Fifth Grade: Expression, Algorithms, and AI
Students will focus on freedom of expression and its consequences: how it can influence us and others and how algorithms, AI, and filter bubbles impact how we think.
Welcome to fifth-grade! This lesson series targets sharpening learners’ skills in understanding rights and responsibilities of free speech, and how our ideas can be influenced by filter bubbles, algorithms, and AI.
In this series, students begin by examining First Amendment (and/or international agreements on freedom of expression) rights and responsibilities in digital spaces. Students then analyze satire's role in shaping beliefs and perspectives before investigating how algorithms and filter bubbles influence online experiences. The series concludes with an exploration of artificial intelligence's dual role as both creator and consumer of digital content, empowering students to become informed digital citizens.
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Freedom of Expression
Students will explore the rights and responsibilities of the First Amendment in the US and other international agreements in both an online and offline context.
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Satire and Parody
Students will learn how satire and parody can influence how we are understood about topics, events, and ideas. They will evaluate various mediums for reliability and practice information verification.
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Algorithmic Thinking
Students will learn about how algorithms apply to their own lives and thinking. They will be introduced to the concepts of filter bubbles and echo chambers and practice getting out of one in an online game.
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Ethics of AI
Students will be introduced to the basics of artificial intelligence, including how it uses algorithms to generate content. They will understand the benefits of their own intelligence.