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AI & Ethics for Middle Grade Students
10-Lesson Comprehensive Curriculum
Target: Middle Grade (6th-8th grade, ages 11-14)
Duration: 10 lessons (5-10 weeks)
Format: 90-minute lessons or two 45-minute sessions
Philosophy: Learn by doing, question everything, build responsibly
Inspired by MIT AI Ethics for Middle School
Essential Questions Students Will Explore
- • How can AI help solve real problems in our community?
- • What happens when AI makes mistakes or shows bias?
- • How do we use AI as a tool while keeping our creativity and critical thinking?
- • What responsibilities do we have when building with AI?
Detailed Lesson Plans
By Lesson 5, Students Will
- • Use multiple AI tools confidently and safely
- • Identify bias in AI systems and datasets
- • Create original content with AI assistance
- • Apply basic ethical frameworks to AI decisions
By Lesson 10, Students Will
- • Design and prototype AI solutions for real problems
- • Evaluate AI systems for fairness and ethics
- • Teach others about responsible AI use
- • Lead discussions about AI's impact on society
- • Maintain a personal code of ethics for AI use
Essential Tools & Resources
Core AI Tools
- • Teachable Machine
- • ChatGPT/Claude
- • DALL-E/Midjourney
- • Scratch for ML
Dataset Resources
- • Google Dataset Search
- • Kaggle Learn
- • NASA Open Data
- • Curated Public Datasets
Ethics Resources
- • AI4ALL
- • Common Sense Media
- • MIT AI Ethics Materials
- • Algorithmic Justice League