Students will explore the parts of the coordinate plane and use Scratch programming to move from Quadrants one to four and identify the effects of ordered pairs in the different quadrants of the coordinate plane.

Programs are collections of code organized in algorithms that can accomplish a variety of tasks. Programs can be developed to perform calculations, manipulate data, or simply to be creative. This lesson challenges students to create an algorithm or “build a machine” that will differentiate between the various quadrilaterals based on their characteristics.

Students will use the iterative design process to plan an algorithm that demonstrates the travels of raindrops through a local watershed from beginning to end using a storyboard. Students will write an algorithm for another student to draw the local watershed based on their algorithm. Students will check their classmates' drawing for completeness, accuracy, and efficiency, and provide feedback. Students may need to debug their algorithm based on feedback.

During this lesson, students will learn about some basic input and output devices, and use several of them to communicate with others through the use of systems including video recording or Flipgrid and Google Jamboard. A system is defined as a regularly interacting or interdependent group of items forming a unified whole. In Computer Science, input and output is the communication between an information processing system, such as a computer, and the outside world, such as a human or other information processing system. After students compare and contrast two fiction stories, then they will share their thinking and opinion using input and output devices on the computing system’s processing and networking/communication outlets. Students should become aware that input and output devices are essential components of a computing system and discuss how they enable communication and data processing.

This lesson will have students “go old skool” as they look inside their brains to see how they break down typical complex tasks and generalize their findings to create their own “flow” to organize their thoughts of the Real Number System. Students will create a flowchart to classify rational numbers into subsets of the Real Number System in small groups. Then other groups will test out their new “flows.” This is not recommended to introduce the content of the Real Number System, but assist students in classifying numbers within the system after the introduction to the system.

The students will learn about materials that can be recycled by participating in an unplugged activity of sequencing steps to sort materials that can be recycled. The students will work in groups of 2 to pick out a piece of trash from a bag. The pair of students will discuss if the material is paper, plastic, or metal. They will then take turns “programming” each other in order to direct each other to the correct bin according to what type of material they are holding. They will do so by creating an algorithm using the words forward, turn left/right, back, etc. After the activity, the teacher will discuss that it is important for the materials to be sorted so that they can be properly recycled in a recycling center. The students will be given the opportunity to name materials that they remember that can be recycled to show what they have learned at the end of the lesson.

Many careers have become increasingly accepting of the remote work paradigm, and the life sciences seem to be no exception. In the interest of exploring all options rEnglishting to future employment, students will examine internet-based careers in the life sciences. They will weigh the pros and cons of individual careers, and determine how one might gain exposure to these sorts of jobs. This assignment would be ideal for students who have finished the life science curriculum to utilize the 5 c’s in applying their life science knowledge and skills to the exploration of potential future careers vis-a-vis Virginia’s Profile of a Graduate.

Computing devices like different types of energy require an input to get an output. In this assignment students will review renewable and nonrenewable energy through the use of various sorts and graphic organizers. They will interpret data from a pie chart and illustrate and label a nonrenewable energy transformation. Next, they will analyze the disadvantages and advantages of renewable and nonrenewable energy. Students will then explore the elements of computing devices: primary memory, and input and output. They will provide an example of how they use a computing device’s input and output and list an advantage and disadvantage as they did for renewable and nonrenewable energy.

Students will create an algorithm for classmates to solve. By following the algorithm, students will extend their partner’s loop (repeating pattern).

In this beginning of the year lesson, students will review school rules and school expectations when using devices by demonstrating proper care with skits. Students will know what’s allowed or not and how to communicate inappropriate use of technology. Please review items and individual school rules/expectations as they will vary depending on location, devices and technology departments.

Students will create a flowchart to show the historical events that led to the creation of the Constitution. They will work independently to show the separate steps in sequential order that paved the road to the constitution and illustrate how the parts are connected in order. Students will then work collaboratively on their flowcharts to make corrections or add additional information if needed. Working together, students will work to improve the design to ensure it is effective in sharing information.

Students will discover the purpose and importance of the Rosetta Stone in history. Students will compare multiple languages to English language statements in order to ‘decipher’ the unknown languages. The languages will move from easy to difficult by deciphering Spanish, Latin, Egyptian Hieroglyphs. This lesson will use basic phrases translated into these languages and an oversimplified form of Hieroglyphics.

Using Scratch block-based program to construct a model and demonstrate the difference between rotation and revolution of the Earth and Sun. Students will use directions provided to complete this task.

Algorithms are a key skill in life. They are used every day in school and at home when they engage in step by step activities performed on routinely. For example, it’s an important algorithm for students to learn their morning routine as they come to class ready to begin the day. This may include hanging their backpack, choosing a lunch, and then starting their morning work at their seat. This routine is a real-life algorithm.Students can also use loops to repeat steps when a task requires a repeated action, like when they do rotations. Students do work, then clean up the station, do work, then clean up the station, and so on. In this lesson, students will learn to use an algorithm and conditional, or “if” statements, to decide whether they should round up or down to the next benchmark number. Given a number, students will follow an algorithm to produce a result. They will go through the steps of rounding. If the conditional sends the student to round up, the student will stand. If the conditional sends the student to round down, the student will sit. Next, they would follow the same algorithm and conditionals to color in a rounding chart to the correct benchmark number.

Algorithms and programming will be integrated with the Grade 6 science standards of space exploration. Our understanding of the universe has changed drastically over time and this is evident through current Mars missions. Students will engage with technology to create algorithms using block based programming and loops to navigate a rover around Mars.

During the reign of the massive Persian Empire, the Royal Road was constructed for quick communication. In this lesson students will experience why clear, quick communication is important. They will follow two activities during one class period to demonstrate the values of this principle. Communication is of great importance between friends, family, and work areas of all kinds. When creating any group work such as computer programs or class assignments, clear, effective communication is a must. Even on social media, outside of school, bad communication can cause many problems. Without good communication, misunderstandings, misinformation, and rumors spread rapidly.

The students will learn that it is important to protect personal information when connecting to the Internet. One context for protecting personal information and from preventing unauthorized access is to create strong passwords. In this lesson, students learn to classify passwords as strong or weak and use the characteristics of strong passwords in order to create a strong password of their own. During Recess and/or PE and prior to the Reading/Language Arts lesson, students engage in a game called “Hackers” (similar to Capture the Flag) in which they are trying to guard a special item without being “hacked.” In their Language Arts block, they read the fairy tale Rumplestiltskin in order to identify story elements with emphasis upon the conflict and resolution. Students then define “password” and classify passwords as strong or weak in order to generate guidelines for creating strong passwords. Students apply their knowledge of strong and weak passwords by using the criteria for a strong password to evaluate a password and create a strong password that Rumplestiltskin can use in the story. They can also engage in another round of Hackers after the lesson in order to test their improved, strong password.

In this unplugged lesson students will construct algorithms using the order of operations to guide Rosie the Robotic Dog on a game board.

Students will apply their knowledge of Newton’s 3rd Law of Motion, for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction, to create a balloon powered vehicle. After designing a vehicle, partners will be given a budget of $15.00 to spend on materials for their vehicle at a STEM Store. Partners will construct their vehicle and run 3 trials measuring the distance and time the vehicle traveled. Students will debug their design, receive another $5.00 to buy additional materials and conduct 3 more trials. Debugging like in computer science is identifying a problem, and fixing it. In this project you debug your original design by identifying what in your design could be changed or modified to improve your speed. Lastly, there will be a class competition to determine which group has the best design. The best design is determined by the vehicle which has the greatest speed.

Students will learn how to distinguish between fact and opinion with nonfiction text as well as distinguish between what is safe and not safe when using a computing device or on a network. The teacher will lead a discussion with the class on the difference between fact and opinion. Students will learn to pay attention to the source of the information to identify if it is fact or opinion.