The student will learn parts of a computer by exploration and creating their own computer.

Students will construct an information network for a new town using train tracks. This will provide an opportunity for students to learn what a network is through a visual representation using a train and train tracks.

Let’s learn circuit knowledge while playing!  Students will have access to a variety of electronic components (kits) to design, assemble and troubleshoot different types of circuit designs.  Will you sound a horn, blow a small fan, operate a speaker or make a traffic light?  The possibilities are endless! 

Let’s bake a fall treat for your littles to eat!  This activity supports step-by-step instructions using sequential graphic organizers and will use their five senses to find, take in, and react to or respond to different information.   

Students will program the teacher (robot) to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. This will provide an opportunity for students to learn that robots (and computers) need to follow very specific instructions to work correctly. This lesson could then be extended into letting the students try to create algorithms for daily classroom routines or any other step by step process.

In this lesson students will understand that their name, home address, and their phone number is personal information. Students will also understand that they should not share this personal information with anyone online as well as strangers and why this is so important.

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.