A plot is a series of events that flow from one point to another. In programming, a computer must utilize a set of instructions (sequence of events) to create an outcome. In a story, the plot is a sequence of events (basically a set of instructions) to get from the inciting incident to the resolution. It is a series (loosely) of IF/THEN situations that help the character determine the next set of events. If you are following the unit, then students have their character and are ready to create their plot. Students will plot the main events on a plot diagram to show the FLOW OF CONTROL in the story.

The students will learn how to create a visual model (unplugged and plugged) to represent the process of a food chain: who eats who! They will learn that all food chains start with an “event,” the sun, which is the main source of energy behind food chains. Students will explore many various examples of food chains from all different types of ecosystems. They will use their new knowledge to create a visual model of a food chain using either hands-on, real objects or create a model using Google Slides.

Students will create a program using Sphero Bolts to demonstrate how energy moves through a food web. They will explain the interactions between different organisms and how energy is transferred in a biological community.

Students will experiment with applying different amounts of force to stop their cars at designated locations. Students will work together to debug and make necessary changes to successfully complete the task.

In this lesson, students will be able to differentiate between forces and events in our daily lives. A force is a push or a pull on an object and the event is what occurs after force is applied. Students will also learn that forces can be applied to technology, and that they can cause events to occur. To integrate computer science into this lesson, students will be asked to identify events that occur when force is applied to their own technology. Students will also create and complete a flowchart that shows how forces cause events to occur.

In middle school, students continue to develop effective group work habits across disciplines to help create products that reflect all the group members. Programming is frequently done in a group setting. The practice of peer code review in computer science fosters effective communication, and allows students to see a variety of coding styles. In this lesson, students will be writing their own programs (practical problems) involving the use of the geometric formulas (codes) used in Grade 6 Mathematics. Students will work in groups to peer review other student’s practical problems in order to determine if the problem (program) meets the needs of the end-user (other students). Considerations of the end-user may include usability, accessibility, age-appropriate content, respectful language, user perspective, pronoun use, color contrast, and ease of use.

In this lesson, students will put their knowledge of fractions and coding to the test. Algorithms are commonly used in school and at home as students engage in step-by-step activities that are done on a routine basis.

In this lesson, students will experience the force of friction as they use block-based coding to program a Sphero Bot through a maze made up of materials with varying amounts of friction.

Rocks can be classified based on their formation. This formation process takes time but is a circular process that allows rocks to interchange forms between metamorphic, igneous, and sedimentary rocks. This lesson will allow students to “create codes” that allow a rock to experience the proper changes to change forms.

Making and eating fry bread is a special event for many Native American people. People began to make fry bread because sometimes in the past they only had a few things to make meals with. This lesson leads students through the history and heritage of fry bread with the book Fry Bread– A Native American Family Story by Kevin Noble and consider the similies and metaphors within the story, and then reflect on family traditions in their own culture and household through a flowchart of pseudocode. This lesson was created through a partnership between CodeVA and the Virginia Tribal Education Consortium (VTEC). 

During this lesson, students will make connections between Computer Science, as it rEnglishtes to real-world situations and texts. They will collaborate with other students to share ideas and create their own sequenced algorithm, based on finding relevant information through research. Students will organize the information and write in their own words using transition words. Once finished creating their research product, they will effectively communicate their final product with others. As reflection on their acquisition of computer science vocabulary taught, students may complete a peer questionnaire.

In this MS/HS unit supported by NASA, students engage with online interactives, authentic datasets, and citizen science protocols to construct models and explanations for the unit driving question, "How do landscapes recover after a wildfire?"

In this activity, students will explore some of the common uses of DNA information in better understanding one’s ancestry and in making more informed health decisions. Life science students have learned that DNA provides the instructions for making proteins, and those proteins have a great deal to do with a person’s physical and mental characteristics as well as their likelihood of suffering from certain medical conditions. At the same time, companies like Ancestry.com and 23andMe advertise a DNA analysis service through which – for a nominal fee – they reveal hidden information about a person’s heritage and predisposition toward certain diseases.

Students will interact with a set of two slangs and dialects (1920’s English and contemporary Scottish) to begin to understand how English can be different for different people groups. Then, they will begin to analyze and explain how trying to communicate in this way will slow down or hinder international communication. Students will learn the definition of the internet, how the internet is used to communicate across the globe throughout nations and people groups, and how in professional settings, the internet utilizes Standard English (in English speaking nations).

Students will investigate the characteristics of heroes through the book Go Show the World. Students will select one of the heroes identified in the book and research them further, creating a Twine passage that shares what the student learned about the Native figure.This lesson was created through a partnership between CodeVA and the Virginia Tribal Education Consortium (VTEC). 

Students will plan and possibly build a miniature golf course with a Virginia Studies theme. This activity can be used to review the entire course or for a specific era of Virginia history. Computer programs will be used to plan and enhance the appearance of the course.

This lesson begins an exploration of the concepts of good citizenship in school, in the community, and online. After learning about important historical figures in United States history, students will start to work with different artifacts (books, reference materials, websites, etc.) for research, and they will come to understand that the sources of information they are using were created by others. Authors, illustrators, and web developers are responsible for the creation of many artifacts and sources of information that are used in the classroom and at home. Students will complete activities to be able to 1) distinguish between their ideas and work and those of others and 2) work with a group to research a famous person from history and write a biography that lists the authors, illustrators, and the sources of the information they used.

Connecting devices to a network or the Internet provides great benefit, but care must be taken to protect private information such as a student’s name, phone number, and address. Passwords are used to protect devices and information from unauthorized access. Because computer programs can be used to guess passwords, strong passwords have characteristics that make them more difficult to guess. Many sites have rules as to the length and composition of passwords; these rules help create stronger passwords. The practice of not sharing passwords should be emphasized in the classroom and at home. At the elementary level, students are encouraged to use passwords. These passwords may not be as complex as those used by adults in protecting information.

Students will think of pros and cons of the impact of computers and computing in daily life as a group. Then they will put those into Cause and Effect statements. The teacher will then pull the class back together for a whole group discussion and have students tell the teacher their Cause and Effect statement about computers and computing. The teacher will write them on the whiteboard. The teacher will then pass out green post-its and yellow post-its to the groups. Groups will take turns putting a green post-it by a positive cause and effect and a yellow post-it by a negative cause and effect.

A Google Forms quiz link is attached for the Computer Science SOL 8.10: The student will evaluate online and print sources for appropriateness and credibility.