FACILITATOR GUIDE · AIR UNIT 0
Mission: Build a Smart Ocean System
A five-day, teacher-led introduction to robots, algorithms, machine-learning models, and human judgment.
The core experience
Teach the full sequence whole group with the AIR teacher deck. Students use one four-page Mission Log across the week. Canvas pages are the accessible review, absence, and submission route. They are not a second competing curriculum.
Download teacher PowerPoint · Make a Google copyDownload Mission Log · Word · Make a Google copyDownload Mission Log · PDF
Five-day teaching map
| Day | Learning | Student evidence | Deck |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Robot, algorithm, and model are different parts of one system. | Classify + system trace | 1–8; leave 8 |
| Day 2 | Start with a user, job, and constraint. | Robot design brief · 5 | 9–14; leave 14 |
| Day 3 | Algorithms need ordered, testable directions. | Algorithm + trace + revision · 10 | 15–21; leave 21 |
| Day 4 | Models learn patterns from varied examples. | Model tests + improvement · 10 | 22–28; leave 28 |
| Day 5 | A smart system connects robot, algorithm, model, and human judgment. | Final system brief + DOL | 29–36; leave 35 |
Topic, objective, and demonstration of learning
Topic: Robots, algorithms, and machine-learning models as connected systems.
Objective: Students will classify system parts, design a robot for a user need, write and test an algorithm, and improve a model using evidence.
DOL: “In our system, the robot ___, the algorithm ___, and the model ___. A human should step in when ___.”
Before Day 1
- Print one Mission Log per student or provide the editable Word copy.
- Test the four core videos, the Teachable Machine site, and any optional video you plan to use.
- Ask students to bring or choose two visually different classroom objects for Day 4.
- Decide whether partners will share a device during the model lab.
- Keep the optional video checks and extensions unpublished unless you plan to use them.
Daily facilitation moves
- Notice: begin with the deck hook before defining terms.
- Name: give the term only after students identify the pattern.
- Model: trace one complete example aloud.
- Build: leave the work slide projected while students create evidence.
- Check: require a partner trace or test before submission.
Point-of-use support
The deck and Mission Log supply word banks, complete stems, labeled examples, and leave-up success criteria where students use them. Students may sketch, dictate to a partner, or type their evidence. Do not require polished art.
Watch for: confusing a rule with a learned model; writing vague algorithm steps; testing with training examples; treating confidence as certainty; or letting the robot act in a high-consequence situation without a human check.
Optional routes
- Edpuzzle: YouTube is the default. If you want embedded questions or Live Mode, copy the public Edpuzzle lessons into your account, connect them as External Tool assignments, save unpublished, and test in Student View.
- Ocean sustainability PSA: use the longer Scratch + research extension only when you have additional days. Download the optional PSA packet
- Xello Education Experiences: use after district access is tested. It is not required for the technical AIR sequence.
Official tools and references: