Primary Programming

I’ve asked myself many times if teaching programming or coding to my elementary age students was actually worth it.  When I stepped back and looked at what it taught, I knew I could continue teaching coding because of the opportunity to gives students to problem solve, create, think, and plan. 

1.                     Scratch:  I fell in love with Scratch 6 years ago when I fist saw it.  I’ve made no secret through the years of writing this newsletter that I’m a fan! I remember the first time I used it in the classroom had students just complete simple codes that made a cat dance.  It was almost as amazing as the first time I had to write a program in a BASIC computer class that made a countdown clock.  (It doesn’t take much to impress me.) That first introduction to Scratch evolved into 4^th graders completing a computer generated retell of a story. Because of the resources available Scratch is still my favorite site to use for programming.  If you want to start slow, like I did, check out the Scratch Teachers Resources page.  My favorites are the Scratch Cards. When I first started using Scratch it was a download now it is web-based.  It looks like Lego bricks that you put together.  The bricks trigger different actions and the combinations of the bricks can create some amazing projects.

2.                     Kodable:  This is a free app that students can use to learn to program.  Kids can learn computer logic, sequence, loops, functions and debugging with the Kodable app.  They claim that this is great for beginners and it designed for younger students.   The skills gained in Kodable help students become better prepared for coding with more options like Scratch. 

3.                     Daisy the Dinosaur:  This is a free app where kids can learn the basics of programming.  Like many of the other programming sites for kids, it is a drag and drop block interface.  Solve the app’s challenges, and Daisy will dance across the screen.

4.                     Hopscotch:  This is the same company that made the Daisy the Dinosaur app.  This is another free app. Hopscotch allows you use characters to complete the tasks that you write in your code. The characters leave a trail behind as they move, so you can have them create shapes, letters, or numbers.

5.                     Why Teach Coding??- “Learning to write programs stretches your mind, and helps you think better, creates a way of thinking about things that I think is helpful in all domains.“-Bill Gates

Have a great weekend!

National Symbols

When planning for upcoming topics and units in Social Studies are you thinking about a PBL unit?  Second graders are asked to identify acts of patriotism and symbols of the United States.  Students can be asked to research one of the symbols to learn about the importance of one of the US symbols to share with families at our school that are new to the United States.  The essential question could be Why are these symbols important to Americans? 

Here are some sites to help with research and projects to present their findings to a new family.

1.                      Ben’s Guide to Us Government for Kids:  This is a great site that is provided by the Government Printing Office.  It is divided into age groups for sharing age appropriate resources.  Their goal is to teach how government works, about American symbols, and ways to carry out civic responsibility.  There are great resources in the K-2 section on the American Symbols.  This is a great place to start the research for the national Symbol PBL unit. 

2.                      Brain Pop Jr. and Brain Pop:  Both of these sites and apps have a lot of great videos that introduce many topics.  Brain Pop Jr. has a free video on US Symbols.  Brain Pop Educators section you can find background information and activities for US Symbols. You will also find a matching game for US Symbols on the website.

3.                      Sekai Camera:  With a little Prep work students can go on a virtual scavenger hunt in your school.  You can place digital “post-its” in the air.  Place a picture of each symbol virtually around your school.  Have students find the symbols using the ipad camera.  Have students comment to name the symbol or a reason it is important.  This would be a fun quick check of student learning.

4.                      Find More:  Pinterest, Discovery Education and Teachers Pay Teachers are great resources to find more ideas to implement this unit in your classroom.  During my quick search I found book ideas, writing prompts, craftivities, and videos.  Students could write about being green like the Statue of Liberty or watch a video on Discovery Education.

5.                      Aurasma:  Here’s the project using Augmented Reality.  Have students draw a picture of the symbol they researched.  Students will then record themselves answering the essential question and telling why their symbol is important to Americans.  Put the two together and create an Aura.  Use the pictures as a display and post instructions on how to view the Aura.  Erin Klein has lead many face-to-face and virtual workshops on Aurasma.  She has a free step-by-stepdirections PDF on Teachers pay Teachers.

 I can’t wait to teach this unit in my class in November. What PBL units are you looking forward to teaching?

Have a great weekend!

Pumpkin Ponderings

The pumpkins are out and little goblins are bouncing in their seats.  Halloween time is near.  This week the focus is on finding some educational Halloween websites and apps that will keep candy energized students focused on learning. These are some of my new favorites and old standbys.

1.    It’s the Great Pumpkin,Charlie Brown:  At its core, it's the classic story with that same classic music and even its classic storyteller walking you through it: Peter Robbins, the original voice of Charlie Brown. Aside from the tale you already know, you can also dress a Peanuts character in a Halloween costume. Developers say there are more than 1 billion combinations. You can also play around with some mini-games, including pumpkin carving, playing Schroeder's piano and bobbing for apples. Plus, you can virtual trick-or-treat with the Peanuts gang. "It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" is an iOS app for $5.99.

2.    HalloweeneBook:  This app is a simple customizable ebook for kids.  It focuses on the “Where” question.  Students will learn location concepts like in front of, behind, and next to.  Students are instructed to find characters as they read.  You can also upload pictures so that students appear in the book next to the characters.  This app was created for students that fall under the Autism Spectrum but it is beneficial for all students working on communication skills.   This app is $0.99

3.    ABCya:  This is one of favorite sites to find games for reviewing skills.  On their home page they are featuring several Halloween games.  One of my favorites is the Carve a Pumpkin game.  Students can virtually carve a pumpkin into a Jack-O-Lantern.  While this may appear to have no educational value, it really does work well in a writing situation.  Let student’s create their Jack-O-lantern and have them using that as a writing prompt.  They can write a descriptive paragraph about their pumpkin.

4.    The Legend of Spookley theSquare Pumpkin:  This is one of my favorite Halloween stories.  This app would be great at a center with a story map that would have students identify the different story elements. According to iTunes, In “The Legend of Spookley the Square Pumpkin” a very unique pumpkin delivers a special message of tolerance and self-acceptance that's just right for Halloween...and every day of the year! 

Narrated by Bobby "Boris" Pickett, singer of the perennial Halloween favorite "Monster Mash", this interactive omBook for your iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch includes custom music, background audio and enlarged artwork for each scene.  

To promote reading in young children, individual words are highlighted as the story is read. By combining the original text of author Joe Troiano and artwork of Susan Banta with features that entertain and promote reading, this omBook appeals to readers of all ages. This app is $0.99.

5.    Mask JumbleHalloween:  In this Augmented Reality App students can make a virtual mask on top of their face.  They create masks in a realtime video mirror.  This app is $0.99.  It includes 10 masks.  Photos of the mask can be emailed as a postcard.  This works great as a writing prompt.

Have a great weekend!

Let's Get Started!

Here are some tools and ideas that can help you get started with your next PBL project and to show your students’ creativity.

1.    Storiesabout Me:  This app is pricey ($5.99) but you may find that it is worth it.  Students can create stories that have pictures, text, and audio.  It is simple for young children to tell the story of their project.  It can also be shared through a drop box option. 

2.    Another App Smash:  App Smashes are apps that work together to create one product.  Tellagami is one of my favorite apps to create talking Avatars.  With Tellagami you import your own backgrounds.  If you create a background in a drawing app such as Kids Paint or Kids Doodle, your Avatar appears in front of the picture explaining the picture.  This would be great to show vocabulary words or steps in the PBL process.  Several completed Gamis from Tellegami can be dropped into iMovie to create a great finished project.

3.    ComicBook App:  This app let’s you use a photo from your Camera Roll. Choose the template you want to use, add your pictures with a tap.  Then you can add speech bubbles and text.  There is a wide selection of image filters, comic fonts, captions, and classic comic graphics.  You can save to a PDF.  The app is $1.99 and expansion packs are $0.99 each. 

4.    Using Screen Shots:  Screen shots can be used in so many ways in the classroom.  Students can take pictures of score screens in games.  These screen shots can be emailed to you to put in a digital portfolio.  It can also be shared through any app that allows you to upload pictures.  Edmodo, Dropbox and Showbie are just a few.  They can also be used to create step by step directions for using app that require explicit directions.

5.    Recording your PBL Project:  Add the class job of class photographer.  Have the class photographer take one picture each day, post it to your class blog and write about why that picture was important.  If you rotate jobs, it gives every student the responsibility of sharing your classes learning.

Bonus:  For those of you who have class stores or earn points for prizes, I read about a reward that was near the top of the price list.  Students were able to earn the ability to “Text the Principal.”  What a fun free reward for the privileged few.

Have a great weekend!