Engineering and computing units aligned to NGSS and CSTA
Each curriculum pack lists the standards it supports, week by week. We cite a code only where we checked it against the published standard, and we say when a fit is partial.
- Grades 6 to 12
- Units of 6 to 9 weeks
- Codes checked against the published lists
Projects to open
Each one runs in your browser in one click, with no account. Ages and times are suggestions.
555 blinker
MS-ETS1-4: change R and C, measure, and keep the better design.
- Grades 6 to 8
- About 45 minutes
Gate lab
3B-CS-02: logic, input and output on real chips.
- Grades 9 to 12
- About 45 minutes
Two boards, one wire
2-CS-02 and 2-NI-04: two boards exchange data over a protocol students extend.
- Grades 8 to 12
- About 60 minutes
The standards the packs use most
From the Next Generation Science Standards, engineering design:
- MS-ETS1-4: Develop a model to generate data for iterative testing and modification of a proposed object, tool, or process such that an optimal design can be achieved.
- HS-ETS1-4: Use a computer simulation to model the impact of proposed solutions to a complex real-world problem with numerous criteria and constraints on interactions within and between systems relevant to the problem.
- HS-PS3-3: Design, build, and refine a device that works within given constraints to convert one form of energy into another form of energy.
From the CSTA K-12 Computer Science Standards
The 2017 revision, by code:
- 2-CS-02: Design projects that combine hardware and software components to collect and exchange data.
- 2-CS-03: Systematically identify and fix problems with computing devices and their components.
- 2-AP-12: Design and iteratively develop programs that combine control structures, including nested loops and compound conditionals.
- 3B-CS-02: Illustrate ways computing systems implement logic, input, and output through hardware components.
- 2-NI-04: Model the role of protocols in transmitting data across networks and the Internet.
What we do not claim
Mokxi is not certified by any standards body, and alignment here means the activity gives students the practice the standard describes. Mokxi does not simulate magnetic fields, so HS-PS2-5 is not covered. Check each mapping against your own state’s adoption of these standards.
What you need
Nothing but a browser. Mokxi is a web page. The circuit and the code run inside the browser tab, the C++ compiles there too, and nothing is downloaded or installed, so it works on a school Chromebook, a family laptop or a tablet.
Kids’ privacy, plainly
What happens to a child’s information, written from what the code does.
- Every project here opens and runs with no account, so a child never has to give a name or an email to use it.
- Saving work needs an account. A child under 13 can have one only with consent: a parent writes to us from their own email address and we confirm it, or a school gives consent for its classes.
- For a student in a class, no analytics or advertising tag loads on any page, and classmates never see each other’s email addresses.
The details, for parents and schools: Student data privacy, COPPA and FERPA
Run it as a class
A roster with a join code, starters handed to every student, checks that grade each hand-in, a live wall and the curriculum pack answer keys. Classes come with Pro and the Teacher plan.
Questions
Is Mokxi NGSS certified?
No. No standards body certifies the tool. We map activities to standards where the practice matches, and say when a match is partial.
Where do the standard texts come from?
From the published NGSS performance expectations and the CSTA K-12 Computer Science Standards, revised 2017. We quote them as written.
What if my state uses its own framework?
Many state frameworks adopt or adapt these. Use the codes here as a starting point and check them against your state’s list.
Try it with your class
Open a project with no account, or start the free 30-day class trial: one class of up to forty students, every class tool, no card.