North Dakota's CS or Cybersecurity Requirement: Start in Grades 6–9
North Dakota's CS or Cybersecurity Requirement: Start in Grades 6–9
North Dakota students must now pass a computer science or cybersecurity course before they graduate, and that course sits in high school. Middle school is where you can make it easier. The AI & Cybersecurity Units Bundle gives Grades 6–9 teachers six ready-made units on phishing, encryption, data protection and how AI works, so students reach that high school course already knowing the vocabulary and the basic ideas.
See the six cyber unitsNorth Dakota's HB 1398 requires students, starting with the class of 2026, to complete a computer science or cybersecurity course to graduate. This bundle is not that course and does not count toward it. The AI & Cybersecurity Units Bundle ($89.99) is middle school groundwork: six units for Grades 6–9 on AI, prompting, filter bubbles, data protection, phishing and encryption, each with leveled worksheets, a reading text, slides and answer keys.
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
Why the high school course lands better with a head start
Under HB 1398, passed in 2023, every North Dakota graduate from the class of 2026 on has to complete a computer science or cybersecurity course. As of the 2026–27 school year the rule is in force. A student who has never thought about how a password gets stolen or what encryption does will spend the first weeks of that course learning words like phishing, social engineering and cipher. Middle school teachers often want to help but have no computer science background and no time to build a unit from nothing. Many teach technology, library or advisory and get a few weeks for online safety. What helps most is short, finished units that explain one idea clearly, give students something to do with it, and come with an answer key, so a Grade 7 teacher can run them without first becoming a security expert. If students meet these ideas at twelve or thirteen, the high school course can start further along.
Why it fits
What the six units give a North Dakota middle school
Each unit stands alone, so you can match one to the weeks you actually have. Here is how the content lines up with the cybersecurity path students will meet later.
- Cybersecurity: Phishing & Social Engineering teaches students to spot the scams a later security course will expect them to recognize.
- Cryptography: Understanding Encryption introduces ciphers and keys before high school asks students to reason about them.
- Data Protection and Cyber Safety covers personal information and privacy habits students use every day.
- How Artificial Intelligence Works and Working with AI Tools and Prompting give the computer science side a starting point.
- Worksheets come on four levels, Basic, Standard, Plus and Project, so one unit works for the whole class.
- Full answer keys with a marking guide let a teacher without CS training grade with confidence.
Getting started
A suggested way to run it from Grade 6 to Grade 9
This is one possible spread across middle school. Move units to wherever your schedule has room.
- Grade 6: data protection firstOpen with Data Protection and Cyber Safety. It starts from what students already do online, uses the reading text to build vocabulary, and gives everyone a Basic or Standard worksheet before anyone tries the Plus level.
- Grade 7: phishing and social engineeringRun the phishing unit as a short block. The hands-on deep-dive task has students take apart a suspicious message, which is the habit a high school cybersecurity course will build on.
- Grade 7 or 8: how AI worksPair How Artificial Intelligence Works with Recommendation Algorithms and Filter Bubbles. Students see that the apps they use make choices for them, and the slides carry the explanation for you.
- Grade 8: encryptionTeach Cryptography: Understanding Encryption once students are comfortable with the earlier units. The Project level works well for students who are already eyeing the high school computer science or cybersecurity course.
- Grade 8 or 9: prompting and reviewFinish with Working with AI Tools and Prompting, then revisit earlier worksheets as review. Students arrive at the high school requirement with six topics already behind them.
What to buy
Which bundle to buy for North Dakota middle grades
For cybersecurity groundwork, the AI & Cybersecurity Units Bundle at $89.99 is the closest fit; the six units cost $149.94 if bought one by one. If your students also need programming basics, the Coding & Computer Basics Units Bundle ($69.99) adds algorithms, Python, binary and how the internet works. A school that wants one larger set for Grades 7–10 can look at the Computer Science Activities Bundle ($119.99), with 10 units and 30 lessons. The AI Literacy & Cybersecurity Activities ($69.99) and Digital Citizenship Activities ($69.99) suit advisory or digital literacy time more than a CS pathway.
Honest limits
What this bundle does not do
These units are not written for North Dakota and contain nothing state-specific: no North Dakota standards codes, no reference to HB 1398. They do not count toward the graduation requirement, and they are not a substitute for the high school course. Check the content against the North Dakota standards and your district's plans yourself. No software, accounts or devices are included; use whatever setup your school already has. The licence covers your own teaching, so send Teach Lessons a short message before sharing with a team. If the bundle is not a fit, you can exchange it within 7 days for store credit, not cash.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
Does this bundle meet North Dakota's HB 1398 requirement?
No. HB 1398 asks for a high school computer science or cybersecurity course, and only your district and the state decide which courses count. This bundle is middle school material. It is not aligned with, endorsed by or approved by North Dakota or any district. Read the unit topics on the product page and compare them with the North Dakota standards yourself before you plan around it.
I have never taught cybersecurity. Can I still use this?
That is who it was built for. Each unit has a detailed reading text that explains the topic, slides for the whole unit and full answer keys with a marking guide. You teach from the slides, students read and work through the leveled worksheets, and the key tells you what a good answer looks like. Reading the unit once before class is usually enough preparation.
Do students need computers for these units?
The product includes no software and does not require any. The worksheets, reading texts and deep-dive tasks are printable, and the slides can be shown from a teacher screen. If your school has devices and you want students to try something live, you can add that, but nothing in the bundle depends on it.
How long does one unit take?
The bundle does not fix a lesson count per unit, so plan from the material. Read through one unit's reading text, slides and worksheets and decide whether it fits a one-week or two-week block. The Project level makes a good extension for fast finishers if time allows.
Can our whole middle school use one purchase?
One purchase is licensed for your own teaching. If several teachers or a whole building want to use the units, send Teach Lessons a short message before buying and ask about team use. Please do not post the files on a shared drive or public site in the meantime.
What happens right after I order?
The six units are digital downloads. You get a link by email right after purchase, and the files also stay in your customer account under Orders. If you find within 7 days that the bundle does not suit your class, you can exchange it for store credit of equal value.
Give North Dakota students a head start on security
Six cybersecurity and AI units for Grades 6–9, ready to print and teach. Open the bundle page to see every unit.
See the six cyber units