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ModelBEST Module 6 - Air Pollution

The 6th module from Model BEST. Intended for 5th grade.

Skill Building Deck

A slide deck of exercises to build CS and decoding skills

Diagram of x and y coordinates in StarLogo Nova

Math Basics for StarLogo Nova

This handout explains left and right degrees, x and y coordinates, and headings in StarLogo Nova.

Debugging Challenges for StarLogo Nova

These challenges ask students to identify and correct common coding errors within StarLogo Nova programs. The first challenge is generic, all others relate to the content area module from CS in Science. Students like to solve the problems and fix the code, and learn about debugging skills while engaging further with content area modules. It is also a good review for instructions/facilitators before building code with students.

Coding Challenges

Coding Challenge are a series of short challenges that focus on improving coding skills using StarLogo Nova. Each set of challenges focuses on a specific concept: degrees & heading, x & y coordinates and randomness, conditions including absolute value and percent chance, adding color to the terrain and repeat loops, using the z coordinate, and other computer science concepts (logic blocks, data collection),.

Walk & Turn for StarLogo Nova

This is the CS in Science, Module 1, Activity 1 activity. Students participate in an activity acting as agents, then view a computer model, to introduce concepts of computer science and complex adaptive systems.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology video - image of birds flocking

Complex Adaptive Systems Modeling Video

This short video (3:13 minutes) introduces complex adaptive systems and agent-based modeling concepts to middle-school students. It shows beautiful footage of birds flocking as an example of a complex adaptive system.

My Robotic Friends (cups activity)

This is the cups activity by Thinkersmith (later part of Code.org)

What's Represented?

These exercises ask the learner to identify abstractions in the computer model as compared to a diagram or image of a natural phenomenon.

Computational Thinking for Youth in Action (2011)

This is an early paper of Computational Thinking that has a lot of traction. It's where we first describe the Use-Modify-Create trajectory.

ModelBEST Module 5 - Water Pollution

The 5th module from Model BEST. Intended for 5th grade.

Assessing Youth's Computational Thinking (2011)

AERA conference proceedings 2011

Integrating Computational Thinking Across the K-8 Curriculum (2014)

ACM InRoads (2014)

Profile of a CT Integration Specialist (2017)

Computational Thinking Education 2017 conference

Developing a framework for computational thinking from a disciplinary perspective (2018)

Proceedings of the International Conference on Computational Thinking
Education 2018. Hong Kong: The Education University of Hong Kong.

ModelBEST Module 1 - Introduction to Modeling and Simulation

The 1st module from Model BEST. Intended for 4th and 5th grade.

ModelBEST Module 2 - Catching Butterflies

The 2nd module from Model BEST. Intended for 4th and 5th grade.

ModelBEST Module 3 - Predator/Prey – Survival Behaviors

The 3rd module from Model BEST. Intended for 4th and 5th grade.

ModelBEST Module 4 - Simple Garden Ecosystem

The 1st module from Model BEST. Intended for 5th grade.

Fish schooling from National Geographic video

Complex or Complicated?

Complex or Complicated uses a slide presentation to create a whole class game-show like activity that is used to engage students in argument from evidence and refine students' understanding of complex adaptive systems.

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