Integrating CS

Integrating CS into Other Subject Areas

Integrative approaches may have some advantages over a stand-alone CS course, including that the use case of computing is more obvious when it is applied to another subject area, and a task may naturally be more authentic when embedded into another subject (Ko et al., 2024). Further, integrating CS can improve learning achievement in the discipline into which CS is integrated (Century et al., 2020) and can increase student engagement (Strickland et al., 2021). Integrating CS into other subject areas creates opportunities for projects that are more meaningful for students (Tissenbaum & Ottenbreit-Leftwich, 2020). It may also be logistically simpler for some schools to integrate CS content into other courses than to offer a stand-alone CS course, perhaps through small exercises that use programming to meet learning objectives in the other course (Guzdial, 2022).

The following table showcases some examples of lessons that integrate CS concepts into other disciplinary content.

Subject

Example of Integration

Language Arts

ELA concepts:

close reading for meaning and tone

CS concepts:

types of data, data cleaning, data analysis and visualization

Activity: Using a text file of Romeo and Juliet, students record counts for each character’s dialogue and then visualize that data. Using the visualization, students look for patterns in the data and then use the patterns to confirm what is known about the play and to generate new questions about the text. Students also assess word frequency per scene to look for patterns in the text.

Source: integrated Computational Thinking

Math

Math concepts:

ratios, coordinates, scaling

CS concepts:

functions, decomposition, image manipulation, comments

Activity: Students create flags, using a combination of math and CS concepts. First, students sketch the image on graph paper. Then, they experiment with predefined functions to decompose elements of national flags and then compose additional flags.

Source: Bootstrap

Science

Science concepts:

ecosystems, evolution, patterns and systems, using models

CS concepts:

clearing, analyzing, and visualizing data; troubleshooting and debugging

Activity: Students develop and experiment with computational models to explore the behavior of a forest fire and its impact on the forest ecosystem.

Source: CT-STEM

Social Studies

Social studies concepts:

population growth patterns, data literacy

CS concepts:

function parameters, data visualization

Activity: Students explore patterns in population change across countries and time spans. They create multiple data visualizations by using a specialized tool to adjust parameters to generate the appropriate visualization, which can then be analyzed.

Source: Data Visualization for Learning tool

Fine Arts

Music concepts: elements of a song (tempo, measures, sections)

CS concepts: functions, parameters

Activity: Students create a song by using predefined functions with the appropriate parameters, as they practice using music concepts and terminology.

Source: EarSketch

There are many options for integrating the foundational CS content into other subject areas. Because integrating CS into another subject area requires subject matter expertise in both domains, it can be difficult to envision how exactly CS could be productively integrated into another subject. The below table provides a sample of how such integration might be accomplished: it takes one learning outcome from the Algorithms Topic Area and shows how it might be taught in lessons across other disciplines.

Subject	Integration Ideas for “AL.12 – Compose algorithms using sequence, selection, and iteration”
Language Arts	Write a paragraph outlining how you decide what to wear each day. Use each of these words at least once: then, if, repeat. Write a persuasive essay describing what you think the consequences should be for online bullying. Use each of these words at least once: next, while, again. Create a flowchart of the plot for a short story where the reader makes choices about what event will happen next.
Math	Write out all of the steps to find the volume of a cone. Describe the steps to determining whether it is better to lease or purchase a car, using information from a local car dealer’s website. You have learned three different methods for solving quadratic equations. Create a flowchart describing how you would decide which method to use.
Science	List the steps for how each of the three major types of rocks are formed. Write a list of procedures that describe the life cycle of recyclable materials in your community. Create a flowchart that presents all possible outcomes in an offspring for a characteristic that is determined by two different genes.
Social Studies	Create a flowchart that showcases the process of a bill becoming – or not becoming – a law. Write a paragraph that describes a historical counterfactual. Include at least three if-then statements in your description. Graphically depict a cost-benefit analysis for a topic of your choice related to a decision that a small business may encounter.
Fine Arts	Write pseudocode for the creation of pixel art. Create a dance routine; list the steps. Create a flowchart that includes at least six principles for floral design.

In addition to outlining examples of how content items from the Topic Areas might be integrated into other subject areas, we also offer some more general principles, concerns, and recommendations for integrating CS content. The major challenge to integration is that it requires the support of teachers from other subject areas, who will require professional learning and perhaps persuasion in order to be able to successfully implement CS into their classrooms. They may feel that they do not have the time or energy to do this work (Clarke-Midura & Recker, 2022).

Role	Approaches
Curriculum designers and teachers	Encourage innovative pedagogies and activities, such as task-specific programming languages (Guzdial & Naimipour, 2019). Introduce promising practices for computing education pedagogy, such as pair programming (Bishop-Clark et al., 2006). Infuse “across the curriculum” approaches. Identify content to be experienced in younger grades as students continue to be exposed to CS at earlier ages.
Administrators	Frame CS integration as part of the effort to prepare students for careers of the future. Offer substantive professional development that is targeted to the subject area in which CS will be integrated. Showcase easy-to-implement lessons that cover key concepts in the subject domain as well as key CS concepts, such as developing a text-based story or game that meets ELA and social studies standards related to Native American history. Frame CS as more than just programming. For example, emphasize that computational thinking is a framework for activities that are likely already being taught. This can provide students with opportunities to see connections across disciplines.
For professional development providers	Address concerns about teacher self-efficacy, which may be aided by analog or unplugged activities, co-teaching, an instructional coach model, and/or games and other easier-to-implement approaches. Adopt approaches and insights from adult learning theory, such as focusing on the benefits of CS integration to teachers themselves; for example, frame professional learning around the persona of a social studies teacher who wants to teach students enough about algorithms for students to understand the role that social media plays in political polarization. Focus on aspects and framings of CS that are more approachable, such as design thinking and computational thinking.

When all students develop a consistent foundation in CS (whether through a stand-alone course, integration into other subject areas, or both), teachers are able to leverage and extend student CS knowledge and skills beyond the foundation and into other discrete CS courses. Another option is to integrate advanced CS content in other subject areas. This may be achieved through an approach similar to the X + CS pathways.

Another approach is outlined in this table, which shows how fundamental and specialized AI content can be integrated into other courses that students take after their foundational CS learning experience. This example can be extrapolated and applied to other specialty areas such as data science and physical computing.

Subject Area	Example Integration of AI Content	Content Alignment Example
Social Studies (including Civics and Ethnic Studies)	What is AI?: history, levels of AI, future careers, laws Ethical frameworks, philosophy, psychology, bias Ethical design and empathy interviews Biases in data collection, analysis, and reporting Using AI tools to solve problems	Exploration of AI ethics aligns with this item in the New York Learning Standards for Social Studies: “Prepare a plan of action that defines an issue or problem, suggests alternative solutions or courses of action, evaluates the consequences for each alternative solution or course of action, prioritizes the solutions based on established criteria, and proposes an action plan to address the issue or to resolve the problem.” Sample activity: Students develop a plan of action related to the environmental costs of developing LLMs.
Mathematics	Representation and reasoning, KNN, vectors Using datasets, regression, probabilistic thinking Using AI tools to solve problems Linear algebra, matrices, vectors, probability, statistics Programming applications with math	Using datasets aligns with this item in the Texas Mathematics Essential Knowledge and Skills: “Students will extend their knowledge of data analysis and numeric and algebraic methods.” Sample activity: Students analyze the output of unsupervised learning models that categorize data.
Language Arts	Natural interaction, semantics, chatbots Intro to prompt engineering Using AI tools to solve problems	An introduction to prompt engineering aligns with this item from the Illinois English Language Arts Learning Standards: “Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.” Sample activity: Students write prompts using techniques such as few-shot prompting.
Science	Sensors, perception, and classification Using AI tools to solve problems Using data: collection, cleaning, data types, validity, bias Fundamentals of electronics, mechanisms, circuits, gears, sensors Robot hardware manipulation (or software simulators)	Using sensors (and resultant data) and using AI tools to solve problems aligns with this item from the Mississippi Career-Readiness Standards for Science: “Students will use mathematical and computational analysis to evaluate problems.” Sample activity: Students use sensors to gather data about a chemical process and then analyze it using an AI library.
Computing	Intro to AI programming Convolutional neural networks (CNN), decision trees, bias AI programming project Computer vision, sensor applications, models, perceptions ML models: optimization, accuracy, decision-making, ethical considerations Preparation for industry certification	Some content may be most appropriate or feasibly implemented in a discrete computing course. Sample activity: Create a program that uses a decision tree to decide which students will be granted a scholarship, using a fictitious dataset. Then, use the decision tree to assess the fairness of the results.
Fine Arts	Biases in data collection, analysis, and reporting AI programming (project)	Exploring biases in data collection aligns with this item from the Nevada Visual Arts Standards: “Demonstrate awareness of ethical implications of making and distributing creative work. Sample activity: Students explore similarities and differences between how AI models and artists make use of others’ intellectual property, as well as the ethical and legal ramifications of such use.

Integrating CS

Integrating CS into Other Subject Areas

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