Absolute value is the distance from zero on a number line and students often think of it as “the non-negative value of the number inside the symbols.” While that may help them arrive at an answer, it may limit them regarding the big idea of distance and why we sometimes need to ensure non-negative values. This lesson serves to help students understand the role of absolute value in certain contexts.

Students will learn about the importance of Acceptable Use Policies (AUP). Students will discuss what an AUP is and why they exist. Students will work together to create an AUP for their class. After they have created their class AUP they will review the school’s AUP and discuss the similarities and differences.

Students will complete a mini research project focusing on either the advantages or disadvantages of transmitting information over the Internet, with the focus areas of speed, reliability, cost, and security.

The student will be introduced to the parts of a computer using a YouTube video. The students will then label the parts of a computer on a slide deck with the beginning sound.

Teaching students the ethical issues between right and wrong for the uses of technology might lead into conversations to other ethical and unethical behaviors. Impacts of Computing involves the effect that computing has on daily life. Computing affects many aspects of the world in both positive and negative ways at local, national, and global levels. Individuals and communities influence computing through their behaviors and cultural and social interactions, and in turn, computing influences new cultural practices. Students should understand the social implications of the digital world, including equity and access to computing.

Speed of data transmission is how fast data can be sent from one device to another. Much like how quickly the value of an exponent increases based on the size of the base number, the type of data being transmitted can determine how quickly the data moves across the internet. In this lesson, students will see how quickly exponents can grow and how larger files may take longer to transmit based on the size of the file and the speed of the internet. This is intended to be an introductory lesson for both exponents and data transfer.

Students will select from the Powhatan, Lakota, and Pueblo Indian tribes and create a three dimensional model of their respective geographies and aspects of their daily lives that shows the rEnglishtionship between the development of their culture and their natural environment. This is intended to be the culmination of an extensive unit exploring the geographies and cultures of each tribe.

Students will use their prior knowledge of the lives and cultures of the Lakota, Powhatan, and Pueblo tribes to compare and contrast attributes and facts about each tribe as they compete in a venn diagram rEnglishy race.

In this unit culminating project, students get to choose an ancient civilization to research and share with others. First, they use maps to identify where their chosen civilization was located at the beginning of their culture, during their period of greatest influence, and where it is located today. Students then use Scratch programming to create an interactive program that includes sequences, loops, and events to show information about their chosen civilization. Finally, they share their program with others and reflect on their learning.

Students will demonstrate knowledge of attributes of animals by sorting into sets. The teacher will introduce the vocabulary term, attribute, and encourage students to utilize the vocabulary term when explaining how they classified animals into groups.

Writing and algorithms are a set of words (program in CS terms) that are meant to “accomplish a task as a means of creative expression or scientific exploration.” In this lesson, the student will utilize a block based programming platform (scratch) to animate a story that they have created in previous lessons. While this is a unit with steps to this point, you can also use this as a stand alone. The first 2 lessons are character building and plot building. The third is also a character builder, but is more abstract.

Students will be using an algorithm that their peers have created to round numbers. There are three lessons that go together to allow students to create a sequence, have a peer follow the sequence and apply it to rounding a number, then troubleshoot the sequence if steps fail. This is the second lesson to take the algorithm and apply it to see if the sequence correctly helps you round a number to the nearest ten.

Students will brainstorm and identify problems that arise from inappropriate use of computing devices and networks by working in pairs or groups. They will recognize the importance of using technology responsibly and safely.

Students will investigate and explore facets of election security, both physical and digital security, in pairs to create PSAs their classmates can listen to. Students will be asked to think critically about why data security is necessary, making connections between their day-to-day needs and maintaining the fundamental bedrock of American democracy: the right to vote.

Students will research Artificial Intelligence to give examples and explain how computer science has changed the world and express how computing technologies influence, and are influenced by cultural practices.

An atom consists of a nucleus which contains protons and neutrons and an electron cloud which contains electrons. Like an atom a computer consists of different components such as a motherboard, primary memory, and input and output devices. In this lesson, students will apply their knowledge of the atom and the Atomic Theory to sort scientists, models and contributions while completing practice assignments. When finished, students will review the parts of an atom and predict what would happen if the number of protons were to change. Lastly, students observe an image of a computer’s motherboard and make observations, predict what happens to a computer's primary memory if there is a change, and lastly infer which part of the computer is similar to an atom.

In this lesson, students will explore the fundamental building block of all matter, the atom, through a computer science lens. First, the teacher will introduce the computer science concepts of hardware and software by observing appliances that they are familiar with in their own homes. Second, the students will complete a scavenger hunt to learn about all the hardware components of an atom. When an atom has all of its components then it is able to function as the basic unit of matter to build other things. Students will make connections between the hardware of an atom and its software will they complete a virtual lab simulation.

This lesson focuses on sorting and classifying recreational activities into categories. Students participate in a sorting activity where they categorize recreational activities based on their attributes and the landforms where they would typically take place. They work independently or in pairs, either through Google Slides or printed copies, to complete this sorting task.

In computer science, a pseudocode is used to change well written words into a programming language. Programmers have to write very clearly, and have their thoughts well organized to accomplish the goal. Likewise, in balancing equations students have to approach it in a systemized way. In other words much like pseudocode, they have to solve the equation systematically to ensure the correct answer. Success in today’s “Hook” is dependent on the group’s ability to lead a blindfolded teammate through a “maze” by using only one or two word phrases. Once other members have a turn being blindfolded, students will work with a partner toward the goal of balancing equations by just using Mathematics.

Students will understand and explain the difference between a model and a simulation. Modeling means creating a physical replica or equations of a situation or activity. A simulation is a virtual representation of a process that reflects how a real physical situation would most likely happen. In Mathematics 8, students explore 3D models given a 2 dimensional perspective from the front/back, sides, and top. This will be an introduction to explore modeling 3D figures with a hands-on approach.