This lesson reviews citizenship expectations as students effectively communicate in small groups and the whole-class setting to prepare for a trip to the Science Museum! Students analyze and sort behaviors into categories, based on the attributes or actions described while reviewing vocabulary critical to a museum visit. Special thanks to the Science Museum of Western Virginia and the Center for Educational Networks and Impacts at Virginia Tech for their advisement and resource contribution to this lesson. 

Springing off of the picture book The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi, students contemplate diverse cultures and customs before learning about how a computer program translates English to binary code. This resource combines ELA with computer science and includes interactive read aloud questions, a discussion about culturally diverse backgrounds, review of the prefix bi-, introduction of binary language (with a translation chart), and instructions to create binary bracelets.

Words matter, and the words we say to ourselves matter most of all.Through a series of reflective questions, students find their "one word" of focus to encourage and inspire them in the coming months. Appropriate for the beginning of the school year, the start of a new calendar year, or anytime in between, this lesson plan includes ideas for incorporating personal goal setting with writing, digital learning integration, and a follow-up lesson integrating computer science. 

This is a follow-up lesson to One Word: My Mantra which will allow students to write their "one word" in a different language and create classroom decor that will remind them how the classroom community is linked together to support one another in staying focused on their goals.

Co-authored with Kaitlin Read and Udaya DatlaCan you remember a time you've been sick? Why aren't you still sick? How did you get better?Join Udaya Sree Datla, a doctoral student in translational biology, medicine, and health at Virginia Tech, as she presents Infections, Germs, and Immune Cells. The accompanying lessons and resources provide students with an introduction to germs, the immune system, and the career path of an immunologist, all while emphasizing the importance of handwashing and incorporating a computer science twist. The second lesson capitalizes on an opportunity to integrate computer science by introducing students to the career path of computer programming and constructing a set of step-by-step instructions (algorithms) either independently or collaboratively to sequence the steps of handwashing. These resources are part of the Advancing Computer Science Education Grant to support the implementation of Virginia's Computer Science Standards of Learning in partnership with Floyd County Public Schools with additional support from Virginia Tech's Center for Communicating Science and the Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology.