In this lesson students will be able to identify that computers, like the solar system, complete predictable actions based on a set of variables. Students will learn about the solar system via Scratch.  They will explore block coding and computational thinking practices as they utilize Scratch as a tool for creativity, expression and learning about the Solar System. 

Students Compare Theoretical and Experimental Probability by gathering date, experimenting, and creating a graph.

This activity introduces puts participants in the role of agricultural workers in a fresh produce operation that grows crops in a hydroponic system to sell at grocery stores. As they grow their crops over the course of several weeks, they are responsible for ensuring that the products are safe, delicious, and ready to sell to customers. This activity is part of the Agricultural Cyberbiosecurity Education Resource Collection that contains resources for formal and non-formal agricultural educators working with middle school aged youth. Published as Open Educational Resources, all resources are provided in durable (pdf) and customizable (MS Word) formats. They are hosted on  GoOpenVA in a unique resource collection, Ag Cybersecurity Virginia Tech, at https://goopenva.org/curated-collections/143 and on on Virginia Tech’s stable repository, VTechWorks at https://doi.org/10.21061/cyberbiosecurity

Students will publish a class website about visiting a country after completing research on the internet. Students will use a variety of resources to explore how we stay connected globally, as well as look at how technology has changed the way information is shared around the world. Students will describe how their website might be viewed or accessed around the globe and how it might impact those who see it.

Students will program Sphero RVR+ robots to explore a mock crime scene to determine if it is safe for humans to investigate without destroying evidence or running into objects. Students will apply their knowledge of physical evidence to determine what objects in the crime scene need to be avoided when sending the robot into the crime scene.

This performance task is a computer science (CS) integration project where your students will take you on a virtual field trip. It can be to a museum, a historical site, a modern destination, a book, a planet or really anywhere. Along the way, they will incorporate CS concepts into their projects including sequences, conditionals, and events to add interactivity. This is a great project for students to share their research and learning from a wide variety of subject areas like social studies, language arts, world languages, history, etc. This unit includes 5th grade standards for the Virginia CS Standards of Learning, but it can easily be adapted for younger and older students. The latest resources for this project can be found at https://sites.google.com/virginia.edu/virtualfieldtrip/resources.

Students will learn about The Water Walker, Josephine Mandamin, and discuss and research topics related to the protection of our water sources. Students will then take their research and consider how advancements in technology over the past 50 years (specifically transportation and and business (shipping, manufacturing) have impacted the local water supplies.This lesson was created through a partnership between CodeVA and the Virginia Tribal Education Consortium (VTEC). 

This activity introduces the idea of cyberbiosecurity in the context of a "clue" style activity focused on vulnerabilities in the U.S. food system. It can be facilitated in 60 minutes, either in a single session or 3-4 shorter sessions.  This activity is part of the Agricultural Cyberbiosecurity Education Resource Collection that contains resources for formal and non-formal agricultural educators working with middle school aged youth. Published as Open Educational Resources, all resources are provided in durable (pdf) and customizable (MS Word) formats. They are hosted on  GoOpenVA in a unique resource collection, Ag Cybersecurity Virginia Tech, at https://goopenva.org/curated-collections/143 and on on Virginia Tech’s stable repository, VTechWorks at https://doi.org/10.21061/cyberbiosecurity

This is the 4th and last activity in the CS Heros Unit of Study.Students have watched a PBS CS video and read several articles about early computer science heros.  Next, they took three short (5 to 9 questions) quiz.  These math-up activites cover the computer scientists and inventors learned about (Parts 1-3) in the videos, articles, and quizzes.  When all three parts and the match-ups are complete, my students type one paragraph to be shared in a collaborative presentation. We design this together in class to highlight how these CS Heros and their inventions have helped Virginia advance and grow in technology commerce as well as contribute to the global economy.  Students make one slide with their paragraph and another with images of Virginia-based companys, technological discoveries, and/or computer scientists.  Once slides are shared to me, I add them to the presentation and we upload the presentation to our Google Classroom. We review slides over the upcoming weeks, a few slides shared each day, until all students have presented.

Students will watch a PBS CS video and read an article about early computer science heros.  Next, they will take a quick 9 question quiz.  This is the first part of three total lessons in the unit. There is also a fourth part, which is an interactive match-up of all the heros and their inventions compbined from all three parts.  When all three parts and the match-up are complete, my students type one paragraph that is shared in a collaborative presentation we design together in class to highlight how these CS Heros and their inventions have helped Virginia advance and grow in technology commerce as well as contribute to the global economy.  Students make one slide with their paragraph and another with images of Virginia-based companys, technological discoveries, and/or computer scientists.  Once slides are shared to me, I add them to the presentation and we upload the presentation to our Google Classroom and review them over the upcoming weeks, a few slides shared each day, until all students have presented.

Students will watch a PBS CS video and read an article about early computer science heros.  Next, they will take a quick 9 question quiz.  This is the second part of three total lessons in the unit. There is also a fourth part, which is an interactive match-up of all the heros and their inventions combined from all three parts.  When all three parts and the match-ups are complete, my students type one paragraph that is shared in a collaborative presentation we design together in class to highlight how these CS Heros and their inventions have helped Virginia advance and grow in technology commerce as well as contribute to the global economy.  Students make one slide with their paragraph and another with images of Virginia-based companys, technological discoveries, and/or computer scientists.  Once slides are shared to me, I add them to the presentation and we upload the presentation to our Google Classroom and review them over the upcoming weeks, a few slides shared each day, until all students have presented.