3. Planning a year
How much time does a grade need?
Each grade has 8 units: 23–27 lessons plus 8 projects, about 40 periods of 40–45 minutes. Real school years are
interrupted by exams, festivals (Dashain–Tihar leave alone takes weeks), strikes and weather, so plan for 32 teaching
weeks at most.
Five ways to schedule it
| Model |
Periods |
Suits |
How |
| A. Full course |
1–2 periods/week for a year |
schools offering it as a subject or optional |
all units in order; projects in full |
| B. Inside Maths |
~15–20 periods replacing/extending statistics chapters |
compulsory Maths, Grades 8–10 |
Track A lessons only; short projects |
| C. Term block |
3 periods/week for one term |
CS teachers, Grades 9–12 |
core units + flagship project |
| D. Club |
1 period/week + Saturday sessions |
ICT/science clubs |
projects first, lessons as needed; real data exercises |
| E. Intensive camp |
5 days × 5 hours |
holidays, teacher training |
one flagship project per day, built around 2–3 units |
Core and optional units
When time is short, teach the core units in each grade and treat the rest as extension.
| Grade |
Core units (minimum) |
Extension |
| 8 |
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7 |
6, 8 (but keep the ethics conversations in every unit) |
| 9 |
1, 2, 3 (or 5), 7, 8 |
4, 6 |
| 10 |
1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8 |
4, 7 |
| 11 |
3, 4, 5, 8 |
1, 2, 6, 7 |
| 12 |
1, 3, 5, 7, 8 |
2, 4, 6 |
Sample plan: Grade 8 inside compulsory Maths (18 periods)
| Week |
Periods |
Content |
| 1 |
2 |
U1 L1, L3 (variables, reading tables) |
| 2 |
2 |
U2 L1, L3 (statistical questions, fair samples) |
| 3 |
2 |
U3 L1–L2 (consent, tally and frequency); collect class data |
| 4 |
2 |
U3 L3, U4 L1 (tidy table; bar and dot plots) |
| 5 |
2 |
U4 L2–L3 (line and pie; misleading graphs) |
| 6 |
2 |
U5 L1–L2 (mean, median, mode; which summary) |
| 7 |
2 |
U5 L3, U6 L1 (spread; rates) |
| 8 |
2 |
U7 L1–L2 (CER, poster design) |
| 9 |
2 |
Poster project + presentations (U7 project) |
Sample plan: Grade 9 optional Computer Science (one term, 36 periods)
| Weeks |
Content |
| 1–2 |
U1 tidy data and spreadsheets (3) + U2 cleaning (4) |
| 3–4 |
U3 SQL basics (5) — start unplugged, then notebook |
| 5 |
U4 first Python (3) |
| 6–7 |
U5 pandas (4) + U6 charts (3) |
| 8 |
U7 rates (3) |
| 9–10 |
U8 flagship project (2 lessons + 4 project periods) + presentations |
| — |
Exam and revision weeks |
Sample plan: Grade 12 (one period per week, whole year)
Units 1–7 at one unit per month (with the unit project as homework), and the capstone running from month 6 to the
end, with milestone lessons (scoping, build and audit, handover).
Planning a single unit
- Read the chapter and teacher guide; note materials and the "no computers" version.
- Decide which datasets: synthetic (always works) and one real-data exercise (if internet or a pre-downloaded file).
- Prepare the hook with a local twist (your district, your school).
- Book the computer lab, or prepare printed extracts and cards.
- Decide the project format and deadline; share the rubric at the start.
- After the unit, write three lines in a "teaching log": what worked, what confused students, what to change. Share it
(see chapter 12 and
pilots/).
Multi-grade and shared teaching
- In schools where one teacher handles several grades, run the same project theme at different depths: a Grade 8
group tallies travel modes; a Grade 10 group computes and charts rates; a Grade 12 group builds a dashboard.
- Older students can act as data stewards and mentors for younger ones — a strong way to consolidate their own
learning.