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Technology Basics
Tools, hardware, input, output, and the big idea that technology helps us solve problems.
● K–5 · THINKING IN MOTION
Big ideas start
with a tiny spark.
In Innovation Lab, students learn to use technology as a problem-solving tool—then design, test, code, question, create, and try again.
ASK✦IMAGINE✦CREATE✦TEST✦IMPROVE
OUR YEAR IN SIX BIG IDEAS
Learn, then
keep exploring.
Each Big Idea now includes a few trusted places to practice, create, and explore. New resources will be added as we move through the school year.
♢
Digital Citizenship
Safe choices, kind communication, privacy, passwords, and responsible Chromebook habits.
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Media Literacy
How messages get our attention—and how to pause, question, and check what we see.
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Digital Creation
Keyboarding, drawing, presenting, storytelling, and turning ideas into something others can use.
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Data + AI
Patterns, sorting, simple algorithms, and age-appropriate ways to understand how computers make choices.
{ }
Coding + Design
Sequencing, debugging, robotics, prototyping, testing, improving, and trying again.
HOW INNOVATION HAPPENS
We don’t need the
right answer first.
Good designers learn from every attempt. Our classroom celebrates thoughtful risks, useful mistakes, patient debugging, and the courage to revise an idea.
“It didn’t work yet” is information—not failure.
1ASKWhat problem can we solve?
2IMAGINEWhat could we try?
3CREATEBuild the first version.
4TESTWhat happened?
5IMPROVEMake it even better.
WHAT ARE WE LEARNING?
Choose your
grade level.
Choose a grade to jump to its 2026–27 lesson log. New days will be added throughout the year.
K
View lessons ↓Kindergarten
Explore with movement, songs, big visuals, and guided practice.
Touch · Move · Try1
View lessons ↓1st Grade
Build confidence with short challenges and lots of practice.
Explore · Practice · Share2
View lessons ↓2nd Grade
Use digital tools more independently and explain simple choices.
Plan · Create · Explain3
View lessons ↓3rd Grade
Take on multi-step challenges and learn from testing.
Build · Test · Improve4
View lessons ↓4th Grade
Create purposeful digital work and solve richer problems.
Question · Design · Revise5
View lessons ↓5th Grade
Combine skills, make independent choices, and lead with ideas.
Imagine · Build · Lead2026–27 LEARNING JOURNEY
Latest from
the Lab.
Lessons may shift slightly as classes learn at their own pace.
GRADE LESSON LOG
Kindergarten
Movement, songs, big visuals, and guided practice.
Day 1 · August 2026
What Is Technology?
We learn that technology is any tool made to solve a problem. Students practice Ready Position and classroom routines through movement and call-and-response.
Day 2 · August–September 2026
Input + Output
We use picture cards, songs, motions, and classroom examples to act out how information goes into and comes out of a device.
COMING NEXTDigital Citizenship · Safe, Kind + Responsible
↑ Choose another gradeGRADE LESSON LOG
1st Grade
Short challenges with plenty of practice and sharing.
Day 1 · August 2026
Technology + Lab Routines
Students explore problem-solving tools and practice Chromebook care, Ready Position, and our classroom color system.
Day 2 · August–September 2026
Hardware Hunt
Students find classroom tools, sort picture cards, and practice input versus output with movement and songs.
COMING NEXTDigital Citizenship · Safe, Kind + Responsible
↑ Choose another gradeGRADE LESSON LOG
2nd Grade
Guided exploration that grows into independence.
Day 1 · August 2026
Innovation Lab Bootcamp
Students learn lab routines, define technology as a problem-solving tool, and practice responsible Chromebook use.
Day 2 · August–September 2026
Hardware + Input/Output
Students complete a guided hardware hunt and classify the tools they discover.
COMING NEXTDigital Citizenship · Safe, Kind + Responsible
↑ Choose another gradeGRADE LESSON LOG
3rd Grade
Multi-step challenges with building, testing, and explaining.
Day 1 · August 2026
Technology + Lab Routines
Students practice procedures and explain how technology helps people solve problems.
Day 2 · August–September 2026
Chromebook + Hardware Challenge
Students identify Chromebook parts, classify input/output devices, and complete a classroom scavenger hunt.
COMING NEXTDigital Citizenship · Safe, Kind + Responsible
↑ Choose another gradeGRADE LESSON LOG
4th Grade
Purposeful creation and richer problem solving.
Day 1 · August 2026
Innovation Lab Bootcamp
Students review procedures, responsible tool use, and the difference between technology and electronics.
Day 2 · August–September 2026
Input/Output Investigation
Students label hardware, defend classifications, and find examples beyond obvious electronic tools.
COMING NEXTDigital Citizenship · Safe, Kind + Responsible
↑ Choose another gradeGRADE LESSON LOG
5th Grade
Independent choices, leadership, and deeper explanations.
Day 1 · August 2026
Innovation Lab Bootcamp
Students model lab leadership and connect innovation to responsible problem solving.
Day 2 · August–September 2026
Advanced Hardware Challenge
Students analyze multi-purpose devices, justify classifications, and complete an extension challenge.
COMING NEXTDigital Citizenship · Safe, Kind + Responsible
↑ Choose another gradeTHE LAB WAY
Ready to learn.
Ready to create.
Simple, consistent routines help students spend less time wondering what to do—and more time learning.
- 01Enter + get readyFind a seat, collect the assigned Chromebook, and keep it at 45° until it is time.
- 02Try before askingTry independently, ask a neighbor, then ask the teacher.
- 03Use tools responsiblyGreen means go, yellow means ask, and red means teacher-only.
- 04Reset the spaceClean the area and return the Chromebook to the correct numbered, charging slot.
Ask your innovator:
“What problem did you solve today?”
Try these too: What did you test? What did you change? What did a mistake teach you? How did you use technology responsibly?