ALEX Resources

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Lesson Plans (2) A detailed description of the instruction for teaching one or more concepts or skills. Learning Activities (4) Building blocks of a lesson plan that include before, during, and after strategies to actively engage students in learning a concept or skill. Classroom Resources (10)


ALEX Lesson Plans  
   View Standards     Standard(s): [DLIT] (9-12) 5 :
R5) Locate and curate information from digital sources to answer research questions.

[ELA2021] (12) 17 :
17. Use images, sound, animation, and other modes of expression to create or enhance individual or collaborative digital and multimodal texts that are suitable in purpose and tone for their intended audience and occasion.
[ELA2021] (12) -4 :
R4. Use digital and electronic tools appropriately, safely, and ethically.
[ELA2021] (12) 17 :
17. Use images, sound, animation, and other modes of expression to create or enhance individual or collaborative digital and multimodal texts that are suitable in purpose and tone for their intended audience and occasion.
Subject: Digital Literacy and Computer Science (9 - 12), or English Language Arts (12)
Title: Elephants, Tigers, and Gamecocks... Oh My! Where Will You Go to College?
Description:

Students will research various colleges of their choosing in order to best prepare for post-secondary endeavors. The research will be conducted using a handout with specific questions for students to answer about each college. Students will present findings in a brochure or slideshow presentation. 

This is a College- and Career-Ready Standards showcase lesson plan.




   View Standards     Standard(s): [DLIT] (9-12) 37 :
31) Create interactive data visualizations using software tools to help others understand real-world phenomena.

[DLIT] (9-12) 31 :
25) Utilize a variety of digital tools to create digital artifacts across content areas.

[DLIT] (9-12) 6 :
R6) Produce, review, and revise authentic artifacts that include multimedia using appropriate digital tools.

[DLIT] (9-12) 5 :
R5) Locate and curate information from digital sources to answer research questions.

[SC2015] ESS (9-12) 15 :
15 ) Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information to verify that weather (e.g., temperature, relative humidity, air pressure, dew point, adiabatic cooling, condensation, precipitation, winds, ocean currents, barometric pressure, wind velocity) is influenced by energy transfer within and among the atmosphere, lithosphere, biosphere, and hydrosphere.

a. Analyze patterns in weather data to predict various systems, including fronts and severe storms.

b. Use maps and other visualizations to analyze large data sets that illustrate the frequency, magnitude, and resulting damage from severe weather events in order to predict the likelihood and severity of future events.

Subject: Digital Literacy and Computer Science (9 - 12), or Science (9 - 12)
Title: Masters of Disaster (High School)
Description:

Students will research natural disasters and their impact on people.  They will work in teams to design a disaster preparedness guide to share with the community to reduce the impact of a natural disaster utilizing various creativity apps on the iPad.




ALEX Learning Activities  
   View Standards     Standard(s): [LIT2010] HIS (9-10) 1 :
1 ) Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, attending to such features as the date and origin of the information.

[SC2015] BIOL (9-12) 1 :
1 ) Use models to compare and contrast how the structural characteristics of carbohydrates, nucleic acids, proteins, and lipids define their function in organisms.

[DLIT] (9-12) 5 :
R5) Locate and curate information from digital sources to answer research questions.

Subject: Literacy Standards (6-12) (9 - 10), Science (9 - 12), Digital Literacy and Computer Science (9 - 12)
Title: Enzyme Research Lab
Description:

Students will research the role of enzymes and how their deficiencies can affect living things.

This activity was created as a result of the ALEX Resource Development Summit.




   View Standards     Standard(s): [DLIT] (9-12) 5 :
R5) Locate and curate information from digital sources to answer research questions.

[DLIT] (9-12) 28 :
22) Research the impact of computing technology on possible career pathways.

Examples: Government, business, medicine, entertainment, education, transportation.

Subject: Digital Literacy and Computer Science (9 - 12)
Title: Careers That Use Technology
Description:

Google Keep is a note-taking tool within the Google apps where you can record a link to a web page,  an image, or a quote that you want to save for later. This tool can be used to collect website links when conducting research and notes from the research may be added.

Google Scholar is a search engine for locating research-based journal articles. Students will conduct Google searches for information related to careers that include technology.  Links to websites along with notes for research will be curated in Google Keep.

This activity was created as a result of the DCLS Resource Development Summit.




   View Standards     Standard(s): [SC2015] ESS (9-12) 14 :
14 ) Construct explanations from evidence to describe how changes in the flow of energy through Earth's systems (e.g., volcanic eruptions, solar output, ocean circulation, surface temperatures, precipitation patterns, glacial ice volumes, sea levels, Coriolis effect) impact the climate.

[DLIT] (9-12) 5 :
R5) Locate and curate information from digital sources to answer research questions.

[LIT2010] SCI (9-10) 1 :
1 ) Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts, attending to the precise details of explanations or descriptions.

[MA2015] AL1 (9-12) 4 :
4 ) Use units as a way to understand problems and to guide the solution of multistep problems; choose and interpret units consistently in formulas; choose and interpret the scale and the origin in graphs and data displays. [N-Q1]

Subject: Science (9 - 12), Digital Literacy and Computer Science (9 - 12), Literacy Standards (6-12) (9 - 10), Mathematics (9 - 12)
Title: Historical Climate Analysis Activity
Description:

The object of this activity is to demonstrate the concept of climate change. Historical climate data has been used to show a local area in central England to represent an entire time frame. This learning activity incorporates temperature conversions, graphing, graphical analysis and extensions into the Medieval Warm Period. 

This activity results from the ALEX Resource Gap Project.




   View Standards     Standard(s): [SC2015] ESS (9-12) 10 :
10 ) Construct an explanation from evidence for the processes that generate the transformation of rocks in Earth's crust, including chemical composition of minerals and characteristics of sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic rocks.

[DLIT] (9-12) 5 :
R5) Locate and curate information from digital sources to answer research questions.

[LIT2010] WRI (9-10) 2 :
2 ) Write informative/explanatory texts, including the narration of historical events, scientific procedures/ experiments, or technical processes.

a. Introduce a topic and organize ideas, concepts, and information to make important connections and distinctions; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., figures, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.

b. Develop the topic with well-chosen, relevant, and sufficient facts, extended definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples appropriate to the audience's knowledge of the topic.

c. Use varied transitions and sentence structures to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts.

d. Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to manage the complexity of the topic and convey a style appropriate to the discipline and context as well as to the expertise of likely readers.

e. Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.

f. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation presented (e.g., articulating implications or the significance of the topic).

Subject: Science (9 - 12), Digital Literacy and Computer Science (9 - 12), Literacy Standards (6-12) (9 - 10)
Title: Rock Cycle WebQuest
Description:

This activity covers the rock cycle.  It incorporates the transformation of rocks into sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic. It also incorporates activities for identification of sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic rocks.  It includes videos (with questions) that reinforce the rock cycle. 

This activity results from the ALEX Resource Gap Project.




ALEX Learning Activities: 4

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ALEX Classroom Resources  
   View Standards     Standard(s): [DLIT] (8) 5 :
R5) Locate and curate information from digital sources to answer research questions.

[DLIT] (9-12) 5 :
R5) Locate and curate information from digital sources to answer research questions.

[DLIT] (9-12) 17 :
11) Model and demonstrate behaviors that are safe, legal, and ethical while living, learning, and working in an interconnected digital world.

a. Recognize user tracking methods and hazards.

Examples: Cookies, WiFi packet sniffing.

b. Understand how to apply techniques to mitigate effects of user tracking methods.

c. Understand the ramifications of end-user license agreements and terms of service associated with granting rights to personal data and media to other entities.

d. Explain the relationship between online privacy and personal security.

Examples: Convenience and accessibility, data mining, digital marketing, online wallets, theft of personal information.

e. Identify physical, legal, and ethical consequences of inappropriate digital behaviors.

Examples: Cyberbullying/harassment, inappropriate sexual communications.

f. Explain strategies to lessen the impact of negative digital behaviors and assess when to apply them.

Subject: Digital Literacy and Computer Science (8 - 12)
Title: Web Junkie: Investigating Internet Addiction
URL: https://www.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/dc28abfa-c04f-418c-b433-4b60f79f6ecc/investigating-internet-addiction/
Description:

This lesson uses the documentary film Web Junkie as a springboard for a project-based research exercise, assigning students to investigate whether Internet addiction is a problem in their community.



   View Standards     Standard(s): [DLIT] (7) 5 :
R5) Locate and curate information from digital sources to answer research questions.

[DLIT] (8) 5 :
R5) Locate and curate information from digital sources to answer research questions.

[DLIT] (8) 19 :
13) Evaluate the impact of digital globalization on public perception and ways Internet censorship can affect free and equitable access to information.

[DLIT] (9-12) 5 :
R5) Locate and curate information from digital sources to answer research questions.

[DLIT] (9-12) 26 :
20) Evaluate strategies to manage digital identity and reputation with awareness of the permanent impact of actions in a digital world.

Subject: Digital Literacy and Computer Science (7 - 12)
Title: Bot or Not? How Fake Social Media Accounts Could Influence Voting
URL: https://www.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/ccabb2b1-491f-4efe-9590-6302f70899e9/lesson-plan-bot-or-not-how-fake-social-media-accounts-could-influence-voting/
Description:

The invention of social media has provided us with a wide range of opportunities to become more informed on key issues and engage in the democratic process. However, it has also created space for individuals to try to influence public opinion around a particular political agenda through the creation of thousands of phony social media accounts, or computer-generated ‘bots.’

In this PBS NewsHour lesson, students will examine how the invention of the bot on social media websites like Twitter plays a role in influencing public opinion. Students will then invent their own bot to spread awareness about an issue they care about.



   View Standards     Standard(s): [DLIT] (9-12) 5 :
R5) Locate and curate information from digital sources to answer research questions.

[DLIT] (9-12) 17 :
11) Model and demonstrate behaviors that are safe, legal, and ethical while living, learning, and working in an interconnected digital world.

a. Recognize user tracking methods and hazards.

Examples: Cookies, WiFi packet sniffing.

b. Understand how to apply techniques to mitigate effects of user tracking methods.

c. Understand the ramifications of end-user license agreements and terms of service associated with granting rights to personal data and media to other entities.

d. Explain the relationship between online privacy and personal security.

Examples: Convenience and accessibility, data mining, digital marketing, online wallets, theft of personal information.

e. Identify physical, legal, and ethical consequences of inappropriate digital behaviors.

Examples: Cyberbullying/harassment, inappropriate sexual communications.

f. Explain strategies to lessen the impact of negative digital behaviors and assess when to apply them.

[DLIT] (9-12) 25 :
19) Prove that digital identity is a reflection of persistent, publicly available artifacts.

[DLIT] (9-12) 26 :
20) Evaluate strategies to manage digital identity and reputation with awareness of the permanent impact of actions in a digital world.

Subject: Digital Literacy and Computer Science (9 - 12)
Title: Who's Looking at Your Digital Footprint?
URL: https://www.commonsense.org/education/digital-citizenship/lesson/whos-looking-at-your-digital-footprint
Description:

Our digital footprints can have a powerful impact on our future. This can be a scary thought, given that what's in our digital footprint isn't always in our control. Teach students that digital footprints are an opportunity to showcase their best selves and craft a footprint that leads to future success.

Students will be able to:
  • Learn that they have a public presence online called a digital footprint.
  • Recognize that any information they post online can help or hurt their future opportunities (college admission, employment, etc.).
  • Create a vignette that shows how a positive digital footprint can help someone take advantage of an opportunity.

Users will need to create a free account to access this resource.



   View Standards     Standard(s): [DLIT] (7) 5 :
R5) Locate and curate information from digital sources to answer research questions.

[DLIT] (7) 17 :
11) Demonstrate positive, safe, legal, and ethical habits when creating and sharing digital content and identify the consequences of failing to act responsibly.

[DLIT] (8) 5 :
R5) Locate and curate information from digital sources to answer research questions.

[DLIT] (8) 22 :
16) Present content designed for specific audiences through an appropriate medium.

Example: Create and share a help video for a senior's center that provides tips for online safety.

[DLIT] (9-12) 5 :
R5) Locate and curate information from digital sources to answer research questions.

[DLIT] (9-12) 22 :
16) Identify laws regarding the use of technology and their consequences and implications.

Examples: Unmanned vehicles, net neutrality/common carriers, hacking, intellectual property, piracy, plagiarism.

Subject: Digital Literacy and Computer Science (7 - 12)
Title: Intellectual Property and Trademarks
URL: https://www.uspto.gov/sites/default/files/kids/icreatm_guide_hs.pdf
Description:

The lesson begins on page 26 of the document accessed via the resource link.

Students will:

- be able to define the term "trademark".

- categorize products as generic or brand name.

- identify popular trademarks.

- identify symbols associated with the protection of trademarks.

- utilize a trademark database. 

- create a custom trademark and present it to the class. 



   View Standards     Standard(s): [DLIT] (7) 5 :
R5) Locate and curate information from digital sources to answer research questions.

[DLIT] (8) 5 :
R5) Locate and curate information from digital sources to answer research questions.

[DLIT] (9-12) 5 :
R5) Locate and curate information from digital sources to answer research questions.

[DLIT] (9-12) 22 :
16) Identify laws regarding the use of technology and their consequences and implications.

Examples: Unmanned vehicles, net neutrality/common carriers, hacking, intellectual property, piracy, plagiarism.

Subject: Digital Literacy and Computer Science (7 - 12)
Title: Intellectual Property and Copyright
URL: https://www.uspto.gov/sites/default/files/kids/icreatm_guide_hs.pdf
Description:

Lesson begins on page 34 of the document accessed via the resource link.

Students will:

- understand how copyright laws apply to creative works of authorship.

- create a work to be registered.

- define the terms: copyright, public domain, plagiarism.

- identify where on websites copyright notices are displayed and what information is included with the notice.

- identify what copyright does not protect.

-learn how to register a copyright notice.



   View Standards     Standard(s): [DLIT] (9-12) 5 :
R5) Locate and curate information from digital sources to answer research questions.

[DLIT] (9-12) 17 :
11) Model and demonstrate behaviors that are safe, legal, and ethical while living, learning, and working in an interconnected digital world.

a. Recognize user tracking methods and hazards.

Examples: Cookies, WiFi packet sniffing.

b. Understand how to apply techniques to mitigate effects of user tracking methods.

c. Understand the ramifications of end-user license agreements and terms of service associated with granting rights to personal data and media to other entities.

d. Explain the relationship between online privacy and personal security.

Examples: Convenience and accessibility, data mining, digital marketing, online wallets, theft of personal information.

e. Identify physical, legal, and ethical consequences of inappropriate digital behaviors.

Examples: Cyberbullying/harassment, inappropriate sexual communications.

f. Explain strategies to lessen the impact of negative digital behaviors and assess when to apply them.

Subject: Digital Literacy and Computer Science (9 - 12)
Title: Connecting with Digital Audiences
URL: https://www.commonsense.org/education/digital-citizenship/lesson/connecting-with-digital-audiences
Description:

What you say, and how you say it, often depends on whom you're talking to, both in-person and online. The person or people you're chatting with -- and the apps or websites you're using -- affect how we communicate. Remind your students to consider their audience before they post or comment online, and help them build community and communicate effectively in the digital world.

Students will be able to:
  • Apply the idea of code-switching to how they use phones and other devices in and outside of school.
  • Consider different ways that code-switching online can make communication more meaningful and effective.
  • Write an example post or message that uses code-switching to communicate with an online audience.

Users will need to create a free account to access this resource.



   View Standards     Standard(s): [DLIT] (7) 5 :
R5) Locate and curate information from digital sources to answer research questions.

[DLIT] (7) 17 :
11) Demonstrate positive, safe, legal, and ethical habits when creating and sharing digital content and identify the consequences of failing to act responsibly.

[DLIT] (8) 5 :
R5) Locate and curate information from digital sources to answer research questions.

[DLIT] (8) 17 :
11) Advocate for positive, safe, legal, and ethical habits when creating and sharing digital content.

Example: Students create a brochure that highlights the consequences of illegally downloading media.

[DLIT] (9-12) 5 :
R5) Locate and curate information from digital sources to answer research questions.

[DLIT] (9-12) 22 :
16) Identify laws regarding the use of technology and their consequences and implications.

Examples: Unmanned vehicles, net neutrality/common carriers, hacking, intellectual property, piracy, plagiarism.

[DLIT] (9-12) 24 :
18) Explain the beneficial and harmful effects that intellectual property laws can have on innovation.

Subject: Digital Literacy and Computer Science (7 - 12)
Title: Intellectual Property Theft
URL: https://www.uspto.gov/sites/default/files/kids/icreatm_guide_hs.pdf
Description:

The lesson begins on page 43 of the document accessed via the resource link.

Students will:

- identify different types of media as intellectual property: writings, music, videos, computer games, etc.

-understand that intellectual property laws protect online and offline material.

-understand that it is stealing from real people if one copies copyright-protected material or downloads material from the internet without permission.

-understand it is against the law to download copyright-protected videos, music, etc. from the internet without permission.

- investigate famous cases of trade secret theft.

- investigate peer-to-peer networks.



   View Standards     Standard(s): [DLIT] (7) 5 :
R5) Locate and curate information from digital sources to answer research questions.

[DLIT] (7) 19 :
13) Compare and contrast information available locally and globally.

Example: Review an article published in the United States and compare to an article on the same subject published in China.

[DLIT] (8) 5 :
R5) Locate and curate information from digital sources to answer research questions.

[DLIT] (8) 19 :
13) Evaluate the impact of digital globalization on public perception and ways Internet censorship can affect free and equitable access to information.

[DLIT] (9-12) 5 :
R5) Locate and curate information from digital sources to answer research questions.

Subject: Digital Literacy and Computer Science (7 - 12)
Title: Getting to the Source
URL: https://newseumed.org/tools/lesson-plan/getting-source
Description:

A layered graphic helps students understand how a news story goes from raw information – the source – to their newsfeed or text chain; then students zero in on sources in real-life news stories.

You are in need of Fact Finder: Your Foolproof Guide to Media Literacy’s 11 flexible, multimedia lesson plans to tackle these challenges. Eight skill-building lesson plans introduce essential media literacy concepts through engaging explainer videos and colorful infographics that help students revisit, retain and apply the key concepts. The accompanying News or Noise? Media Map provides a collection of examples ready for students to analyze and evaluate with the support of worksheets and discussion prompts. Three reporting lesson plans help students take what they’ve learned and apply it to their own content creation, inspired by the issues that matter to them.

A layered graphic helps students understand how a news story goes from raw information – the source – to their newsfeed or text chain; then students zero in on sources in real-life news stories.

You will need to create a free account to access this lesson plan. 



   View Standards     Standard(s): [DLIT] (6) 5 :
R5) Locate and curate information from digital sources to answer research questions.

[DLIT] (7) 5 :
R5) Locate and curate information from digital sources to answer research questions.

[DLIT] (8) 5 :
R5) Locate and curate information from digital sources to answer research questions.

[DLIT] (9-12) 5 :
R5) Locate and curate information from digital sources to answer research questions.

Subject: Digital Literacy and Computer Science (6 - 12)
Title: Quick Skim or Deep Dive? Picking the Right Search Strategy
URL: https://newseumed.org/tools/lesson-plan/quick-skim-or-deep-dive-picking-right-search-strategy
Description:

A nautically-themed infographic with an accompanying video helps students understand how to tailor the search process to the complexity of the question; then students put their new search strategies to work.

Users must create a free account to access this resource. 



   View Standards     Standard(s): [DLIT] (9-12) 5 :
R5) Locate and curate information from digital sources to answer research questions.

[DLIT] (9-12) 11 :
5) Design and iteratively develop computational artifacts for practical intent, personal expression, or to address a societal issue by using current events.

[DLIT] (9-12) 22 :
16) Identify laws regarding the use of technology and their consequences and implications.

Examples: Unmanned vehicles, net neutrality/common carriers, hacking, intellectual property, piracy, plagiarism.

[DLIT] (9-12) 32 :
26) Use collaborative technologies to work with others including peers, experts, or community members to examine local, national, and global issues and problems from multiple viewpoints.

Subject: Digital Literacy and Computer Science (9 - 12)
Title: Computer Science Principles Unit 1 Chapter 2 Lesson 14: Practice PT - The Internet and Society (2018)
URL: https://curriculum.code.org/csp-18/unit1/14/
Description:

This lesson is a capstone to the Internet unit. Students will research and prepare a flash talk about an issue facing society: either Net Neutrality or Internet Censorship. Developing an informed opinion about these issues hinges on an understanding of how the Internet functions as a system. Students will prepare and deliver a flash talk that should combine forming an opinion about the issue and an exhibition of their knowledge of the internet.

This lesson is good practice for certain elements of the AP Explore Performance Task. The primary things practiced here are: doing a bit of research about impacts of computing (though here it’s specifically about the Internet), explaining some technical details related to ideas in computer science, and connecting these ideas to global and social impacts. Students will practice synthesizing information, and presenting their learning in a flash talk.

Note: This is NOT the official AP® Performance Task that will be submitted as part of the Advanced Placement exam; it is a practice activity intended to prepare students for some portions of their individual performance at a later time.

This lesson has dual purposes of honing "rapid research" skills and tying a temporary bow on the Internet Unit.

The act of doing "rapid research" is one that will come up over and over again in this course. We want to build students' confidence and skills in researching topic using a variety of sources. In the case of this lesson we want students to read articles on the issues but scan for the terms and vocabulary they know like: IP, DNS, HTTP, routing, packets, scaling, redundancy, and reliability. We want students to be able to explain with some level of technical proficiency how these things work as well as the potential beneficial and harmful effects.

Net Neutrality and Internet Censorship are related issues having to do with organizations attempting to control internet traffic for a variety of reasons. There are many other large societal issues and dilemmas related to the Internet besides these that like: big data, surveillance, security, and encryption. We address these issues in Unit 4: Big Data and Privacy. For this practice PT, we want to keep the focus on issues that relate more directly to the systems and protocols

Students will be able to:
- research a global impact of the Internet.
- create and present a flash talk on a global impact of the Internet.
- analyze the relationship of an Internet technology to the impact.

Note: You will need to create a free account on code.org before you can view this resource.



ALEX Classroom Resources: 10

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