Code Rules - Visual basic programming idea

I have been busy looking for ideas for my students next year, some new ways of introducing programming for visual basic. One of the websites I came across provided me with a full course that teaches the students programming through four teenagers and a trip across America.

It is called "Code Rules" http://www.academicresourcecenter.net/curriculum/pfv.aspx?ID=6667

Code Rules introduces students to basic computer programming concepts. The simulation involves four students who travel the country in a Winnebago stopping at offbeat places to face coding challenges. This is a complete introduction to a programming course using Visual Basic 2005 Express.

This set includes student curriculum that can be printed, as well as an "eBook" that can be burned to CD for each of your students. For instructors, there is an annotated version of the curriculum, projects and solutions with notes about teaching strategies, possible student questions, and points to emphasize.

Also included are PowerPoint slides to introduce the key concepts of each unit; exams, quizzes, and exercises; explanations and solutions sets for projects; additional projects; and a list of additional Web-based resources.

Designed to be used with VB 2005 Express in high schools it can also be used with Visual Studio 2005.

I hope to use this with my students next year.

This is from Microsoft

Code Rules! Visual Basic Programming Course
Category: Teaching Resources
Submitted Date: 08/06/2007

Code Rules is a course designed to introduce high school students, with little or no background in computers or computer programming, to the basic concepts of computer programming. The course teaches students to create fun and engaging applications using Visual Basic.Net. Through the course students are introduced to the basic concepts of programming, such as writing pseudo code, creating forms, defining and declaring variables and more. Code Rules has been designed to allow students to explore the world of programming, practice creating code and develop a better sense of what it means to be a computer programmer.

Within the course, students are cast as contestants in a new game show called "Code Rules." The game involves four young contestants who travel the country in a Winnebago stopping at offbeat places to face coding challenges which must be mastered before they can move to the next segment. As the students travel from place to place, their traveling companions, Jen, Kirk, Nikki and Cliff will teach them the programming skills needed to face the next coding challenge. At the end of each segment of the trip they will face a variety of engaging, real-life challenges to demonstrate their newly acquired programming skills. These projects will be items useful to students as they travel such as developing an interactive travel journal, a simple form to track mileage and gas consumption, etc.

This curriculum is available in the Academic Resource Center.