Cardboard Arcade Returns!

For obvious reasons, there was no cardboard arcade at Sinclair in the 2020-2021 school year. That was a bitter disappointment for me as it has become one of my favorite projects. Typically cardboard arcade has been a 3rd grade project and that meant that this year's 4th graders missed out on it last year. Several students who were eager for their turn with the project asked about it last year. There were many dismayed groans when I said that cardboard arcade would not be possible.

When planning for this year I knew that I wanted 4th grade to do cardboard arcade first. I made some adjustments to the usual building guidelines we follow in the lab in order to keep with the current Covid protocols. One change that had to be worked around was the shift to 1 week blocks from the 2 we had pre-pandemic. In order to keep the Friday presentation students would have to be finished building and testing after about 3 class periods. I am pleased to say that everyone did a fantastic job of finishing within the time available. 

Each class had the opportunity to present their games to a visiting class of 1st graders. We did this outside so as not to overcrowd the lab. Our "customers" gave overwhelming positive feedback. Below is a short highlight reel from each class.

Third Gets Unstuck in Scratch

 Last year I got the chance to participate in the creation and piloting of the Creative Computing Lab's Getting Unstuck Curriculum materials. The Creative Computing Lab is part of the Harvard Graduate School of Education and oversees a number of programs designed to support teachers and students in using Scratch. The Getting Unstuck materials grew out of a summer experience they organized for educators in 2018 and 2020. There are 10 modules, each with a variety of elements that help teachers plan for instruction and to guide students through the unit. One of the best things about the documents is how flexible they are. It is possible to pick and choose activities that are best for each particular group of students, and to fit the time available.

At the end of last year I introduced the second graders to Scratch. In a sense, they "graduated" from Scratch Jr, which they had been using since Kindergarten. They worked though several short projects that helped them become familiar with the interface and what it could be used for. I did not have them work in the online version of Scratch because of the distractions created by the ability to comment on projects and see inside other people's projects. This first unit of the year introduces the students to the Scratch online community, project sharing, and collaboration.

We started with a review the digital etiquette expectations and online safety guidelines. These have been part of every computer programming unit since these students were in Kindergarten, and I was pleased with how well they were able to recall them. Next students logged into Scratch for the first time. Once they were logged in, students have some time to explore and refamiliarize themselves with the coding environment. It has been amazing to see and hear their excitement as they create and share their work with others.

I selected the module on "parallelism" (2 or more things happening at once in a program) for this unit. It is an accessible concept for those students who are new to computer programming, and it has a lot of room for creative expression. We started by exploring some "inspiration projects" collected in a studio by the Getting Unstuck team. Students tried the projects, tinkered with code, and made observations about how they projects worked. This was also a chance for them to experience one of the most powerful features of Scratch, the ability to see the code behind someone else's project and to make changes to that code (without altering the original). It's a digital equivalent to taking your toys apart to see how they work without having to worry about putting them back together again.

Next students planned their own parallelism projects. The prompt reads: "Create a project that uses multiple green flag blocks to make things happen at the same time". I gave the students a planning page where they could write or draw their ideas. Then they got to work. So far, I have been impressed with how different the project ideas are. One of my goals in the lab is to give my students creative confidence. That is, I want them to feel safe to follow their own ideas and interests rather than looking around the room to see what others are making. 

Each day I introduced them to another element of Scratch and how I expected them to work in the community. They shared their projects to the studio. They completed the project page including instructions and a reflection. We discussed the importance of commenting one's code and the students added comments in their projects. The week ended with learning to leave helpful comments on other people's projects. For this we follow the Heart and Star model. A "heart" is a specific positive comment on project, something like "My favorite part of your project is...". A "star" is a suggestion for s fix or improvement. I stress to the students that the star is not necessarily a problem to fix (though it could be). A star could be a suggestion to add music or more challenging levels. It could also tell an easier way to accomplish something in the program. Each student commented on at least 2 projects in the studio.

There are a couple projects embedded below (just click the green flag to run them). The full studio of projects can be found here: 3rd grade parallelism.

It's Code.org Season in the STEM Lab

We have had a fantastic first 2 weeks in the Sinclair STEM Lab! Things are not exactly normal, but a bit more so than last year and I am grateful for that. I have enjoyed seeing familiar faces in person rather than on a computer screen, and it has been great to meet so many new-to-Sinclair students. 

Each year, my Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grade classes begin with a computer programming unit based around Code.org activities. For the Kindergarten students this is their first taste of computer programming. The lessons are a mix of screen-based and unplugged activities. The goal is to develop their algorithmic thinking skills and prepare them for more creative computing tasks to come later in the year. 

I like to start 1st and 2nd grade with Code.org every year in order to review with the returning students, and to introduce students who are new to programming. These older students also participate in a mix of plugged and unplugged activities. Creative computing is a central part of what students do in the lab and the Code.org puzzles help those new students become comfortable with block based programming before they are exposed to Scratch Jr, and later to Scratch.

The last day of the week is what is popularly called Free Build Friday. Students get creative with whatever materials are supplied that week and build whatever they want. I am always so impressed by what they think to construct.