Cutler, RobbHutton, MichelleL. Kjelldahl and G. Baronoski2015-03-072015-03-072010https://doi.org/10.2312/eged.20101011The concept of digitized data is fundamental to computer science, yet for many students, there is a disconnect between objects they encounter outside the computer and the data they interact with in the computer. A programmingbased approach can exacerbate the problem for young students who are developmentally unready for the abstraction required to translate the world into objects described through the syntax of a programming language. This case study describes the creation of a curricular unit called Digitizing Data, delivered in an eighth grade all-girls computer science class. The unit extends the CS Unplugged Image Representation lesson into a series of coordinated projects, culminating in students using a custom-built application to visualize three-dimensional objects and spaces. The project successfully engaged students in computational thinking, communicated a fundamental computer science topic without the barriers of programming, and allowed them to express computer science concepts creatively.10.2312/eged.2010101117-24