AAAI 2026technical0 citations

From Embeddings to Chatbots: Playful NLP Activities for Middle School AI Literacy

Jessica Vandenberg, Alex Goslen, Claire Aguiar, Wookhee Min, Veronica Cateté, Bradford Mott

Abstract

As large language models (LLMs) and chatbots become increasingly prevalent, there is an urgent need to create engaging, age-appropriate learning activities that foster foundational AI literacy with a focus on natural language processing (NLP). This paper presents the iterative design and implementation of three instructional activities that introduce middle school learners (ages 11--14) to NLP concepts through playful, hands-on experiences aligned with the AI4K12 Big Idea of Natural Interaction. These activities include: (1) an unplugged card game that develops students

BibTeX
@inproceedings{aaai2026_fromembeddingsto,
  title = {From Embeddings to Chatbots: Playful NLP Activities for Middle School AI Literacy},
  author = {Jessica Vandenberg and Alex Goslen and Claire Aguiar and Wookhee Min and Veronica Cateté and Bradford Mott},
  booktitle = {AAAI 2026},
  year = {2026}
}