Resources
The CRAFT Cycle — One-Pager
The whole framework on a single printable page. Contextualize → Reframe → Assemble → Fortify → Transfer, with classroom examples for each phase. New to CRAFT? Open this first.
Open the one-pager →Everything here is free to use, remix, and redistribute under CC BY-SA 4.0. The CRAFT PD Toolkit below is pulled straight from our Professional Development workshops so you can reuse the same templates, prompt libraries, and code starters your peers are using in their classrooms.
CRAFT PD Toolkit
Classroom-ready artifacts from the CRAFT PD Series (Contextualize → Reframe → Assemble → Fortify → Transfer). Organized by what you want to do, not by which workshop they came from.
Teach with AI
Help students use generative AI as a partner for STEM learning — with guardrails that make the thinking visible.
Lesson/Unit Template
Fillable template that maps a STEM lesson onto the CRAFT cycle. Start here when designing a new AI-integrated lesson.
Lesson/Unit Template (Florida)
Florida-tuned variant of the CRAFT lesson template. Standards picker leads with B.E.S.T. ELA/Math, NGSSS Science & Social Studies, and Florida K-12 CS, with national frameworks available alongside for state-to-national crosswalks.
Lesson/Unit Template (Texas)
Texas-tuned variant of the CRAFT lesson template. Standards picker leads with TEKS ELA & Reading, Math, Science, Social Studies, and Technology Applications (CS), with national frameworks available alongside for state-to-national crosswalks.
Lesson/Unit Template (Arizona)
Arizona-tuned variant of the CRAFT lesson template. Standards picker leads with Arizona ELA, Math, Science, Social Studies, and Computer Science, with national frameworks available alongside for state-to-national crosswalks.
IoT Lesson Template
CRAFT-aligned template for any edge/IoT lesson — from one-period demos to multi-week student design projects. Adds micro:bit sensor pickers, programming-environment choice, data-collection plan, and a student-facing Check-the-Machine prompt.
Prompt Library
Curated, classroom-tested prompts for Socratic tutoring, misconception surfacing, rubric drafting, and student work critique.
AI Platform Comparison
Side-by-side comparison of ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Copilot for K-12 use — data policies, age gates, strengths, and tradeoffs.
Teacher Grant Writer Support Tool
Fillable grant proposal builder for classroom technology (micro:bits, sensors, robotics, software, PD). Same Fill → Prompt → Recycle cycle as the lesson templates: draft your proposal, hand it to an LLM to expand and tailor to a target funder, then load the revised draft back in to download. Includes a curated Find a Grant directory of common K-12 STEM/CS funders.
Verify AI Outputs
Teach students to audit AI responses for factual, procedural, and pedagogical errors before they trust them.
Claim → Trace → Method (CtM) Template
A three-column student worksheet for verifying any AI answer: what does it claim, what evidence backs it, what method can you use to check it.
AI Error Gallery
Annotated examples of AI mistakes — hallucinated citations, wrong formulas, plausible-but-wrong code. Ready-to-use discussion artifacts.
Content Audit Checklist
Teacher-facing checklist for screening AI-generated curriculum materials before putting them in front of students.
Audit Workbench
Interactive in-browser tool: paste AI output, step through the audit protocol, export an annotated verification trail.
Error Hunt: Projectile Motion (Python)
AI-generated physics code with embedded bugs. Students debug and explain what went wrong.
Error Hunt: Temperature Conversion (Python)
Subtle unit-conversion errors in AI-generated code. A gentler on-ramp for middle-school coders.
Error Hunt: pH Calculation (Python)
Chemistry code with both logic and domain-knowledge mistakes. Great crossover for chem + CS.
Physical Computing & IoT (micro:bit)
Move students from AI on a screen to AI on a sensor — build, measure, and reason about the physical world.
Sensor Reference Guide
One-pager on every sensor in the micro:bit v2 — units, ranges, and sample use cases for each.
NGSS ↔ IoT Crosswalk
Mapping of common micro:bit + sensor activities to specific NGSS performance expectations by grade band.
Starter 1: Sensor Node (Temperature Sender)
MicroPython Role-A starter — read the onboard thermometer and broadcast it on a shared radio group. Pair with Starter 2 for a two-node IoT system in the simulator.
Starter 2: Aggregator Node (Running Average Receiver)
MicroPython Role-B starter — receive radio numbers, maintain a running average over the last 10 readings, display on the LED matrix. The partner device to Starter 1.
Starter 3: Sensor Node (Multi-Sensor Sender)
Level-up Role A — broadcasts a sender ID plus temperature and light as a single payload. Flash to two devices with different IDs to build a mesh.
Starter 4: Aggregator Node (Threshold Alert)
Level-up Role B — tracks the latest reading per sender and shows a greenhouse-style alert when any sender crosses a temperature/light threshold.
Starter 5: Comfort Index
Capstone starter that combines multiple sensors into a computed comfort metric. Model for student-driven synthesis projects.
CRAFT Pedagogy
Background reading and overview materials — use these when introducing the CRAFT cycle to colleagues or administrators.
CRAFT Cycle One-Pager
The whole framework on a single page. Contextualize, Reframe, Assemble, Fortify, Transfer — with classroom examples for each phase.
Workshop 1: AI for STEM
Full overview of Workshop 1 — foundations for using generative AI in STEM classrooms.
Workshop 2: Verifying AI Outputs
Full overview of Workshop 2 — auditing AI-generated content for the classroom.
Workshop 3: Edge AI & IoT
Full overview of Workshop 3 — physical computing and IoT with micro:bit and MicroPython.
Slide Decks
Grab-and-go materials for running your own session or sharing with a department.
Workshop 1 Slides (web)
Web-based slide deck for Workshop 1. Download PPTX.
Workshop 2 Slides (web)
Web-based slide deck for Workshop 2. Download PPTX.
Workshop 3 Slides (web)
Web-based slide deck for Workshop 3. Download PPTX.
Professional Development Video Library
Self-paced video PD, free on YouTube. Use these for department meetings, independent study, or induction for new teachers.
TACoS Workshops (The Artful Craft of Science)
Annual workshops blending CS, engineering, and the arts for elementary and middle-school educators.
TACoS IX (2023) — CS Track
CS walkthrough site paired with its YouTube playlist (28 videos, 1–4 min each).
TACoS IX (2023) — Engineering Track
Engineering walkthrough site paired with its Engineering Design with Computing YouTube playlist (27 videos, 1–4 min each).
TACoS VIII (2022)
2022 workshop recordings on YouTube — full playlist of CS, engineering, and arts integration sessions.
TACoS VII (2021)
2021 workshop recordings on YouTube — full playlist of CS, engineering, and arts integration sessions.
TACoS VI (2020)
First virtual edition — 5 longer-form recordings, ~10–20 min each.
Technical Sessions
Unplugged
No computer needed — great for introducing CS concepts without devices.
Thinking Like a Computer Scientist: Solve a Maze
No programming required — focuses on computational thinking through a hands-on maze problem.
Intro to CS with micro:bits
Hands-on introduction to physical computing. 2021 cohort · 2020 cohort.
Advanced JavaScript
Deeper-dive sessions for teachers ready to move beyond intro programming with their students.
Standards & Curriculum Alignment
Short explainer videos to help you align instruction to state and national CS standards.
What Is CS? YouTube Series
Short explainers on core CS concepts — drop into a lesson or share with families.
Cross-Disciplinary Standards Matrix
Interactive map of 378 lessons across CSTA, CCSS-Math, CCSS-ELA, NGSS, ISTE, C3, and National Core Arts standards. Includes a quick-start guide.
External STEM Resources
Vetted external resources for classroom use and at-home learning — seven NSF-supported STEM resources for student engagement in and outside the classroom.
Scratch
Program interactive stories, games, and animations while learning coding fundamentals through a visual interface.
Peep and the Big Wide World
One of the first STEM-focused shows for preschool-aged children, with parent and teacher resources for hands-on exploration.
Cyberchase
A 3D-builder math app and dozens of downloadable math and computing activities.
SciGirls
Interactive games and resources designed to encourage girls in STEM fields.
Design Squad
Videos and activities to engage students aged 10–13 in hands-on engineering challenges.
NOVA
A wide range of science topics through video, from ancient animals to polar research.
Foldscope
Affordable paper microscopes developed by an NSF-funded researcher for hands-on scientific observation.
Community & Additional Materials
Discord Community
You should have received a link to connect at one of our PDs. If you didn't, reach out and we'll get you connected.