| The students of 8th grade science classes got to learn and practice programming concepts when they created their own True/False science quizzes in the coding program Scratch. After learning about variables and conditional statements, students spent three days programming, debugging, and testing their quizzes, before they unveiled them to their classmates. |
This project served not only as an introduction to programming for the students but also as a study review guide for their science final exam. For technology class, the students’ programs were evaluated according to several criteria, including the user interface design and functionality of the gameplay. Students were engaged in this project as a way to study for their exam and have fun with coding. See Carlie's, Olivia's, or Angel's finished programs.
0 Comments
Middle School students had a variety of opportunities to experience an Hour of Code this year. Students in Middle School got an introduction to computer programming during “The Hour of Code” week from December 7-13. Sponsored by code.org and occurring during Computer Science Education Week, “The Hour of Code” is meant to promote computer science and teach people the basics of coding. Mr. Wicks’ 6th grade science students used the Scratch programming platform to create animated versions of their names, and, in the process, learned about concepts such as loops, movement using a coordinate system, and conditional commands. See some name Animation examples by Diego, Olivia and Daniel Later in December, the students in Ms. Diana Boyle’s 7th grade math classes created programs in Scratch that would draw different geometric shapes at different scales. In addition to better understanding the mathematical concept of scale, students learned about many programming concepts, including operators and variables. They also designed programs that require user input to function. See scale factor examples by Jeong, Ana Luisa, Ricardo and Renata. In addition to these in-class experiences, students also had the opportunity to explore independently in the library during lunch. The new Little Bits kit was a favorite, but students also engaged in learning with Makey Makey, Arduino and online coding options. It was wonderful seeing middle school students so engrossed in learning and coding, and many of them discovered a talent for programming, circuit creation or debugging that they didn’t know they had!
"Programming as a Second Language" In honor of the Hour of Code taking place this week and next across the world, 5th graders in Ms. Laya's English Language Arts class spent an hour last Friday learning another language: the basics of JavaScript, in the computer lab with Mr. Nelson. Students were first directed to learn about JavaScript from Code Academy, where they learned how to write simple commands, such as finding the number of characters in their name: "Name".length as well as creating a prompt window in Google Chrome: prompt("Enter Answer"); Once students had mastered some of these basics of JavaScript, they then practiced typing code in Code Monster. This Friday students will return to the computer lab for a second session of programming with JavaScript, and we'll see if they can get to learning how to program booleans. Below are a few pictures taken during Friday's class, and if you're interested in learning more about the Hour of Code, contact Mr. Nelson. |
Categories
All
|