebook.

    No claim code
  4. 4

    Bench 30 min

    Hands-on jobs on a virtual computer. Every job checks itself, and "I need help" opens the day's reading.

    Claim code
  5. 5

    Exit Ticket 10 min

    A few questions on today, answered once.

    Claim code

Five steps in every 90-minute block. Each claim code goes on the class form and counts toward the grade.
In a 50-minute period, each lesson takes two days: the Do Now, I Do and We Do, then the bench and the exit ticket.

Three sample lessons

Each one is a whole class day, every step working:
Do Now, I Do, We Do, Bench and Exit Ticket.

The three come from across the course, so you can see how far it goes:
one from the beginning (Week 1, Bench Bootcamp), one from the middle (before Java),
and one from closer to the end (reading real Java).

  • Beginning · Week 1

    Find the File

    A Bench Bootcamp day: folders, paths, search and the Recycle Bin, on a virtual computer.

    Open sample lesson 1
  • Middle · Before Java

    True or False

    Comparisons and logical operators: questions a program asks, joined with and, or and not, traced through boxes that hold true or false.

    Open sample lesson 2
  • End · Java

    If It Is True

    Real Java: reading an if statement, following which lines run, and testing every branch.

    Open sample lesson 3

Samples run the way class does, but nothing counts: no claim code is saved and no form opens.

Features that keep a class on pace

The period timer: Do Now, I Do and We Do checked off, Bench Basics lit with 7:25 left, Exit ticket next.
The period timer, in class: the steps already done are checked, the current one is lit with the time left, and the next one waits.
  • Set to the school's own bell schedule. The timer reads the day's bells, with regular, activity-day and half-day schedules, so every class period gets its own countdown without anyone setting it.
  • Keeps the lesson on pace. Each of the five steps has its minutes in the block. The class sees which step it is on and how long is left, so the Do Now does not eat the bench and the bench does not eat the exit ticket.
  • No rushing ahead. The exit ticket opens only in the last 10 minutes of class, so it cannot be opened early and rushed through before the lesson is done. A page left open opens it by itself.
  • No racing through the bench. A claim code cannot be made faster than the step's minimum time, so clicking through without reading does not earn credit.
An exit ticket before its time: Exit ticket closed, it opens in the last 10 minutes of class.
An exit ticket before its time: closed until the last 10 minutes of class.

Every lesson reads like the ACT

Every I Do is a short ACT Reading section,
built on the day's computer science.

  • A real passage. Numbered paragraphs, real people and real sources, often a figure to read, the way the ACT builds its passages.
  • Nine ACT-style questions beside it. The ACT's own question types: main idea, detail, words in context, purpose, inference, cause and effect, best evidence.
  • Lettered like the test. A to D on odd questions, F to J on even ones, and every question points to its paragraph.
  • Every answer explained. The right choice turns green; a wrong one says exactly why it is wrong.

Students learn the course and practice ACT Reading in the same 17 minutes, every lesson day.

Try one: the True or False reading

The whole course, week by week

Week 1 is Bench Bootcamp: nothing is assumed.
Students learn the computer and the course on purpose before anything else.

Week 1Bench Bootcamp
  1. Day 1
    Your Chromebook, Your Course · B00 Set Up Your Screen
    • Go full screen with the full-screen key in the top row, and back out
    • Zoom in, out and back to normal: Ctrl and +, Ctrl and −, Ctrl and 0
    • Bookmark this course page (Ctrl and D) and show the bookmarks bar (Ctrl, Shift and B)
    • Open, close and switch tabs: Ctrl and T, Ctrl and W, Ctrl and Tab
    • Take a screenshot (Ctrl and the show-windows key) and find it in Downloads
    • The claim code routine: finish a step, get the code, turn it in on the form
  2. Day 2
    Find the File · B01 Find the File
    • Folders and paths
    • Save, move and rename
    • Make a folder
    • Search the computer
    • Delete and restore from the Recycle Bin
  3. Day 3
    Name It Right · B02 Name It Right
    • What an extension is
    • The clues inside each kind of file
    • Renaming a file so its extension tells the truth
  4. Day 4
    Zip It · B03 Zip It
    • Compress a folder or a file
    • Extract a zip into the right folder
    • Read file sizes: KB, MB and GB
  5. Day 5
    Downloads Rescue · B04 Downloads Rescue
    • Build a project folder
    • Sort files by type
    • Tell clutter from personal files

Bench: Set Up Your Screen · B01 Find the File · B02 Name It Right · B03 Zip It · B04 Downloads Rescue

Week 2Bench Bootcamp · Tech concepts
  1. Day 1
    Files Together · B05 Files Together
    • Every Bootcamp skill on one project
    • The Bootcamp check
  2. Day 2
    What a computer is: input, processing, output, storage
  3. Day 3
    Counting like a computer: binary and hexadecimal
  4. Day 4
    Units of measure: bits, bytes, KB, MB, GB, TB
  5. Day 5
    Speed: Hz, bps, and reading a spec sheet

Bench: B05 Files Together · B06 Store It · B07 Trace Tables

Week 3Tech concepts and terminology
  1. Day 1
    Data types: numbers, text, true or false
  2. Day 2
    The troubleshooting method, step by step
  3. Day 3
    Troubleshooting on purpose: a broken computer
  4. Day 4
    Unit review
  5. Day 5
    Unit test

Bench: B08 Divide and Remainder · B09 True or False · B10 Before Java Together

Week 4Infrastructure
  1. Day 1
    Inside the box: motherboard, CPU, memory
  2. Day 2
    Storage: drives, flash, the cloud
  3. Day 3
    Input and output devices and ports
  4. Day 4
    Installing and connecting devices
  5. Day 5
    Power and keeping hardware healthy

Bench: B11 The Shape · B12 Start to Stop

Week 5Infrastructure
  1. Day 1
    How a network connects
  2. Day 2
    Wired and wireless
  3. Day 3
    Addresses: what an IP address does
  4. Day 4
    The internet and the web
  5. Day 5
    Home and school networks

Bench: B13 Print It · B14 Java Symbols · B31 First Java Together

Week 6Infrastructure
  1. Day 1
    The cloud and virtualization
  2. Day 2
    Network troubleshooting
  3. Day 3
    Unit review
  4. Day 4
    Unit test
  5. Day 5
    Bench lab

Bench: B15 Boxes and Types · B16 Trace It

Week 7Applications and software
  1. Day 1
    Operating systems and what they do
  2. Day 2
    File systems and file management
  3. Day 3
    Installing and updating software
  4. Day 4
    Licenses: free, paid, open source
  5. Day 5
    Browsers, settings and privacy

Bench: B17 Java Math · B18 Join the Strings

Week 8Applications and software
  1. Day 1
    Productivity software: documents, spreadsheets, slides
  2. Day 2
    Collaboration and the cloud
  3. Day 3
    AI tools: what they do and where they fail
  4. Day 4
    Unit review
  5. Day 5
    Unit test

Bench: B32 Values Together · B19 Into a Method and Back

Week 9Software development concepts
  1. Day 1
    Programming languages: compiled, interpreted, scripting
  2. Day 2
    Flowcharts and pseudocode
  3. Day 3
    Variables, constants and data types
  4. Day 4
    Branching and loops
  5. Day 5
    Functions and objects

Bench: B20 Bring a Value Back · B21 Read the Signature · B22 Methods Together

Week 10Software development concepts · Data
  1. Day 1
    Unit review
  2. Day 2
    Unit test
  3. Day 3
    What data is, and why it is valuable
  4. Day 4
    Tables, records and fields
  5. Day 5
    Structured and unstructured data

Bench: B23 Java True or False · B24 If It Is True

Week 11Data and database fundamentals
  1. Day 1
    Databases and what they are for
  2. Day 2
    Asking a database a question
  3. Day 3
    Sorting, filtering and reports
  4. Day 4
    Backups and where data lives
  5. Day 5
    Unit review and test

Bench: B25 Otherwise · B26 Decisions Together

Week 12Security
  1. Day 1
    Confidentiality, integrity and availability
  2. Day 2
    Passwords and password managers
  3. Day 3
    Sign-in codes: multifactor authentication
  4. Day 4
    Privacy and what apps collect
  5. Day 5
    Encryption, simply

Bench: B27 Look It Up · B28 Inside a String

Week 13Security
  1. Day 1
    Phishing and other tricks
  2. Day 2
    Malware: viruses, ransomware, spyware
  3. Day 3
    Safe browsing and downloads
  4. Day 4
    Securing a device and a home network
  5. Day 5
    Backups as protection

Bench: B29 Check the Coach · B30 Read It Like the Exam

Week 14Security
  1. Day 1
    Safe habits at school and at work
  2. Day 2
    Unit review
  3. Day 3
    Unit test
  4. Day 4
    Bench lab
  5. Day 5
    Bench lab

Bench: B33 The Exam Together

Week 15Exam prep
  1. Day 1
    Tech+ practice exam 1
  2. Day 2
    Review by weakest domain
  3. Day 3
    Review by weakest domain
  4. Day 4
    Hands-on review
  5. Day 5
    Bench lab

Bench: B34 Semester Together

Week 16Exam prep
  1. Day 1
    Tech+ practice exam 2
  2. Day 2
    Review by weakest domain
  3. Day 3
    Review by weakest domain
  4. Day 4
    Ready for Tech+
  5. Day 5
    Bench lab

Bench: Bench lab: any bench

Week 17After Tech+
  1. Day 1
    Final exam review
  2. Day 2
    Final exam
  3. Day 3
    Bench lab
  4. Day 4
    Preview: AP Computer Science A
  5. Day 5
    Preview: CompTIA A+

Bench: Bench lab: any bench

Week 18After Tech+
  1. Day 1
    Bench lab
  2. Day 2
    Bench lab
  3. Day 3
    Retakes and catch-up
  4. Day 4
    Choosing a spring course
  5. Day 5
    Course wrap-up

Bench: Bench lab: any bench

Every lesson in the map is built the same five-step way. The three sample lessons above are open to everyone; the rest of the course is for enrolled classes.

The certification

CompTIA Tech+ · FC0-U71

Up to 70 questions · 60 minutes · pass at 650 of 900

What the exam weighs

  • Tech concepts and terminology13%
  • Infrastructure24%
  • Applications and software18%
  • Software development concepts13%
  • Data and database fundamentals13%
  • Security19%

Weights from CompTIA's published exam details. The course gives more class time to the heavier domains.

Where it leads

Course 2 · Spring · AP credit

AP Computer Science A

The bench strand is the on-ramp: students arrive reading and tracing Java.

See AP CSA

Course 3 · Spring · advanced IBC

CompTIA A+

Devices, networks, operating systems and security, taken to technician depth.

See CompTIA A+