Curriculum Overview

This curriculum focuses on later elementary school and middle school learners, ideally Grades 4-8.

However, this curriculum is not limited to those ages. Younger learners, including Grades 1-3 have already benefited from elements of this curriculum. High school learners as well receive good exposure to AI through this curriculum.

ReadyAI believes that all learners should have access to artificial intelligence, not only learners with computer science backgrounds or those who attend schools with highly developed technology and computer programs.

AI is the future, and learners must be prepared for it. At ReadyAI, we want to make K-12 AI education a reality and help learners to be empowered to use AI to change the world.

ReadyAI was founded on three basic tenets:

  • Teach AI for social good. Sure, we get into some heavy material, but the core of our curriculum surrounds impacting society positively through AI, all the while recognizing the ethical concerns and the inevitable societal impact AI technology will raise.
  • Have fun Learning AI. We put an emphasis on the non-technical components of learning, combining art and multimedia. While learners engage in computer science, but they do so in the context of their interests and power all their work with not just STEM, but STEAM education, infusing their work with what makes us human.
  • Learn through Projects. We believe learners best learn through playing and building up ideas with teammates. Thus, learners also gain soft-skills such as presentation techniques, leadership, and collaboration.

ReadyAI believes that AI must be broached early. That’s why we partnered with schools and afterschool programs across the U.S. and across the world to develop and test this interactive curriculum.

ReadyAI’s curriculum requires learners to have AI units and connected devices, which ReadyAI can provide. Learners need access to the internet and the ability to watch and hear videos. Feel free to contact us for assistance.

COURSE STRUCTURE

This curriculum overview is intended to provide the user a series of theoretical and contextual models for using an AI unit and a connected device to teach AI concepts to middle school learners who have only a basic understanding of computer functionality. Unlike a traditional curriculum, this curriculum encourages self-paced learning.

Our philosophy of teaching AI is threefold:

In the first area, “Principles of AI,” learners engage age-appropriate concepts based on the “Five Big Ideas for AI” designed by the AI4K12 Steering Committee, under the guidance of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI) and the Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTE). These concepts include

credit: AI4K12.org

Big Idea #1: Computers can perceive the world using sensors.
Big Idea #2: Agents maintain models/representations of the world and use them for reasoning.
Big Idea #3: Computers can learn from data.
Big Idea #4: Making agents interact comfortably with humans is a substantial challenge for AI developers.
Big Idea #5: AI applications can impact society in both positive and negative ways.

In the second area, integrated into each and every lesson, learners will use routinely use six of the most relatable concepts in AI:

  • Facial Recognition
  • Speech Generation
  • Object Recognition
  • Object Manipulation
  • Landmark-based Navigation
  • Speech Recognition

In addition to these concepts, learners will also explore computational thinking (CS), coding, data management, machine learning, debugging, and troubleshooting.

This curriculum focuses, in particular, on scratch based programming and differentiating between sequential and rule based coding. Additionally this lesson is heavily gamified, allowing learners to play a game, discuss how AI plays a role in it, and then try to produce a small version of the game again.

Each lesson closes with discussing how the learners used AI in their coding and what practical applications this technology has. Learners will complete periodic mini-projects and milestone projects as they work towards a larger presentation of their learning, allowing them to present and compete with other learners in their region. Regional winners will be invited to the annual World Artificial Intelligence Competition for Youth (WAICY) to present their projects.

In order to compete and excel, learners will in each and every lesson explore

  • What Projects Are
  • How AI can Assist Humans
  • Brainstorming
  • Prototyping
  • STEM and STEAM learning
  • Team Building Skills
  • Leadership Skills
  • Presentation Skills

COURSE OBJECTIVES

Learners should be able to

  1. define basic concepts in the field of AI.
  2. describe functions of AI as well as current limitations.
  3. apply principles of coding to demonstrate understanding of AI concepts
  4. evaluate applications of AI technologies.
  5. create a project that uses AI to solve real-world problems.

PEDAGOGICAL BACKGROUND

This curriculum also relies on Bloom’s Taxonomy 2.0, with “Creation” being placed as the highest level of critical thinking. As previously mentioned, the entire lesson series culminates in project-based learning of AI concepts demonstrated through creation.

GETTING HELP

If you are a teacher or school administrator and you’d like to attend a free training on our curriculum, please contact info@readyai.org. Alternatively, we host trainings at schools as well. Please contact us about these via the same email address.

If you are an individual learner or a homeschooler and need assistance, please do not hesitate to contact info@readyai.org.

LESSONS, LESSON OBJECTIVES, AND ACTIVITIES

Lessons Lesson Objectives

Students will be able to

 Activities
Unit 1

Meet Your AI Friend
  • Contrast AI vision from robotic vision
  • Program the AI unit to recognize their faces
  • Brainstorming applications for facial recognition
 Written Responses

  • Students may complete the summative mastery quiz.
Unit 2
Scaring Contest & Rebounce
  • identify uses of facial recognition in real life.
  • analyze games programmed into the Cozmo app.
  • create coding that utilizes the unit’s AI facial recognition abilities.
 Oral Responses

  • Students may be evaluated based on participation or speaking.

Written Responses

  • Students may be evaluated using the complete the summative mastery quiz.
Unit 3

Peekaboo AI
  • identify coding necessary to code peekaboo.
  • build a scenario where peekaboo may be applicable.
  • create coding that programs the AI unit to play peekaboo as both the player and the recipient.
 Oral Responses

  • Students may be evaluated based on participation or presentation.

Written Responses

  • Students may be evaluated using the complete the summative mastery quiz.
Unit 4
Speech Generation
  • summarize the steps to program speech.
  • connect facial recognition to speech generation.
  • design a mini-project where the AI unit uses speech generation as well as facial recognition.
 Mini-Project

  • Students may be evaluated using a rubric for their project.

Written Responses

  • Students may be evaluated using the complete the summative mastery quiz.
Unit 5
American Idol AI
  • identify the challenges to program music.
  • connect facial recognition to speech generation.
  • compose a brief tune using the AI unit’s speech functions and link it to previously coded material.
 Oral Responses

  • Students may explain how to program a tune as well as the challenges that come with it.

Written Responses

  • Students may be evaluated using the complete the summative mastery quiz.
Unit 6

Object Recognition & Manipulation
  • describe the challenges in identifying objects.
  • implementing code to make the AI unit engage an object.
  • brainstorm where the AI unit uses an object it can manipulate as a representation of something.
Presentation

  • Students may present the scenario they created.

Written Responses

  • Students may be evaluated using the complete the summative mastery quiz.
Unit 7

Tick Tock Bot
  • describe how the Tick Tock Bot software works.
  • deconstruct the coding and AI necessary for this program to work.
  • craft a basic AI function and code to demonstrate understanding of AI object manipulation and awareness.
 Demonstration

  • Students may demonstrate their code of AI object manipulation and awareness.

Written Responses

  • Students may be evaluated using the complete the summative mastery quiz.
Unit 8

Keep Away & Quick Tap
  • describe how the Keep Away and Quick Tap games work.
  • implement coding that resembles that of the Keep Away and Quick Tap games.
  • invent a scenario where such AI skills would be useful.
 Demonstration

  • Students may demonstrate their scenario using coding or themselves.

Written Responses

  • Students may be evaluated using the complete the summative mastery quiz.Unit
Unit 9

Landmark-based Navigation & Cozmo’s Freetime
  • contrast robot movement with AI navigation.
  • show programming of AI navigation.
  • compete with other students in terms of navigation commands.
 Demonstration

  • Students may demonstrate their ability to program their AI units around obstacles.

Written Responses

  • Students may be evaluated using the complete the summative mastery quiz.Unit
Unit 10

Project Planning
  • identify applications for AI in a teacher provided example.
  • apply their understanding of AI to a real life project.
  • create a plan for their own project.
 Demonstration

  • Students may create plans for AI applications project.

Written Responses

  • Students may be evaluated using the complete the summative mastery quiz.
Unit 11

Project Creation
  • rehearse their project presentations.
  • apply their understanding of AI to project creation.
  • synthesize their technical and creative knowledge.
  • create their projects.
 Demonstration

  • Students may create an AI project.

Written Responses

  • Students may be evaluated using the complete the summative mastery quiz.
Unit 12

Project Rehearsal
  • rehearse their project presentations in front of a class.
  • troubleshoot problems in their projects.
  • create projects that demonstrate their learning of AI and their collaboration.
 Demonstration

  • Students may demonstrate their project in front of the class.

Written Responses

  • Students may be evaluated using the complete the summative mastery quiz.