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CS in Science Module 4: Chemical Reactions (for StarLogo Nova 2.0)

This Physical Science module explores chemical reactions: the conditions under which they occur, the evidence that a chemical reaction has taken place, limiting reactants versus reactants in excess, and when chemical reactions stop. The base model for this unit simulates the chemical reaction between silver nitrate and copper. The pacing guide and models have been updated for StarLogo Nova 2.0 (HTML5/JavaScript version).

Code.org and SLNova Computer Science Concepts

This is a 4 week unit for a Computer Technology class in a middle school. Students are introduced to computer science concepts through lessons in Code.org's Course 3. Students then apply those concepts in SLNova projects.

Chart showing decline in computer science graduates

Computer Science Advocacy Power Point

A slide presentation created by Hadi Partovi, founder of Code.org, on the importance of Computer Science teaching in schools.

Understanding by Design

Understanding by Design (UbD) curriculum offers a 3-stage “backward design” framework for developing units of study. The same process guides larger-scale curriculum development for courses and
programs (macro level). The UbD curriculum structure for building a coherent curriculum spirals around “big ideas,” essential questions, and core assessments.

BCSC 5e Instructional Model

BSCS (Biological Sciences Curriculum Study) paper explaining the 5e instructional model. The model describes a teaching sequence that can be used for entire programs, specific units, and individual lessons. The BSCS 5E Instructional Model plays a significant role in the curriculum development process as well as the enactment of curricular materials in science classrooms.

Traffic Unit for StarLogo Nova

This unit engages students in the use of agent-based modeling to look into why we have traffic jams and test ideas to try to improve traffic flow, and demonstrates the use of simulation to solve difficult engineering problems. Specifically we focus on the problem of traffic bottleneck congestion. A secondary goal is to further students’ understanding of the network concept as a way to model real world flows of data and matter.

Urban street covered with litter, from Project GUTS powerpoint

Littering Unit

Littering is a type of non-point source pollution caused  by humans acting independently from each other, however causing a global environmental problem. Controlling this source of pollution is hard to manage despite numerous interventions. Pollution of groundwater, rivers, oceans result from these everyday littering behavior whether intentional or accidental. In this unit we will model a simple form of littering and then ways to reduce it in our community.

Photo of Love Parade stampede in Germany, 2010, from www.telegraph.co.uk

Emergency Egress

Emergency Egress is the study of people exiting a building or other social gathering space in an emergency situation. This unit explores models and other ways to analyze the safety of a building and to evaluate which elements may affect how quickly and safely a space may be evacuated. It also discusses the issues of modeling humans in emergency situations.

Painting, "Children's Games" by Pieter Bruegel the Elder

Shared Resources - Economics

As the human population grows, it has become increasingly important to understand how humans are impacting the environment and how resources are managed and used. Often, this type of understanding falls under the topic of Sustainability in which the needs of the present population are met without compromising the needs of future generations. In this unit, we look at a variety of resources, through the lens of complex adaptive systems, especially studying feedback and interdependence.

An Example of CT in the Workplace

This is an example of how a computer modeler uses various aspect of computational thinking while designing, creating and using a computer model as a tool to think with.

Teaching Equity Resources

Here are links to the resources used in CS in Science workshops to discuss equity in computer science.

Crosswalks

These documents are crosswalks between the National Research Council's Framework for K-12 Science Education and CSTA K-12 Computer Science Standards. They are designed to show the relationship between modeling and simulation and the scientific practices elucidated in the Standards.

Introducción al modelado del clima

Documento base como introducción al modelado del clima. Habla sobre el sistema climático global como un sistema dinámico complejo; la diferencia entre tiempo y clima; los ciclos de retroalimentación en el sistema climático global, etc.
Fue extraído de “Mathematics of Climate Change: A new discipline for an uncertain century” una publicación del Instituto de Investigación en Ciencias Matemáticas. Berkeley, CA 2007 y traducido al español.

Ecosistemas como sistemas complejos

Documento que presenta las bases para abordar los ecosistemas como sistemas complejos adaptativos.

Kinesthetic Flower Turtles Activity

This activity is an extension to the CS in Science Module 1, Lesson 2, between activity 1 and activity 2. It is a kinesthetic activity to show how the agents behave according to a certain program. It can replace the activity that is there or be used as an extension or add on to the listed activities.

Maze

Students struggle understanding proportional relationships and scaling shapes. This module allows students to scale one shape and transfer it to 3 different environments. Students will create a game online (SL Nova) and program a Sphero (robot) while learning the math standards.

Decoding a Model - Dissolving of NaCl in Water

Start of a lesson on dissolving a solid in water by decoding on a model.

Elementary School Water Cycle overlay module - Water as a Shared Resource

This is an overlay for a 5th grade that adds computational thinking, modeling and simulation on top of an existing Water Cycle lesson.

CS in Science Curriculum (binder) compatible with StarLogo Nova 2.0

This is the pdf of the complete CS in Science curriculum. Print copies can be ordered from Mimeo.

Screen shot from Parable of the Polygons website

Segregation Model

This model shows how a small preference for looking like one's neighbors can lead to a segregated society. The unit so far includes the model as a mystery model to be discussed and decoded by students, a partial piece of code with to use for decoding practice, a finished model, some background information, and a link to an on-line resource demonstrating these concepts. We are developing an off-line activity and other curriculum for this module -- stay tuned!

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