STEM Curriculum for Seventh Grade

🌐 Digital Navigators: Ethics, Data and Systems Design.

An annual 8-mission plan for seventh grade, focusing on data analytics, AI ethics, and the design of complex engineering solutions.

Main Objective of the Plan

To foster in seventh grade students a mindset of engineers and data scientists, capable of analyzing global problems, debating the ethical implications of technology, and designing complex and sustainable systems.

STEM Disciplines and Skills

Science: Neuroscience (brain lobes, synapses), endocrinology (stress hormones: cortisol and adrenaline).
Technology: Biofeedback« apps (meditation, heart rate), research (PubMed).
Engineering: Design of a «wellness plan» (a system) based on stress/sleep data.
Mathematics: Data analysis (correlation between hours of sleep and reported stress levels).

Critical Thinking: How does stress (chemistry) affect my thoughts (electricity)? How can I «hack» my nervous system to reduce anxiety?
Digital Literacy: Differentiate between science and pseudoscience in wellness apps.

Hands-on activities

Wellness Data Journal: For one week, record hours of sleep, stress level (1-5) and minutes of exercise. Graph and look for correlations.
Model of «Brain Helmet»: Build a 3D model of the brain (plasticine or digital) and map the main functions (frontal lobes, parietal lobes, etc.).
Simple «Biofeedback» test: Use a heart rate app (or take your pulse manually). Measure the pulse, then do 2 minutes of deep breathing and measure again.

Hybrid/Remote Adaptation (Data Journal): Use a shared (anonymous) Google Sheet to aggregate the class data. Each student analyzes the complete data set and proposes 3 conclusions.

Google Sheets, meditation apps (Headspace/Calm, free versions), BrainFacts.org.

Formative Evaluation

Correlation plot (sleep vs. stress) with analysis.
Model of labeled brain helmet.
Presentation of the evidence-based «wellness plan».

Integration of Ethical Values

Mental Health: Destigmatize the discussion of mental health by viewing it as part of the «biology» of the brain.
Self-awareness: Understanding personal «triggers» of stress.

STEM Disciplines and Skills

Science: Climatology (climate models, feedbacks), ecology (key species, biodiversity).
Technology: GIS mapping (Google Earth Engine), satellite data analysis (NASA).
Engineering: Design of a «wildlife corridor» (systems engineering).
Mathematics: Trend analysis (CO2 graphs), calculation of biodiversity indexes (simple).

Systemic Thinking: How can a small temperature increase (1°C) cause a collapse of an ecosystem (e.g. coral reefs)?
Data Literacy: Interpret complex CO2 and global temperature graphs.

Hands-on activities

Analysis of «Ice Cores»: Create a fake ice core (layers of frozen water with ash, dye). Students «drill» (melt) it and analyze its layers to reconstruct a past «climate».
Key Species Mapping: Use Google Earth to map the range of a keystone species (e.g. polar bear, monarch butterfly) and overlay it with climate change maps.
Wildlife Corridor Design: Given a map with two forests separated by a «highway», design a bridge or tunnel (corridor) for wildlife, justifying its design.

Hybrid/Remote Adaptation (Mapping): Students use Google Earth (web) to create a digital «tour» showing the impact of climate change on the habitat of their chosen species.

Google Earth Engine, NASA Climate Data, IUCN Red List (web).

Formative Evaluation

Laboratory report of the «ice core».
Presentation of the GIS map with impact analysis.
Proposed wildlife corridor design.

Integration of Ethical Values

Intergenerational Responsibility: Discuss our responsibility to leave a habitable planet for future generations.
Climate Justice: Analyze how climate change disproportionately affects poorer nations.

STEM Disciplines and Skills

Science: Data science (logistics, optimization), material science (origins).
Technology: Tracking (GPS, RFID - concept), inventory management software (concept).
Engineering: Systems engineering (efficient supply chain design), route optimization.
Mathematics: Cost analysis (fuel, storage, labor), cryptography (blockchain concept).

Critical Thinking: Why does a drought in Brazil affect the price of coffee here? What is a «single point of failure» in a supply chain?
Planning: Map and optimize a complex supply chain.

Hands-on activities

Mapping «From Mine to Mobile»: Trace a smartphone's key components (e.g. cobalt, lithium, silicon) from source (mine) to assembly (factory) and consumer.
Supply Chain Simulation (Game): Simulate a chain (producer, distributor, retailer) using blocks or candy. Introduce an «interruption» (e.g. «the ship got stuck») and see the domino effect.
Debate: Globalization vs. Localization? Investigate the pros and cons of global (cheap, varied) vs. local (resilient, less carbon footprint) supply chains.

Hybrid/Remote Adaptation (Mapping): Use a digital whiteboard tool (Miro, Jamboard) for groups to collaborate on mapping their supply chain.

Miro/Jamboard, «How It's Made» videos, articles on the Suez Canal.

Formative Evaluation

Map of the smartphone supply chain.
Reflective writing on the simulation (where did the «bottleneck» occur?).
Discussion participation rubric.

Integration of Ethical Values

Labor Rights: Discuss working conditions in mines and factories in the supply chain.
Transparency: The role of technologies such as blockchain to verify the ethical origin of a product.

STEM Disciplines and Skills

Science: Physics (electromagnetism, Ohm's Law), power generation (turbines).
Technology: Circuit design (Tinkercad Circuits), multimeters.
Engineering: Electrical engineering (series vs. parallel circuits), design of an «electrical network» (system).
Mathematics: Ohm's Law (V=IR), power calculation (P=VI).

Critical Thinking: Why is a parallel circuit better for Christmas lights? How do we balance supply and demand in an electrical network?
Collaboration: To build an electromagnet or simple motor in a team.

Hands-on activities

Build an electromagnet: Wrap copper wire around a nail and connect it to a battery to lift clips. Test variables (more turns, more voltage).
Single Homopolar Motor: Create a simple motor with a battery, a screw, a neodymium magnet and a piece of wire.
Power Grid Simulation: Use Tinkercad Circuits to design a parallel circuit (a «house») and a series circuit. Test what happens if a «light» (LED) is burned in each.

Hybrid/Remote Adaptation (Simulation): Tinkercad Circuits is 100% web-based. Students can build, simulate and share their circuit designs digitally.

Tinkercad Circuits (web), Phet (circuit simulators).

Formative Evaluation

Electromagnet laboratory report (voltage vs. force).
Functional Tinkercad simulation (with explanation).
Simple test on Ohm's Law.

Integration of Ethical Values

Access to Energy: Discuss «energy poverty» and how access to electricity impacts education and health.
Sustainability: The challenge of creating «Smart Grids» that integrate renewable energies.

STEM Disciplines and Skills

Science: Cryptography (Caesar encryption, substitution), metadata analysis.
Technology: «Ethical hacking (phishing, social engineering), network analysis (Wireshark - concept).
Engineering: Design of a personal «security policy» (a system).
Mathematics: Logic (Boolean), probability (brute force attacks).

Critical Thinking: What information do I «give away» in my photos (metadata)? How do I recognize a phishing email?
Creativity: Create and decrypt encrypted messages.

Hands-on activities

Metadata Analysis: Take a photo (with permission) and use an online EXIF viewer to view the hidden metadata (location, phone type, time).
Phishing simulation: Analyze 5 (fake) emails and identify the «red flags» (sender, urgency, suspicious links) that indicate a phishing attack.
Cryptography Challenge: Send and receive messages using Caesar encryption (letter rotation). Write a small program in Scratch that encrypts/decrypts messages.

Hybrid/Remote Adaptation (Phishing): Use online tools (e.g. «Google's Phishing Quiz») for students to test their attack detection skills.

EXIF viewers (web), Google Phishing Quiz, Scratch (web).

Formative Evaluation

Metadata analysis report.
Score in the phishing quiz (with explanation of errors).
Scratch program that works.

Integration of Ethical Values

Privacy vs. security: Debate: How much privacy should we give up for security?
Ethical Hacking: Discuss the difference between a «black hat hacker» (criminal) and a «white hat hacker» (ethical).

STEM Disciplines and Skills

Science: Data science (language models, NLP), neural networks (concept).
Technology: Interaction with LLMs (Gemini, ChatGPT), «Prompts Engineering».
Engineering: Design of a training «data set» (curation).
Mathematics: Logic, probability (how likely is it that this word follows the other?).

Digital Literacy: Understand that LLMs «predict», not «think» or «understand».
Critical Thinking: How can I verify if the output of an AI is correct (hallucinations)? What are the biases in this model?

Hands-on activities

Prompts Engineering: Give the class an assignment (e.g., «write a poem about a sad robot»). Compare the results of a simple prompt vs. a detailed prompt (with role, format, tone).
«AI »Turing Test": Present 5 texts (some written by AI, some by humans). Students must vote and justify why they think it is AI or human.
Discussion: AI «Black Box»: Discuss the «black box» problem (not knowing *how* the AI arrived at a decision). Is it ethical to use AI for medical or legal decisions?

Hybrid/Remote Adaptation (Prompts Engineering): Students interact with a free LLM at home and post their top 3 prompts (and results) in a class forum.

ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Google's Teachable Machine (Grade 6 Unit 6).

Formative Evaluation

Comparison of prompts (quality rubric).
Results and justification of the «Turing Test».
Argumentative paper on the «black box» debate.

Integration of Ethical Values

Intellectual Property: Whose AI-generated art or text is it?
Disinformation: The risk of «deepfakes» and how AI can be used to create disinformation.
Transparency: The need to know when we are interacting with an AI vs. a human.

STEM Disciplines and Skills

Science: Materials science (green concrete, laminated wood), thermodynamics (passive design).
Technology: 3D design (Tinkercad, SketchUp), «heat island» analysis (GIS).
Engineering: Civil/environmental engineering (green roof design, rainwater harvesting, decentralized energy networks).
Mathematics: Calculation of area/volume (green roofs), cost-benefit analysis, energy efficiency.

Creativity: How can we redesign our buildings/cities to work *with* nature, not against it?
Critical (Systemic) Thinking: Design a city where energy, water and waste are in a closed loop system.

Hands-on activities

Campus Sustainability Audit: Evaluate the school in 3 areas: energy (lights), water (drips) and waste (recycling). Propose 3 low-cost engineering solutions.
Design of «Green Roof» (Model): Build a model of a green roof (tray, drainage layers, soil, plants) and measure how much «rain» water it can hold vs. a normal roof.
Design of «Sustainable City 2050»: In groups, design a 3D model (Tinkercad or Minecraft) of a city that integrates clean energy, public transportation and biomimetics (Unit 2).

Hybrid/Remote Adaptation (City Design): Use Tinkercad or Minecraft Education Edition to collaborate online on the design of your city. Present with a video walkthrough.

Tinkercad, Minecraft Education, Google SketchUp (free), Phet.

Formative Evaluation

Sustainability audit report (with solutions).
Green roof laboratory report (retention data).
Presentation of the city model (systems integration rubric).

Integration of Ethical Values

Sustainability: Design for «life cycle cost» (LCA), not just initial cost.
Equity: Ensure that sustainable solutions (parks, clean air) are available to all, not just the wealthy.

STEM Disciplines and Skills

Science: Research methodology, data analysis (quantitative and qualitative).
Technology: Prototyping tools (any of the above units), presentation software.
Engineering: Complete engineering design process (Investigate, Ideate, Prototype, Test, Iterate, Communicate).
Mathematics: Project budget, statistical analysis of test results.

Collaboration: Long-term project management (8-10 weeks).
Critical (Systemic) Thinking: Define a complex problem, propose a multifaceted solution and defend it with evidence.

Hands-on activities

Phase 1: Project Proposal: In groups, identify a real problem (school, community or global) and write a formal proposal (problem, background research, proposed solution, plan).
Phase 2: Research and Prototyping: Execute the plan. Thoroughly research, build a high fidelity prototype (functional if possible).
Phase 3: Testing and Presentation (STEM Fair): Test the prototype with real users, collect data on its effectiveness, iterate. Present the final project at a «Solutions Fair» to the community.

Hybrid/Remote Adaptation (STEM Digital Fair): Groups collaborate using cloud-based tools (Google Docs, Figma, Tinkercad). They create a simple website (Google Sites) as their trade show «booth», including videos of their prototype.

Google Suite (Docs, Sheets, Sites), Figma, Tinkercad, any relevant tool.

Formative Evaluation

Project proposal (rubric).
Project portfolio (documentation, test data, iterations).
Final presentation at the «Solutions Fair» (peer and teacher evaluation).

Integration of Ethical Values

Agency and Leadership: Take ownership of a problem and lead a solution.
Academic Integrity: Cite sources, present data honestly (even if the test failed).
Resilience: Understand that large projects often fail before they succeed.