JoinMiddle School | Daily Do
How Can Computational Modeling Help Explain How Different Groups of People Are Affected When COVID-19 Spreads Through a Community?
By Scott E. Grapin, Daniel Wendel, Alison Haas, and Okhee Lee
Is Lesson Plan Middle School Grades 6-8
Lesson Overview
Middle school students, as scientists, use computational modeling to investigate the spread of COVID-19. Students identify patterns and use a computational model to test their ideas about how different groups of people are affected when a virus such as COVID-19 spreads through a community.
Access the Lesson: How Can Computational Modeling Help Explain How Different Groups of People Are Affected When COVID-19 Spreads Through a Community?
To make a copy of the lesson, follow the link to the Google doc and select File > Make a Copy.
This lesson is written for student use (e.g., “You will program the model…”). To provide support for students, the lesson includes response spaces and embedded scaffolds. Teachers and families are encouraged to adapt the lesson for their contexts (e.g., using provided guiding questions to facilitate discussions in the classroom or at home).
Daily Do Playlist: Understanding COVID-19 Disparities Using Computational Modeling
How Can Computational Modeling Help Explain How Different Groups of People Are Affected When COVID-19 Spreads Through a Community? is a stand-alone task. However, this lesson can be taught as part of an instructional sequence in which students build toward using a computational model to design solutions to the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on racial and ethnic minority groups. This is the second of three lessons in the Understanding COVID-19 Disparities Using Computational Modeling playlist.
Materials
- Computer or tablet to access StarLogo Nova*
- Daily Do 2** Disproportionate Impact Computational Model https://www.slnova.org/sgrapin/projects/819363/edit
*If students are new to the StarLogo Nova programming environment, they are encouraged to complete the StarLogo Nova Orientation Task (from the Computational Thinking and Modeling NSTA Playlist) prior to engaging in the lessons.
**How Can Computational Modeling Help Explain How Different Groups of People Are Affected When COVID-19 Spreads Through a Community? is the second of three lessons on the Understanding COVID-19 Disparities Using Computation Modeling playlist.