rise-and-code

Rise & Code

A free, open-source book designed to teach programming, software development, and logical problem-solving to people without access to computers.

About This Project

“Rise & Code” makes the exciting world of programming accessible to everyone, regardless of age, background, or access to technology. Through interactive lessons, engaging visuals, and a unique notebook methodology, it offers a fresh and empowering approach to learning code.

Our Mission

Make programming education accessible to underserved communities
Teach computational thinking through unplugged activities
Build foundational skills that transfer to any programming language
Create a resource that can be freely shared, printed, and distributed

Book Structure

Introduction: The World of Coding Without a Computer
- Why Programming Matters
- Who This Book Is For
- How to Use This Book (Including the Notebook Method)
The Human Compiler: Understanding Logic and Structure
- Basic Logic and Decision Making
- Conditional Statements and Flowcharts
- Pseudo Coding
Playful Programming: Fun with Algorithms
- Creating Simple Algorithms
- Hands-on Exercises and Games
- Building Complexity
Data Explorers: Understanding Variables and Data Types
- What is Data?
- Types of Data and Variables
- How to Manipulate Data
Control Creators: Loops and Repetition
- Understanding Loops
- Crafting Repetitive Tasks
- Real-world Looping Examples
The Engineering Notebook: Practicing Like a Pro
- Benefits of Keeping a Coding Journal
- How to Document Ideas and Progress
- Tips for Effective Note-taking
Coding Challenges: Building Skills Through Practice
- Series of Engaging Coding Challenges
- Hints and Guided Solutions
- Encoded Answer Keys
Real-world Applications: Connecting Coding to Everyday Life
- Applying Programming to Real Problems
- Coding in Various Industries
- The Future of Coding Skills
Beyond the Book: Next Steps in Your Coding Journey
- Resources for Further Learning
- Pursuing a Career in Tech
- Continuing the Coding Adventure
Appendices
- Glossary of Key Terms
- Answer Key and Solution Guide
- Recommended Reading and Tools

Repository Structure

The project is organized with the following directory structure:

rise-and-code/
├── .github/           # GitHub Actions workflows
├── book/              # Main book content
│   ├── chapter-01/    # Each chapter in its own directory
│   │   ├── README.md  # Chapter introduction
│   │   ├── sections/  # Chapter sections
│   │   ├── activities/# Chapter activities
│   │   └── chapter-summary.md  # Chapter summary
│   ├── chapter-02/    # Additional chapters...
│   └── ...
├── build/             # Generated output (not in repo)
├── templates/         # LaTeX templates for PDF generation
└── tools/             # Build scripts and utilities

Each chapter follows a consistent structure:

README.md: Introduction, objectives, and overview of the chapter
sections/: Core content divided into focused, sequential sections
activities/: Hands-on exercises with clear instructions and examples
chapter-summary.md: Recap of key concepts, reflections, and preview of the next chapter

Getting the Latest Version

The book is automatically built and published as releases. You can access the latest version in two formats:

Markdown: A single markdown file containing all content
PDF: A formatted PDF ready for reading or printing

To get the latest version:

Go to the Releases page
Download the most recent release assets

Building the Book Locally

To build the book on your local machine:

Clone this repository
Install Node.js (v14 or higher)
Install dependencies:
```
npm install
```
Run the build script:
```
npm run build
```
Find the outputs in the build directory

The build process:

Collates all markdown files according to the chapter structure
Generates a single markdown file with proper formatting
Creates a PDF version with formatting and page breaks between sections
Uses LaTeX templates for professional PDF output

For more detailed build instructions, see tools/README.md.

Contributing

We welcome contributions to this project! The book is designed to be a collaborative effort, and we need help with content writing, editing, activities development, and more.

Please see CONTRIBUTING.md for comprehensive guidelines on:

Content formatting and style
Chapter structure and organization
Activity development guidelines
Pull request process
Code of conduct

Development Process

This project uses continuous integration to automatically build and publish new versions of the book:

Build Automation: GitHub Actions automatically builds the book when changes are pushed
Versioning: Each build gets a unique version tag based on the date and time
Release Management: Completed builds are published as GitHub releases
Testing: You can manually trigger builds from the Actions tab

PDF Output Format

The PDF version of the book includes:

Each chapter starting on a new page
Each section starting on a new page for clear organization
Table of contents for easy navigation
Consistent formatting and typography
Page headers and footers with page numbers

License

This book is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0). This means you are free to:

Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format
Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material

Under the following terms:

Attribution — You must give appropriate credit
NonCommercial — You may not use the material for commercial purposes
ShareAlike — If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same license as the original

Project Status

This project is currently in active development. We’re working on completing early chapters and establishing the foundation for additional content.

Current focus:

Chapters 1-3 content development
Establishing consistent formatting and style
Creating engaging activities
Building robust PDF generation

Contact

For questions or suggestions, please open an issue in this repository.

This site is open source. Improve this page.