Responsive Web Development

In this first lesson, we review some fundamentals of web development including the required HTML default tags, how to link to a CSS file, and how to select tags using attributes. Students learn about CSS color codes and put everything together to code a rainbow.

In this lesson, students begin acquiring the skills necessary to create more typical web page layouts. A key concept to master is the parent-child relationship in nested HTML tags, and how to leverage it in CSS. The students practice nesting tags as they build a box for a cat named Happy, and a set of beds for a cat named Grumpy.

In this lesson, students learn how to make a basic website navigation menu using the HTML nav and list elements. They further explore HTML parent-child relationships and get an introduction to CSS inheritance. Their task is to help Cecile, whose diner website has no menus. 

In this lesson, we introduce students to HTML5 semantic tags. They learn the standard sections of the most common webpage design pattern and which tags to use to create them: header, main, and footer. As they build a webpage for Sue’s News, they also learn about the article and aside tags, and how to create columns with percentages in CSS.

In this lesson, students begin a review of the concepts they’ve learned so far as they build a website for the Weird Widget Company. In this lesson, they start by constructing the page structure using HTML5 tags. Next, they code and style a navigation menu, and finish by adding a sale notice in the footer.

In this lesson, students complete the website for the Weird Widget Company. They practice making columns with percentages as they add funny and unusual products to the pages. They give the site some final flourishes by first rotating and then animating the company’s rubber chicken mascot, which is always funnier upside down.

In this lesson, now that students are able to create a standard webpage layout, they begin making layouts responsive. Students learn about media queries, code allows CSS changes depending on screen size. They learn how to use their browser’s code inspector to see how their project looks on different devices. They build a webpage showing the stages of frog development, from eggs on a phone to the adult frog on desktops and the tadpole in between.

In this lesson, no layout skill set would be complete without the ability to code a grid. In this lesson, students learn about grids in web design and the CSS Flexbox Module. As they add a grid of windows to a downtown building, they observe the unique behavior of flexible box elements, and test properties that set vertical and horizontal spacing.

In this lesson, now that the students can easily code grids using flexbox, they learn how to make the grids responsive. They work on a website featuring photos of unique trees from around the world. They use media queries to show one column of trees on a phone, two columns on a tablet, and 3 columns on large screens, plus a squirrel.

In this lesson, students enter the ever-evolving terrain of the mobile website menu. They consider the different interface requirements of touch devices, and designing for small, usable screen space. They learn how to code icons to create more room for tap gestures. They build a mobile tab bar styled sticky menu for the tree website, and then use media queries to make it look good on large screens also.

In this lesson, students begin work on their final project, a website for a game called the Guards of Dragono. Their first task is to check the website using the code inspector to see which elements need to be made responsive. They begin by making the content on the pages display in a responsive grid, and finish by creating a mobile version of the navigation menu.

In this final lesson, students finish the Guards of Dragono game website by adding an exciting “hero” section to the remaining pages. The hero is the portion of a website one see can without having to scroll. Step two is making the hero section responsive. For the finale, students add a responsive flying dragon animation to the homepage.