computer-science · grades K-12
From Sand to Agents — K-12 Artificial Intelligence
One spiraled throughline from the physics of a chip to modern AI agents — taught age-appropriately at every grade band, aligned to Virginia standards, and ready to teach out of the box.
Why now — Virginia
AI literacy is moving from optional to expected
Virginia has put artificial intelligence squarely on the K-12 agenda through statewide AI guidance and updated Computer Science Standards of Learning. Schools need classroom-ready materials that treat AI as a teachable subject — not a one-off assembly. This curriculum maps directly to the VA CS SOL strands and the VDOE AI guidance themes, band by band.
- Aligned to VA CS SOL + VDOE AI guidance, documented per component
- Vertical K-12 throughline — no gaps, no repetition
- Teacher editions written for non-specialists
Funding pathways
Pay for it with money your division already has
Most schools fund AI and computer-science instruction from budgets that already exist. We help you map this curriculum to common pathways so procurement is straightforward.
- Title I & Title IV-A (well-rounded education / ed-tech)
- Perkins V (CTE) for the secondary bands
- ESSER carryover, local CS/innovation grants, education foundations
Scope & sequence
One idea, four grade bands, increasing depth
silicon → chips → machine learning → neural networks → modern LLMs → prompting, caching & agents → ethics, IP, safety & careers
K-2 Smart Machines Around Us
authored4 units
- U1 Smart Machines Around Us
- U2 Patterns Everywhere
- U3 Teach the Machine
- U4 Being Fair and Safe with Smart Machines
3-5 How Computers Think
authored4 units
6-8 The Machine Underneath
authored6 units
9-12 Modern AI: How It Actually Works
authored11 units
Implementation & support
Ready to teach out of the box — here’s what that means
“Ready to teach” isn’t a slogan. Every unit ships with the full set of materials a non-specialist teacher needs to walk in and teach with confidence.
What ships with every unit
- Student lesson (web + print)
- Teacher guide with pacing, facilitation, and misconception notes
- Assessment with a scoring rubric
- Differentiation & access doc (IEP/504, ELL, above/below-level)
- Vocabulary reference
- Printable activity materials
- Family letter for home connection
Built for non-specialists
- No computer-science background required to teach
- K-2 is 100% unplugged — no devices, no logins, no student data
- Short, schedulable lessons (~20–40 min) that fit existing CS time
- Onboarding for your teachers with School & Division licenses
- Annual July refresh keeps content current with VDOE guidance
- Print-ready PDF teacher editions for board packets and binders
See a complete unit free
Unit 3 includes the full edition — teacher guide, assessment, differentiation, and printables. All K-2 student lessons are free to read.