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Let's celebrate World Quantum Day 2023!

QuanTime will run for the second time April 14-May 31, 2023. During this time, we hope you will join other classrooms around the country and across the world in trying out a quantum activity. The activities we are sharing have been designed for K-12 and are a fun way to introduce middle and high school students to quantum information science.  You can choose between online and hands-on activities. No teacher expertise in quantum science is required.

What is QuanTime and how can my organization participate?

The 2nd annual QuanTime event will take place in the classroom or in afterschool programs but requires no educator expertise in quantum science.  A major goal of QuanTime is to promote quantum awareness and engagement for K-12 learners and educators nationwide. Our goal in 2023 is to offer educators 10+ activities spanning multiple age groups. 

To ensure quality, continued engagement and sustainability, submitted activities will be reviewed by a committee with expertise in developing and deploying such activities or similar programs. The activities will be screened for age appropriateness and adherence to criteria. 

Ways your organization or team can participate:

  • Design a QuanTime activity
  • Design supporting content, such as videos, to build excitement around QISE 
  • Facilitate dissemination and promotion of QuanTime
  • Sponsor QuanTime activity (e.g., materials purchase, distribution, or dissemination)
  • Help organize Q&A sessions to walk educators through activities and answer questions about QISE
Logistics

When: World Quantum Day, April 14, 2023

Where: K-12 classroom during the school day and after-school programs

Dissemination: q12education.org will have a sign-up with links to activities and information during Spring 2023. We will have a social media campaign to promote the event and also share it through professional teacher societies. Prior to the event, we will work with partners to produce video content for QISE that promotes quantum learning and future careers.

Submitting an activity: email byen@uchicago.edu

Criteria for Activities

Technical requirements:

  • Activity submission must specify grade groups 
  • Activities must be co-developed with K-12 teacher(s) or K-12 curriculum experts and/or have been evaluated by teachers or K-12 curriculum experts
  • Activities cannot require teacher expertise/knowledge in QISE in order to facilitate student participation
  • Activities must be free: No teacher/school purchase of materials required. If materials must be mailed, teachers can sign up through QuanTime. If shipping internationally is not possible, this must be specified in the activity description. Activities that use materials that are typical household items (e.g., recycled materials) may be suitable.
  • Activities should flexibly take between 45 minutes and 60 minutes to fit in one classroom period
  • Activities can be online or in-person hands-on
  • If online, the activity must work in a browser (no downloads since most schools do not allow downloads or installations). Check that activity is compatible with different browsers or computer setups.

 

Content requirements:

  • Must include information on how the activity relates to a QISE pillar (e.g., communications, networking, computing, sensing, simulation)
  • Must assume a general level of knowledge that 80% of children of the target age group would have.
  • Activities must be culturally sensitive, and avoid references to topics that marginalized groups would be unfamiliar with. Activities that are designed to be culturally responsive are highly encouraged
  • A short informational video should accompany a QuanTime activity to provide set-up instructions and contextualize the quantum concepts being illustrated by the activity within the field of quantum information science and engineering
Additional Design Considerations for Engaging Activities
  • Include career-related content that connects educators, students, and families to pathways and professionals working in QISE
  • If the activity has connections to NGSS, other standards, or curricula, include that information. The QIS K-12 Framework may be useful in this context.
  • If the activity has connections to topics of interest or impact to society (e.g., space, semiconductors), include that information
  • Include a mechanism for educators to provide feedback after the activity has been used
FAQs

1. Can I repackage a current activity that was for another event for QuanTime?

Yes! But it must follow the criteria above. For example, a quantum game could be very appealing but would need to fit into the time slot, and have accompanying video and instructions that students/facilitators/teachers can use. Sites and activities that are more “choose your own adventure,” free exploration or tutorials are not suitable out of the box for QuanTime. 

 

2. My organization wants to participate but doesn’t have in-house quantum expertise. How can we get involved?

We would love to have you participate. You can sponsor an activity, partner with another organization, or help disseminate QuanTime through your networks. You can also reach out to our team with questions or ideas. 

Activities and Community Resources from QuanTime 2022

Qupcakes: Quantum computing game

  • Grades 6-8
  • This activity introduces students to some of the basic ideas used in a quantum computer. In it, the player uses boxes that represent quantum operations to serve up some delicious qupcakes to hungry customers.
  • This is an online game that runs in browsers.
  • Activity designed by educational research groups at U. Chicago and UCSB, supported by NSF.
  • Teacher guide

Wonders of Quantum Physics: Electronic Transitions

  • Grades 7-12
  • This activity introduces students to the way that light interacts with electrons inside of an object. It also covers light and its dual personality as a wave and particle. These concepts are essential to certain quantum technologies.
  • Kits will be mailed to teachers in early April (limited supply).
  • Activity designed by outreach experts at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, supported by NSF.
  • Teacher guide

Queue Bits: Quantum fundamentals game

    • Grades 9-12
    • This activity explores the relationship between superposition, probability, and quantum measurement, which are concepts critical to quantum technologies. The game is modeled after Connect Four.
    • This is an online game that runs in browsers. Groups of two will do four rounds of Queue Bits play.
    • Activity designed by educational researchers at U. Chicago and UCSB, partially supported by NSF.
    • Teacher guide

Quantum Chess Puzzles: Quantum fundamentals game

  • Grades 9-12
  • This activity introduces students to basic probability, quantum measurement, superposition, and entanglement, as well as the difference between modern and quantum computing. These concepts are essential to many quantum technologies.
  • This is an online game that runs in browsers. No prior chess knowledge needed.
  • Activity designed by outreach experts, education professionals, and game developers at Caltech’s Institute for Quantum Information and Matter, Google’s Quantum AI Lab, Quantum Realm Games, and Western Illinois University. The project is partially supported by NSF.
  • Teacher information
  • Student link

Zeros and Ones: Quantum fundamentals game

    • Grades 9-12
    • This activity introduces students to probability, superposition, quantum measurement, and entanglement, as well as elements of quantum computing. These concepts are essential to many quantum technologies.
    • This is an activity that combines a classroom-wide game with a series of animations that facilitate the intro and setup of the game, as well as its connection to quantum concepts. The game itself requires only pen and paper.
    • Activity designed by outreach experts, education professionals, and game developers at Caltech’s Institute for Quantum Information and Matter, Google’s Quantum AI Lab, and Western Illinois University. The project is partially supported by NSF.
    • Teacher information/guide
    • Teacher guide
    • This activity is hands on and the information for doing it is available here.

APS Physics Quest Kits in Quantum Information Science

      • This year’s quantum kits are the latest in a series of classroom physics kits created by the American Physical Society. They have been co-designed with teachers. Kits are available for download online at present.
      • Grades 9-12
      • Description from design team: Discover the wonderful world of Quantum Mechanics and learn about the incredible life and work of Dr. Deborah Jin, a quantum scientist who used lasers and magnets to cool down atoms and make new states of matter. Through the four activities, students will have the opportunity to learn about creating models, the behavior of light, and how the strange world of atoms can be harnessed to create a new type of computer.
      • Teacher’s manual and a student manual with extension activities
      • Link to kits

The Qubit Game

      • This activity is a beta-version–meaning it is fully ready to play for free online, but has not yet been tested by teachers in the classroom. There is a way for teachers to give feedback through the game site.
      • Grades 5-12
      • Description from design team: The Qubit Game is a playful journey to building a quantum computer, one qubit at a time, while solving challenges that quantum engineers face in their daily work. If you succeed, you’ll discover new upgrades for your in-game quantum computer, complete big research projects, and hopefully become a little more curious about how quantum computers are built at Google Quantum AI.
      • Game is available now on desktop!

QuantumForAll Resources

        • QuantumForAll provides teacher professional development and curricular resources for quantum concepts. The project, partially supported by NSF, iterates on materials working with teacher cohorts. Some of the activities were developed for workshops at NSTA 2022 National Conference. Feedback is encouraged through the site.
        • Grades 4-12
        • Resources can be accessed in two ways:

About QuanTime

The organization of QuanTime is supported under the NSF-funded program Q2Work and was designed in response to an increase in requests for informal quantum educational activities packaged for K-12, such as the APS PhysicsQuest Kits. The 2022 activities were tested by teachers during a classroom pilot phase or other evaluation in 2021. We are running QuanTime again in 2023 for World Quantum Day.