Virginia Middle School Computer Science: AI and Cybersecurity Units
Virginia Middle School Computer Science: AI and Cybersecurity Units
If you have been handed a middle school computer science or digital literacy class in Virginia and have never taught one, the AI & Cybersecurity Units Bundle gives you six complete units for $89.99. They cover how AI works, prompting, recommendation algorithms, data protection, phishing and encryption, each with leveled worksheets, slides and answer keys. No software is included, and the units are not aligned to Virginia's CS standards.
Check the six CS unitsThe AI & Cybersecurity Units Bundle ($89.99) contains 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 Cryptography. Each has worksheets on four levels, a reading text, a hands-on deep-dive task, slides and full answer keys with a marking guide. It suits a teacher new to CS; check it against Virginia's 2024 Computer Science SOL.
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 CS in a Virginia middle school when it is new to you
Virginia's 2024 Computer Science Standards of Learning were approved on June 21, 2024, with full implementation by 2025–26. As of 2026–27, the standards are in force, and not every teacher assigned a computer science or digital literacy section trained in the subject. A math, science or library teacher can end up with a CS section and a few weeks to prepare. In high school, a computer science credit may count toward the mathematics, laboratory science or CTE requirement, while no stand-alone CS course is required for graduation. That puts middle school in the position of laying groundwork without a single required course to aim at. Two further facts shape the classroom. Students arrive with strong opinions about AI and apps but little sense of how either works. And under Executive Order 33, signed July 9, 2024, Virginia set cell phone restrictions for schools, so lessons that assume students will pull out their own phones may not match your building's policy. What new CS teachers usually need first is clear explanations they can trust, tasks that work on paper or on school devices, and an answer key they can lean on.
Why it fits
Why these units suit a first-year CS teacher
Each unit is self-contained, so you can teach them in any order and stop after one if your class time is short.
- Every unit opens with a detailed reading text, so you learn the topic before you teach it.
- Worksheets on four levels let one class include beginners and students who already code at home.
- How Artificial Intelligence Works explains machine decisions without requiring any coding from students.
- The phishing and social engineering unit uses examples students can analyze on paper, with no phones out.
- Cryptography ends with a hands-on deep-dive task, so students work with encryption instead of only reading about it.
- Full answer keys with a marking guide mean grading does not depend on your own CS background.
Getting started
A six-unit sequence for a semester or a rotation
A suggested order. Reshuffle it to fit your schedule, from a daily semester class to a nine-week wheel.
- Begin with how AI worksStart with How Artificial Intelligence Works so students separate what AI does from what they assume it does. That understanding carries through every later unit in the bundle.
- Practice careful promptingTeach Working with AI Tools and Prompting next, using whatever AI tool your division permits, or the paper tasks if none is approved. Students learn to write and judge prompts.
- Look at the feedUse Recommendation Algorithms and Filter Bubbles to show why two students see different content online. It connects AI ideas to the apps students already know well.
- Protect personal dataTeach Data Protection and Cyber Safety and then Phishing & Social Engineering. Pair them so students first learn what is worth protecting, then how attackers try to get it.
- Finish with encryptionEnd with Cryptography: Understanding Encryption. Its deep-dive task works well as a final project, and the four worksheet levels give strong students more challenge before the unit closes.
What to buy
Choosing your first CS purchase
For AI and online safety, buy the AI & Cybersecurity Units Bundle at $89.99; the six units cost $149.94 separately. If your course is meant to introduce coding, the Coding & Computer Basics Units Bundle ($69.99, parts $99.96) covers algorithms, Python, binary and how the internet works. For a broader year in Grades 7–10, the Computer Science Activities Bundle ($119.99) has 10 units and 30 lessons, including Python and networks. Two smaller options exist: AI Literacy & Cybersecurity Activities ($69.99) and Digital Citizenship Activities ($69.99), which covers cyberbullying, influencers, AI and responsibility, and consumer ethics.
Honest limits
Limits worth knowing
The units were not written for Virginia and are not aligned to the 2024 Computer Science Standards of Learning, so compare them with the standards and any division curriculum before planning a course. No software, accounts, devices or coding platforms are included; you use whatever your school already provides and whatever AI tools your division allows. You set the pacing and the grading weights. Use by a whole department needs a short message to Teach Lessons first. If the bundle turns out not to fit, you can exchange it within 7 days for store credit of equal value; there is no cash refund.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
Is the bundle aligned to Virginia's Computer Science SOL?
No. It is not aligned to, approved under or written for the 2024 Computer Science Standards of Learning, and it lists no SOL codes. The topics, such as how AI works, data protection and encryption, are common in middle school CS, but you should check them against the standards and your division's curriculum yourself.
I have never taught computer science. Can I really teach this?
That is who the units are built for. Each one starts with a detailed reading text that explains the topic, gives you slides for the whole unit, and ends with full answer keys and a marking guide. Reading the text the evening before is usually enough preparation for a lesson.
Do students need laptops or AI accounts?
No accounts or software come with the bundle, and the worksheets can be done on paper. For the prompting unit, use an AI tool only if your division allows it for students; otherwise work through the written prompting tasks. Check your school's device and AI policies first.
How does this work with Virginia's phone restrictions?
The units do not depend on students using personal phones. Phishing scenarios, encryption tasks and discussions about recommendation algorithms run on paper or on school devices. For anything involving personal devices, follow your school's policy under Executive Order 33, signed July 9, 2024, and ask your administration if you are unsure.
Can I use it in Grade 6 and Grade 9?
The units are written for Grades 6–9, and the four worksheet levels, Basic, Standard, Plus and Project, let you stretch them in both directions. A Grade 6 class may stay mostly on Basic and Standard, while Grade 9 students can move quickly to the Project level.
What if I want more coding?
Add the Coding & Computer Basics Units Bundle, which includes Programming with Python: first steps with print, variables and input, then if statements, loops and a mini-project. It also covers algorithms, binary and how the internet works. Students use whatever Python setup your school already has; none is supplied.
Walk into your first CS class prepared
Open the bundle page to read the six unit descriptions and see how each one is structured.
Check the six CS units