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Facilitator Resources (2023)

The following resources are created by Project GUTS facilitators to help prepare for 2023 GUTS workshops

Assessing Youth's Computational Thinking (2011)

AERA conference proceedings 2011

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.

Facilitator Resources (from 2019)

This is a set of resources to help Facilitators prepare for Workshops.

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.

Skill Building Deck

A slide deck of exercises to build CS and decoding skills

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.

Profile of a CT Integration Specialist (2017)

Computational Thinking Education 2017 conference

DECODE NYC Virtual Lesson Plan - MODIFYING A MODEL: OMNIVOROUS FOXES

This remote lesson serves as an opportunity for students to modify the code of an agent-based model to reflect the complexity of real-world food webs. Students will evaluate theeffectiveness of the modifications based on their understanding of population dynamics.

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.

NGSS Standards

Document highlighting the conceptual shifts in the Next Generation Science Standards

CSTA-Compiled Resources to Support Teaching During COVID-19

Compiled a list of resources to help CS teachers support their students remotely.

Teacher Guide for Hosting Synchronous Online Learning Sessions

A guide of practical tips and procedures for running effective live online learning sessions (aka Synchronous Online Learning).

Trailblazers Activity for Virtual Instruction

The Trailblazers activity from Module 1 - Lesson 3 modified to be done in a synchronous virtual learning environment.

Dice and Data Activity for Virtual Instruction

Dice and Data Activity from Module 1 Lesson 4. Adapted for use in a synchronous instructional setting.

Experimental Design for Virtual Instruction

A Google Sheet to use for conducting the Experimental Design activity in a remote learning classroom.c

Project GUTS on Canvas Commons

Canvas Commons courses
- Project GUTS PD course
- Project GUTS Module 1 - Student Edition

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),.

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