Integrating AI Concepts and Literacy for Rural Upper Elementary Students: A Curriculum Initiative and Teacher Professional Development

While artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming increasingly central to modern life, more educational opportunities on this topic are needed in pre-college settings, especially at the elementary level and in rural communities. Many students perceive AI as "magic," highlighting the need for developmentally appropriate instruction that demystifies how AI tools and processes work. Addressing this need, the three-year Researcher-Practitioner Partnership focuses on providing AI education for elementary students in rural contexts, a demographic facing significant opportunity gaps due to limited resources, professional development, and support networks for adopting new technologies. Motivated by a national push for enhanced AI literacy and a need for accessible curricula in rural regions, the project expands prior NSF-funded efforts by developing AI-themed children's literature aligned with the Five Big Ideas of AI from the NSF-funded AI4K12 Initiative. This literature serves as both instructional material and narrative entry points, making complex AI and machine learning (ML) concepts engaging and accessible to students in grades 4-6. Complementing the children's literature, the project adapts the Compose and Code (CoCo) computer science education platform into a universally designed digital learning environment called CoCo+AI to teach AI and ML concepts through storytelling, writing, and hands-on computational activities. A key innovation of this initiative is its tailored approach to rural contexts, providing developmentally appropriate children's literature and professional learning for elementary teachers. By demystifying AI through age-appropriate storytelling and interactive digital tools, the project aims to expand access to AI and ML learning experiences. Through direct classroom implementation, this mixed methods research will reach approximately 750 students and provide professional development for approximately 20 rural elementary teachers, equipping them with the tools and strategies needed to teach AI concepts. Key research questions guiding this work include: (1) How do students and teachers engage with AI-themed children's literature, and how does it influence their AI understanding?; (2) To what extent and in what ways does CoCo+AI professional development increase rural elementary teachers' self-efficacy for teaching AI concepts?; (3) In what ways and to what extent does the CoCo+AI platform and curriculum integrating storytelling, coding, and machine learning promote understanding of and interest in AI concepts among students in rural settings?; and (4) In what ways and to what extent does the CoCo+AI platform promote rural teachers' understanding of and interest in AI concepts? Contributions of this project include a comprehensive, integrated AI/ML and literacy curriculum; high-quality, technically accurate AI-themed children's literature; a refined, universally designed digital learning platform (CoCo+AI); and evidence-based professional development strategies. These deliverables will be freely disseminated through a project website, academic publications, and professional conferences, serving as a model for other under-resourced communities nationally and into the emerging knowledge base of integrated AI education. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.