Session Plan — Ethical Inventors

20 Session · 10 Week · 45 min

Week 1

Session 1 — Teach the Sorting RobotIntroduce
What Does a Machine Know? · Unplugged coding · 20m

Children "train" a pretend robot (a friend) by showing examples of apples vs oranges, then test it.

  • Experiment Show the robot 5 apples and 5 oranges. Now give it a tricky one — what does it guess, and why?
Session 2 — The Courtroom of KindnessIntroduce
Who Is Responsible? · Socratic dialogue · 18m

A short scenario: a delivery robot dropped a neighbor's gift. The class reasons out who should fix it.

  • Discuss The robot dropped it — but who told the robot what to do? Who should say sorry?
  • Reflect Could we make a rule so it does not happen again? Write our fair rule.

Week 2

Session 3 — Design a Helpful MachineIntroduce
Invent It Right · Project-based · 25m

Teams decompose a real problem (e.g. remembering to water plants) and sketch a machine with a fairness rule.

  • Challenge Break the problem into 3 small steps your machine must do. Then add one rule to keep it kind.
Session 4 — The Inventor's PauseIntroduce
Should We, Even If We Can? · Socratic dialogue · 22m

A clever tech could do harm; children reason out whether it should be used.

  • Discuss A machine could do your friend's homework for them. Could it? Should it? Why not?
  • Challenge Write one rule for your invention that says when it must STOP — and ask a human.
  • Reflect Who should always decide the important things — the machine, or the person? Why the person?

Week 3

Session 5 — Teach the Sorting RobotRevisit (spiral)
What Does a Machine Know? · Unplugged coding · 20m

Children "train" a pretend robot (a friend) by showing examples of apples vs oranges, then test it.

  • Experiment Show the robot 5 apples and 5 oranges. Now give it a tricky one — what does it guess, and why?
Session 6 — The Courtroom of KindnessRevisit (spiral)
Who Is Responsible? · Socratic dialogue · 18m

A short scenario: a delivery robot dropped a neighbor's gift. The class reasons out who should fix it.

  • Discuss The robot dropped it — but who told the robot what to do? Who should say sorry?
  • Reflect Could we make a rule so it does not happen again? Write our fair rule.

Week 4

Session 7 — Design a Helpful MachineRevisit (spiral)
Invent It Right · Project-based · 25m

Teams decompose a real problem (e.g. remembering to water plants) and sketch a machine with a fairness rule.

  • Challenge Break the problem into 3 small steps your machine must do. Then add one rule to keep it kind.
Session 8 — The Inventor's PauseRevisit (spiral)
Should We, Even If We Can? · Socratic dialogue · 22m

A clever tech could do harm; children reason out whether it should be used.

  • Discuss A machine could do your friend's homework for them. Could it? Should it? Why not?
  • Challenge Write one rule for your invention that says when it must STOP — and ask a human.
  • Reflect Who should always decide the important things — the machine, or the person? Why the person?

Week 5

Session 9 — Teach the Sorting RobotRevisit (spiral)
What Does a Machine Know? · Unplugged coding · 20m

Children "train" a pretend robot (a friend) by showing examples of apples vs oranges, then test it.

  • Experiment Show the robot 5 apples and 5 oranges. Now give it a tricky one — what does it guess, and why?
Session 10 — The Courtroom of KindnessRevisit (spiral)
Who Is Responsible? · Socratic dialogue · 18m

A short scenario: a delivery robot dropped a neighbor's gift. The class reasons out who should fix it.

  • Discuss The robot dropped it — but who told the robot what to do? Who should say sorry?
  • Reflect Could we make a rule so it does not happen again? Write our fair rule.

Week 6

Session 11 — Design a Helpful MachineRevisit (spiral)
Invent It Right · Project-based · 25m

Teams decompose a real problem (e.g. remembering to water plants) and sketch a machine with a fairness rule.

  • Challenge Break the problem into 3 small steps your machine must do. Then add one rule to keep it kind.
Session 12 — The Inventor's PauseRevisit (spiral)
Should We, Even If We Can? · Socratic dialogue · 22m

A clever tech could do harm; children reason out whether it should be used.

  • Discuss A machine could do your friend's homework for them. Could it? Should it? Why not?
  • Challenge Write one rule for your invention that says when it must STOP — and ask a human.
  • Reflect Who should always decide the important things — the machine, or the person? Why the person?

Week 7

Session 13 — Teach the Sorting RobotRevisit (spiral)
What Does a Machine Know? · Unplugged coding · 20m

Children "train" a pretend robot (a friend) by showing examples of apples vs oranges, then test it.

  • Experiment Show the robot 5 apples and 5 oranges. Now give it a tricky one — what does it guess, and why?
Session 14 — The Courtroom of KindnessRevisit (spiral)
Who Is Responsible? · Socratic dialogue · 18m

A short scenario: a delivery robot dropped a neighbor's gift. The class reasons out who should fix it.

  • Discuss The robot dropped it — but who told the robot what to do? Who should say sorry?
  • Reflect Could we make a rule so it does not happen again? Write our fair rule.

Week 8

Session 15 — Design a Helpful MachineRevisit (spiral)
Invent It Right · Project-based · 25m

Teams decompose a real problem (e.g. remembering to water plants) and sketch a machine with a fairness rule.

  • Challenge Break the problem into 3 small steps your machine must do. Then add one rule to keep it kind.
Session 16 — The Inventor's PauseRevisit (spiral)
Should We, Even If We Can? · Socratic dialogue · 22m

A clever tech could do harm; children reason out whether it should be used.

  • Discuss A machine could do your friend's homework for them. Could it? Should it? Why not?
  • Challenge Write one rule for your invention that says when it must STOP — and ask a human.
  • Reflect Who should always decide the important things — the machine, or the person? Why the person?

Week 9

Session 17 — Teach the Sorting RobotRevisit (spiral)
What Does a Machine Know? · Unplugged coding · 20m

Children "train" a pretend robot (a friend) by showing examples of apples vs oranges, then test it.

  • Experiment Show the robot 5 apples and 5 oranges. Now give it a tricky one — what does it guess, and why?
Session 18 — The Courtroom of KindnessRevisit (spiral)
Who Is Responsible? · Socratic dialogue · 18m

A short scenario: a delivery robot dropped a neighbor's gift. The class reasons out who should fix it.

  • Discuss The robot dropped it — but who told the robot what to do? Who should say sorry?
  • Reflect Could we make a rule so it does not happen again? Write our fair rule.

Week 10

Session 19 — Design a Helpful MachineRevisit (spiral)
Invent It Right · Project-based · 25m

Teams decompose a real problem (e.g. remembering to water plants) and sketch a machine with a fairness rule.

  • Challenge Break the problem into 3 small steps your machine must do. Then add one rule to keep it kind.
Session 20 — The Inventor's PauseRevisit (spiral)
Should We, Even If We Can? · Socratic dialogue · 22m

A clever tech could do harm; children reason out whether it should be used.

  • Discuss A machine could do your friend's homework for them. Could it? Should it? Why not?
  • Challenge Write one rule for your invention that says when it must STOP — and ask a human.
  • Reflect Who should always decide the important things — the machine, or the person? Why the person?
Qubtan · قُبطان