Specific Learner Expectation-Explore and Investigate: Specific Learner Expectation-Explore and Investigate:

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1 Lesson #1- Beginning Coding: Blockly Coding Games- November 28, 2017, December 5, 2017, and December 12, :45-10:30am (45 Minutes Each Day) [*Please Note: This is a three-part lesson. As such, the students will begin Days 2 & 3 in the Practice/Development Section of the Lesson]. Lesson Understandings: Theme/Unit Overall Big Idea: According to Google for Education, coding or programming is a problem-solving process that includes some characteristics, such as logically ordering and analyzing data and creating solutions using a series of ordered steps (or algorithms), and dispositions, such as the ability to confidently deal with complexity and open-ended problems. Students who learn coding across the curriculum can begin to see a relationship between subjects as well as between school and life outside of the classroom. In other words, coding is a basic literacy in the digital age. Students often feel empowered when they can create digital media and share it with others instead of just being consumers of digital media. Supporting Idea of Learning Segment: Coding is a skill set that students can use for a future career in a world that has a shortage of skilled coders and programmers. Coding can also help students in other subjects, too including Math, Science, Reading, and the Humanities. Furthermore, coding improves character education skills such as perseverance, problem-solving, or resilience. Segment Main Focusing Inquiry Question: How can we use series of logically ordered steps (coding) to solve problems? I Can Statements: o I can explore my interests and passions while making personal connections to career possibilities. o I can solve problems in response to challenges. o o I can understand how coding can be useful in real life. I can begin to analyze the relationship between coding language and how series of ordered steps will help me solve problems. Grades 5 & 6 Career and Technology Foundations Competencies/Outcomes: General Competency 1: CTF is about exploring interests, passions and skills while making personal connections to career possibilities. o Specific Competency 1: I explore my interests and passions while making personal connections to career possibilities. o Specific Competency 2: I use occupational area skills, knowledge and technologies. General Competency 2: CTF is about planning, creating, appraising and communicating in response to challenges. o Specific Competency 7: I adapt to change and unexpected events. o Specific Competency 8: I solve problems in response to challenges. o Specific Competency 11: I communicate my learning. Cross-Curricular Outcomes of Lesson: Grade 5 Scientific Learner Expectations: o Grade 5 Skills-Problem-Solving Through Technology-General Learner Expectation 5-3: Design and carry out an investigation of a practical problem, and develop a possible solution. Specific Learner Expectation-Focus: Identify problems to be solved and the purpose(s) of the problem-solving activity: What problem(s) are we trying to solve? What conditions must be met? What controls are required? How will we know that we have done what we set out to do?

2 Specific Learner Expectation-Explore and Investigate: Attempt a variety of strategies and modify procedures, as needed (troubleshoot problems). Specific Learner Expectation-Explore and Investigate: Work individually or cooperatively in planning and carrying out procedures. Grade 6 Scientific Learner Expectations: o Grade 6 Skills-Problem-Solving Through Technology-General Learner Expectation 6-3: Design and carry out an investigation of a practical problem, and develop a possible solution. Specific Learner Expectation-Focus: Identify problems to be solved and the purpose(s) of problem-solving activities: What problem(s) are we trying to solve? What resources can we use Specific Learner Expectation-Explore and Investigate: Identify one or more possible approaches and plan a set of steps for solving the problem. Specific Learner Expectation-Explore and Investigate: Attempt a variety of strategies and modify procedures, as needed (troubleshoot problems). Ministerial Order Cross-Curricular Competencies (CCCs): Engaged Thinker: Numeracy, Know How to Learn, Demonstrate Good Communication Skills, and Collaborate. Ethical Citizen: Literacy, Think Critically, and Manage Information. Entrepreneurial Spirit: Personal Growth and Well-being (Apply Multiple Literacies), Create Opportunities, and Innovate. Supporting Learner Growth: Collaborative Engagement Strategies: o Instructional Intelligences: Bloom s Taxonomy, and Wait Time. o Kagan Cooperative Learning Structures: Stand Up, Hand Up, Pair Up. Differentiation in Instruction: o Opportunities for Student Choice: As our Makerspace is a very flexible and fluid learning environment, the students will have several opportunities for choice throughout this lesson. The first choice that will be provided to the students is the flexibility to sit where they are comfortable within the Makerspace (as it is a flexible seating environment). The second choice that students will have is whether or not to work individually or collaboratively with their Tech Buddies as they progress through the different levels/modules of the Blockly coding games. Another opportunity for choice that will be provided to the students is the ability to progress at their own pace through the Blockly coding games. Blockly functions a web-based coding app which progressively gets harder as the students progress through the different games and levels. o Multiple Intelligences: Verbal-Linguistic, Visual-Spatial, Bodily-Kinesthetic, Interpersonal, and Intrapersonal. o Bloom s Taxonomy Levels (Higher Order Thinking): Evaluation Level Questioning: Can you explain to a partner how you feel coding may be useful in real life? Creation Level Questioning: How can I create programming commands (series of logically-ordered steps) that will help me to solve problems? Materials/Resources Required: Class Set of Chromebooks (25 for Worth s class), Class Set of Computer Mice (25 for Worth s class), Blockly Coding Games Web App, and George Davison Elementary School Library collection of fiction/non-fiction resources.

3 Teacher/Student Lesson Activities: Day 1 (Tuesday, November 28, 2017): Anticipatory Set: o Sitting with Tech Buddies (1 Minute): The students will be asked to sit near their Tech Buddies to begin the class. The students will be reminded that their Tech Buddies are to help bounce idea off each other/support you as you begin to explore today s coding games. o Understanding the Purpose of Coding (3-5 Minutes): The teacher will begin by asking the students who has ever tried coding before. Once the students have indicated who has experience with coding, the teacher will use a short PowerPoint to explain to the students what coding is. In order to build engagement and excitement, the teacher will also share with the students the goals/programs that we will use to code over the next few months (e.g. Blockly Coding Games, Hour of Code, Scratch, and Lego Robotics). Next, in order to illustrate that coding has many real-life purposes, the teacher will ask all of the students to use a Stand Up, Hand Up, Pair Up to discuss the following question: Can you explain to a partner how you feel coding may be useful in real life? Practice/Development: o Blockly Coding Games Web App Exploration (20-25 Minutes): Before the students begin exploring the Blockly Coding Games, the teacher will explain that Blockly Games is a series of educational games that teach programming. It is designed for children who beginning to learn computer programming. By the end of these games, players are ready to use conventional textbased languages. The teacher will then use a guided modelling process to very quickly demonstrate Blockly Puzzle & Blockly Maze (this process is intended to activate prior knowledge and/or begin to build an understanding of coding language). The remainder of today s class will be used by the students to explores progressively explore the Blockly games listed below. The students will begin with the first game listed and progress through as many of the seven games as they can during today s class [*Note: Most of the games have ten levels that progressively build students confidence and skills]: Blockly Puzzle: Puzzle is a quick introduction to Blockly's shapes and how the pieces snap together. Blockly Maze: Maze is an introduction to loops and conditionals. It starts simply, but every level is more challenging than the last. Blockly Bird: Bird is a deep-dive into conditionals. Control-flow is explored with increasingly complex conditions. Blockly Turtle: Turtle is a deep-dive into loops. Use nested loops to paint a picture. Blockly Movie: Movie is an introduction to mathematical equations. Use math to animate a movie. Blockly Pond Tutor: Pond Tutor introduces text-based programming. Levels switch back and forth between blocks and actual JavaScript in a text editor. Blockly Pond: Pond is an open-ended contest to program the smartest duck. Use either blocks or JavaScript. Day 2 (Tuesday, December 5, 2017): o Demo of Chromebook Shortcut Keys (5 Minutes): The teacher will begin Day 2 by explaining to the students that as we previously discussed, they will be responsible throughout the remainder of the school for adding one slide to their Makerspace Projects #1 slideshow to demonstrate their process of learning on all of their projects. This slide should have a picture of

4 o their work and a brief description of what they feel that they have learned (or alternatively the steps taken to complete the project if it is a steps-oriented learning experience). Next the teacher will demo the following Chromebook shortcut keys that may be helpful to the students as they work to illustrate their learning over the coming months: Full Screen Shot on Chromebook: Press Ctrl+Window Switcher Key. Partial Screen Shot on Chromebook: Press Ctrl+Shift+Window Switcher Key and drag the selection to your preferred size. Cut: Press Ctrl+X. Copy: Press Ctrl+C. Paste: Press Ctrl+V. Undo an Action: Press Ctrl+Z. Continue Exploring Blockly Coding Games Web App (25 Minutes): The students will continue exploring the Blockly Coding Games Web App for the majority of today s class. The students will progressively explore the Blockly games listed above. The students will continue with wherever they left off in the previous class and progress through as many of the seven games as they can during today s class [*Note: Most of the games have ten levels that progressively build students confidence and skills]. Day 3 (Tuesday, December 12, 2017): o Continue Exploring Blockly Coding Games Web App (20 Minutes): The students will finish exploring the Blockly Coding Games Web App for the majority of today s class. The students will progressively explore the Blockly games listed on the previous page. The students will continue with wherever they left off in the previous class and progress through as many of the seven games as they can during today s class [*Note: Most of the games have ten levels that progressively build students confidence and skills]. o Demonstrating Learning on Student Website Portfolios (10 Minutes): As per the focus of the previous web design module, every Grade 5/6 student at George Davison School now has a website portfolio that they will use to illustrate the process of learning for their Makerspace projects throughout the remainder of the school year. The students will be asked to the use Chromebook screenshotting and copying/pasting shortcuts that they learned last week to take a picture of their work with one of Blockly s programs and add it to their Makerspace Projects embedded slideshow. The criteria for today is that they must add a new slide to their embedded slideshow, insert the screenshot of their Blockly work, and briefly describe what they feel was learned from Blockly (or alternatively the steps that were taken to learn the Blockly Games). Closure/Reflection (*Note: The following activities listed below will occur during all three of the Makerspace periods listed above): o Opportunity to Check-out Books (10 Minutes): To end the class, the students will have the opportunity to check-out between 2-4 books of their choice from any part of the library. Unique to the Grade 5/6 cycle level, the students have the added responsibility of checking out their own books using the helpful reminders sheet taped to the computer behind the library circulation desk. A few students have books within Mrs. Worth s homeroom that they read and therefore may not need to check-out a book. In this case, these students will be encouraged to find somewhere in the front of the library to read a book until the end of class. o Independent Reading (5 Minutes): If any time remains, the students can use the time for independent reading in the front of the library.

5 Steps for Future Learner Growth: Modifications: If students are struggling to progress through the Blockly Games, they could be encouraged to use the Blockly Games support videos available on YouTube to see a visual of how to complete whichever level of the game that they are working on. (e.g. Blockly Maze Level 5 YouTube Video: The students should also utilize their Tech Buddies for support if necessary, as these groups were formed to provide support and encouragement as the students work through these beginning coding projects. Extensions: The students will use their understanding of coding language and series of logically ordered programming steps to begin to use Scratch to develop their own coding projects. This will lead up to the students using Lego to create and program robots. Formative Assessment to Guide Learning: An informal teacher observation will occur during the Blockly Coding Games Web App Exploration activity of each student s beginning understanding of coding language and using coding to perform actions (i.e. series of logically-ordered steps). The teacher will provide support to as many of the students as possible during all three weeks. Demonstration of Learning on Embedded Google Slideshow: As per the focus of the previous web design module, every Grade 5/6 student at George Davison School now has a website portfolio that they will use to illustrate the process of learning for their Makerspace projects throughout the remainder of the school year. The students will be asked to the use Chromebook screenshotting and copying/pasting shortcuts that they learned last week to take a picture of their work with one of Blockly s programs and add it to their Makerspace Projects embedded slideshow. The criteria for today is that they must add a new slide to their embedded slideshow, insert the screenshot of their Blockly work, and briefly describe what they feel was learned from Blockly (or alternatively the steps that were taken to learn the Blockly Games). Notes and Revisions for Future Teaching Use: