High School Model Lessons

The goal for providing model lessons is to share examples of how computational thinking and computer science practices integrate into curriculum and enhance the teaching of Tennessee Academic Standards. The model lessons linked below demonstrate a balance between plugged (needing a computing device) and unplugged (not needing a computing device) activities. Many of the strategies you will see demonstrate the use of computational thinking and can be applied across contents. We hope you are inspired from the model lessons to make meaningful computational thinking and computer science connections with your own curriculum.

Title: Computational Model and Gas Laws
Grade: 9-11
Content: Science – Chemistry 1
Overview: Combining pattern recognition and data analysis with a computational model, students will explore the relationships between temperature, pressure, and volume to understand the Gas Laws.

Title: Patterns and the Periodic Table
Grade: 9-11
Content: Science – Chemistry 1
Overview: Using pattern recognition and algorithmic thinking, students will develop an understanding of the arrangement of the periodic table of elements.

Title: Patterns, Algorithms and the New Deal
Grade: 9-11
Content: Social Studies – U.S. History
Overview: Students will use pattern recognition and algorithmic thinking to analyze President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal programs.

Title: Analysis of Informational Texts with Algorithms
Grade: 9-10
Content: English Language Arts
Overview: Students will examine how algorithms impact what they view on social media. By using a variety of sources, they will present their understanding and write an informational summative response.

Title: Using Computational Thinking to Understand Geometric Sequences
Grade: 9-12
Content: Math – Algebra I
Overview: Through pattern recognition and designing algorithms, students will recognize both explicit and recursive formulas for geometric sequences. They will use abstraction to write the explicit and recursive formulas.