Arkansas CS Graduation Requirement: AI and Cybersecurity for Grades 6–9
Arkansas CS Graduation Requirement: AI and Cybersecurity for Grades 6–9
Arkansas requires a computer science course for high school graduation, so middle school is the natural place to build the background. The AI & Cybersecurity Units Bundle gives Grades 6–9 six printable units on how AI works, prompting, filter bubbles, phishing, encryption and data protection. They run on paper and teacher slides, which also suits classrooms under the state's bell-to-bell phone rule.
Open the AI and cyber bundleArkansas students need a computer science course to graduate, and that course comes in high school. For the years before, the AI & Cybersecurity Units Bundle ($89.99) offers six Grades 6–9 units: How Artificial Intelligence Works, Working with AI Tools and Prompting, Recommendation Algorithms and Filter Bubbles, Data Protection and Cyber Safety, Phishing & Social Engineering, and Understanding Encryption. It is preparation only and does not count toward the graduation requirement.
The resources
AI & Cybersecurity Units Bundle, Grades 6–9
6 resources in one download: $89.99 instead of $149.94 bought separately.
Start with the first resource; the others are optional add-ons. Open any cover for the full contents and price.
AI & Cybersecurity Units Bundle | How AI Works, Prompting, Phishing, Encryption & Data Privacy | 6 Units | Grades 6–9
Coding & Computer Basics Units Bundle | Algorithms, Python, Binary & How the Internet Works | 4 Units | Grades 6–9
Computer Science Activities Bundle | Artificial Intelligence, Python Programming, Cybersecurity & Digital Literacy | Middle School Grades 7–10
AI Literacy & Cybersecurity Activities | Artificial Intelligence, Prompt Engineering & Online Safety | Grades 7–10
Digital Citizenship Activities | Cyberbullying, AI, Social Media & Media Literacy Lessons | Grades 7–10
The real problem
Teaching about technology when phones stay away
Two Arkansas rules meet in the middle school classroom. Computer science is a graduation requirement, so every student will eventually sit in a high school CS course. And under Act 122, passed in 2025, schools keep student phones away from bell to bell. As of the 2026–27 school year that leaves a middle school teacher with an odd task: explain artificial intelligence, recommendation feeds and phishing to twelve-year-olds who cannot pull out the device where all of it happens. Lessons that assume each student has a phone open no longer work. What students need instead is clear explanation, examples they can look at on paper, and tasks that make them think about the apps they use after school. Most middle schools also lack a computer science specialist. The unit often goes to a technology, library or advisory teacher who needs to understand the topic well enough to answer questions, and who needs an answer key to grade fairly. AI adds its own pressure, because students already use chatbots and feeds without knowing how they decide anything. A teacher who can explain that clearly in Grade 7 hands the high school course students who ask better questions.
Why it fits
Why these six units work in an Arkansas middle school
Each unit has a reading text, leveled worksheets, a hands-on task, slides and answer keys. Here is what that means for your room.
- Printable worksheets and reading texts let students study AI and online risks with phones put away.
- Teacher-led slides for each whole unit put the screen at the front of the room, not in pockets.
- Recommendation Algorithms and Filter Bubbles explains why two students see completely different feeds.
- Working with AI Tools and Prompting teaches how to ask an AI tool a clear question and judge the answer.
- Phishing & Social Engineering and Understanding Encryption give the security side real substance before high school.
- Four worksheet levels, Basic to Project, keep one unit usable for struggling and advanced students alike.
Getting started
A sample sequence for a semester elective
If your school offers a technology or CS elective in Grades 6–8, the six units could fill much of it. Adjust the order to suit your students.
- Weeks 1–3: how AI worksBegin with How Artificial Intelligence Works. Students read the text, work the Basic or Standard worksheet and talk through what a machine is actually doing when it seems to understand them.
- Weeks 4–5: feeds and filter bubblesFollow with Recommendation Algorithms and Filter Bubbles. Students compare how a feed chooses what to show and consider what they might be missing, all on paper and in discussion.
- Weeks 6–8: privacy and phishingTeach Data Protection and Cyber Safety, then Phishing & Social Engineering. Printed sample messages work well for the deep-dive task, and students practice spotting the warning signs.
- Weeks 9–10: encryptionCryptography: Understanding Encryption gives the class a concrete, puzzle-like topic. Faster students can move to the Plus or Project level while others stay at Standard.
- Final weeks: promptingEnd with Working with AI Tools and Prompting. If your school allows supervised device use, you can add live practice; otherwise students write and critique prompts on the worksheets.
What to buy
What to buy for Arkansas Grades 6–9
Choose the AI & Cybersecurity Units Bundle at $89.99 if AI and online safety are your priority; the six parts cost $149.94 when bought individually. If you want students to write simple programs too, add the Coding & Computer Basics Units Bundle ($69.99) with algorithms, Python, binary and how the internet works. The Computer Science Activities Bundle ($119.99) is a broader Grades 7–10 set of 10 units and 30 lessons. The AI Literacy & Cybersecurity Activities ($69.99) and Digital Citizenship Activities ($69.99) lean toward discussion and fit advisory periods.
Honest limits
What to know first
This bundle was not written for Arkansas. It has no Arkansas standards codes and does not mention the graduation requirement or Act 122. It does not count toward the high school CS course, so compare it with the Arkansas standards and your district's course plan yourself. No software, accounts or devices are included, and any device use follows your school's own phone and technology policy. The licence covers your own classroom; if colleagues want to use it, send Teach Lessons a short message first. Within 7 days you can exchange the bundle for store credit if it is not right for you.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
Is this approved for Arkansas's computer science graduation requirement?
No. The bundle is not aligned with, endorsed by or approved by Arkansas or any district, and it does not count toward the high school CS requirement. It is middle school preparation. Look through the unit list on the product page and check it against the Arkansas computer science standards and your district's plans before you schedule it.
Can I teach AI and cybersecurity without student phones or laptops?
Yes. Every unit has a printable reading text, worksheets on four levels and a deep-dive task, plus slides you can show from your own screen. Students can do the full unit on paper. If your school permits supervised device use for a lesson, that is your choice; the bundle includes no software and does not require any.
How is this different from the AI Literacy & Cybersecurity Activities?
The AI & Cybersecurity Units Bundle is six separate units for Grades 6–9, each with four worksheet levels, a reading text, slides and answer keys. The AI Literacy & Cybersecurity Activities product ($69.99) is aimed at Grades 7–10 and is built around case studies, discussions and inquiry tasks on AI, prompts, phishing and privacy.
Do I need a computer science background?
No. The reading texts explain each topic in plain language, and the answer keys come with a marking guide, so you can grade written responses consistently. Reading the slides and the reading text for a unit before you teach it is enough for most teachers.
Can our district buy this for several middle schools?
A single purchase covers one teacher's own teaching. For several teachers or schools, send Teach Lessons a short message before buying and explain how many teachers and which schools would use the units. Teach Lessons can then tell you how team use works. Please do not upload the files to a shared or public site.
What if the units are not right for my class?
The download arrives by email right after purchase and stays in your account under Orders. If you decide within 7 days that the bundle does not suit your class, you can exchange it for store credit of equal value and choose something else from the store.
Phones away, AI and security on the desk
Six printable units that prepare Arkansas middle schoolers for the high school CS course. Open the bundle to read each unit's contents.
Open the AI and cyber bundle