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Middle School, Computer Science Projects, Lessons, Activities (59 results)

From cell phones to social media, computer science is a part of your daily life. Everything from traffic lights to medical devices requires both computer hardware and software these days. Creative problem solvers are using computer science to tackle social problems, improve agriculture, make great entertainment, and start exciting new companies. What could you create and innovate with a bit of tinkering and programming?

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Wildfire Simulator
Science Fair Project Idea
Scientific Method
Wildfires can devastate communities, destroying homes and creating smoke that can affect air quality over huge areas. A wildfire could start from a natural cause like a lightning strike, or humans being careless with cigarette butts or campfires. What if you could predict how a wildfire will spread to help give people an advanced warning to get out of harm's way? Can forest management techniques like controlled burns—intentionally setting smaller, more controlled fires—help reduce… Read more
Make Your Own Wireless Alarm System
Science Fair Project Idea
Engineering Design Process
Have you ever wished you could have an alarm to prevent your little brother or sister from sneaking into your room? How about an alarm to prevent someone from stealing your favorite toy or from taking cookies out of the cookie jar? In this project you will learn how to program your own customized, wireless alarm systems to send you alerts about whatever you want! Read more
What Materials Can Block a Wi-Fi Signal?
Science Fair Project Idea
Scientific Method
Have you ever suffered from poor Wi-Fi reception for your smartphone, tablet, or laptop? Certain materials can actually block a Wi-Fi signal; do you think that could be part of your problem? In this science project, you will do an experiment to find out which materials cause the biggest drop in signal strength from a wireless router. Read more
Robot, Make Me a Sandwich!
STEM Activity
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71 reviews
Have you ever wanted a robot assistant that could do all your household chores? Science fiction has been showing us such robots for decades, but they're still not available! What's taking so long? In this project you will investigate some of the challenges in programming a "robot" to do a simple household task, such as making a sandwich. Read more
Build an Automatic Dog (or Cat) Treat Dispenser
Science Fair Project Idea
Engineering Design Process
Does your dog get bored when you are not home? Do you ever toss them a few treats right before you head out the door? What if you could keep them busy by automatically dispensing treats throughout the day? What about training them to sit in a certain place or even press a button by automatically rewarding them with treats? In this project you will build your own automatic dog (or cat, or other pet) treat dispenser that you can customize to react to different sensors.  Read more
How do Self-Driving Cars Know What to Do?
STEM Activity
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204 reviews
How do driverless cars know what to do at an intersection? How do they know when they should stop and when it is their turn to go? What about yielding to pedestrians? In this activity, you will write your own algorithm, or list of steps, for a driverless car to follow when navigating through various road scenarios like stop signs, traffic lights, and roundabouts (traffic circles). Read more
Analog vs. Digital Signals
Lesson Plan Grade: 6th-8th
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We hear the word "digital" all the time—digital technology, digital device, digital TV, etc. But what does it actually mean? In this lesson plan, your students will learn how digital signals allow us to reliably transmit and store information. Read more
NGSS Performance Expectations:
  • MS-PS4-3. Integrate qualitative scientific and technical information to support the claim that digitized signals are a more reliable way to encode and transmit information than analog signals.
Find the Best Place to Put a Solar Panel
Science Fair Project Idea
Scientific Method
Imagine trying to put a solar panel on your roof or outside your home to generate clean, renewable energy. Where would you put it so it generates as much power as possible throughout the day? What direction should it face? Is there a way to take measurements to find the best location before you install the panel? In this project, you will use a tiny programmable device called a micro:bit to record light data and find the best place to put your panel. Read more
Happy or Sad? Use Artificial Intelligence to Classify Faces
Science Fair Project Idea
Engineering Design Process
Do you think artificial intelligence (AI) is too complex to use? Think again! In this project, you will use AI to teach a web-based tool to classify happy and sad faces, or other objects, poses, or sounds. This experiment requires no coding skills; instead, you will need curiosity, creativity, and a critical eye. Why not give it a try yourself? Read more
Make a Medical Alert Fall Detector
Science Fair Project Idea
Engineering Design Process
Have you ever wondered what someone would do if they fell, got hurt, and could not get up on their own? What if they were home alone and could not reach a phone to call for help? Or, what if they lost consciousness - is there any way to automatically detect that they fell and needed help? In this project, you will program your own fall detector, a device that can automatically detect when someone has fallen over, then sound an alarm or even send a message to someone else. Devices like these are… Read more
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