We have been having a wonderful time in the STEM lab during this rotation. There is a lot of computer programming going on these days. Kindergarten and 1st grade have been using Scratch Jr, while 2nd grade has been working on the more advanced lessons in Code.org. The third grade classes finished their interactive poster project and shared it with a visiting Kindergarten class. (One 3rd grade class will actually do this during the next round thanks to the unfortunate alignment of ice storm cancelations and me having to be out for 2 days.) Fourth grade learned to use more of the micro:bit's inputs and outputs to create programs, and 5th grade used Scratch to create "hacked" fine art images.
Kindergarten & 1st Grade
Our youngest students started the year in Code.org completing tutorials meant to introduce them to the basic concepts of computer programming. These tutorials of developing students' algorithmic thinking skills, but they are generally lacking in opportunities for creativity. The Code.org puzzle tells the students what the objective is, and while there are frequently multiple correct solutions, there is only one correct thing to do with the program.
This is where Scratch Jr comes in. This programming language is perfect for introducing students to the idea of creative computing. In Scratch Jr, the students have the ability to choose their characters, their backgrounds, and to decide what they want their program to do. We start each day with a code along activity where I teach the students to use one or more of the command blocks. Next students are given a short independent practice task. Once they share their solution to the prompt with me, they are released to what we call "creative time". This is an opportunity for them to explore, experiment, and create personally meaningful projects.
2nd Grade
This rotation had 2nd grade return to the Code.org courses they started at the beginning of the year. Rather than having them pick up where they left off however, I selected a number of lessons to prepare them for the transition from Scratch Jr to the full version of Scratch. One of the selected lessons focused on using loops effectively, but the others had more of a focus on creative expression. My goal is for students to understand that as they work on the types of projects they will be doing in the STEM lab in the coming years that they are not just they are not just allowed to personalize their projects, but are encouraged to do so. Students too often internalize the message from their teachers that there is one right answer and one right way to get to that answer. There are of course times when is just the one correct answer, but it is important that students have classroom experiences of creative freedom. Experiences in which they have to decide what they want to make, have to figure out how to overcome the difficulties that will inevitably arise, and have to assess how well their finished product aligns with what they were attempting.
3rd Grade
In round 3 the third graders researched an arctic animal of their choosing. They took that research and incorporated it into a Scratch project that shared what they had learned. (Studio of projects here.) The program used key press events to change background pictures and to present the facts associated with the pictures. The main goal of this project to for students to use computer programming as a tool for expressing their ideas and sharing their learning. The other part of this project is to introduce the students to physical computing, connecting a computer program to physical objects. In this case, the physical element is a poster.
First students were introduced to the Makey Makey, a device that allows one to turn any conductive substance into a switch capable of sending commands to the computer. After learning to set up, operate, and pack the Makey Makey, students got to work creating their arctic animal poster. With that complete, they added metal fasteners as "buttons" and copper foil tape "wires" to the poster. Paired with the Makey Makey, the poster was used to trigger the key press events that control the different parts of the Scratch program. At the end of the week the students presented their interactive poster projects to a visiting class of Kindergartners. (Presenting to a visiting class of younger students is an important part of the STEM lab program. The older students have an authentic audience to share their work with, and the younger students get to see what the skills they are learning will lead them to.)
4th Grade
The BBC micro:bit is a microcontroller (like a computer, but only capable of storing and running one program at a time) with an array of inputs and output. Students were introduced to the micro:bit in 3rd grade and learned the basics of using the input event handlers to generate different outputs. We started with a review lesson which also served as an introduction for the students who are new to Sinclair this year. The we moved on to using some of the micro:bit's more advanced functions. First students constructed circuits with LEDs and wires which were then connected to the i/o pins (input/output) on the micro:bit. Next we used the light and sound sensors along with conditional statements to make the micro:bit react to loud noises and low light conditions. Students also used the micro:bit's accelerometer to play different musical notes when tilted different directions. They then had to play the tune Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star on the micro:bit. (One group impressed me by moving on from Twinkle to playing the opening notes of Smoke on the Water!) We wrapped up the week with a free choice coding activity in which students chose any 5 inputs and combined them with any 5 outputs.
5th Grade
The "hacked art" project has become a favorite of mine the last few years. The project itself is fairly straightforward. Students select a famous painting from a selection of a dozen or so. An image of the painting is uploaded into Scratch as a background. Then the same image is added as a sprite and students erase all of the painting except one element to make interactive. This sprite blends into the background, but is programmed to react when it is clicked. Students repeat the process until they have several interactive elements along with a bit of artist biography in the project. What I love about the project is the boundless creativity the students display in their creations. No two projects are ever the same, even when the starting point is the same still image. Below are a few examples. The full studio of projects is here.
