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This page contains both plugged and unplugged lessons and activities. Please be SURE to have students complete the Scratch Coding Unit on a self-selected social/global problem.
Teachers: Before you begin!
Teachers: Before you begin!
If you are not sure what computation thinking is or how it is important, check out the video and ISTE definition below
INSTRUCTORS RECOMMENDED - sign up for a Scratch Educators Account so you can monitor students progress:
Scratch Educator account: How to video
Recommendation from a teacher: "It usually takes a day or two to confirm your email. Once you have one, you can create a class and generate a sign up link for students. Students then can sign up and have student accounts that bypass the confirmation email. You own the accounts, so you can manually change their passwords if a student forgets their login. I usually have students write down their username in a list on paper. You can also monitor student's activity on Scratch, which is a good way to review Digital Citizenship. "Good intro video on why computer science and why Scratch - Why
The Scratch program was developed by MIT to teach young students programming.
Scratch is a rudimentary programming language that makes it easy for students to create their own interactive stories, animations, games, music, and art.
Before they begin, they have to [break up their story-line] into pieces—individual characters have specific actions and the characters interact in a specific order.
Students have to plan what they want their characters to do, design costumes, and create backgrounds.
They begin [creating their animation] in Scratch using programming code blocks with commands.
Students run the program and test that their animation plays out as intended. If not, they [revise and refine] their program to automate the relationship between the species.
Reinforce:
Students must visualize, test, change, and test again to have this system work.
Strategies:
▪ Use Scratch to do something simple related to prior knowledge. This leads to discussion of the additional factors and variables. Team students up to add complexity to the original Scratch project.
▪ Allow Scratch to be utilized in future projects.
Unit Overview
Unit Overview
This is a 10 day unit where students should be able to utilized computational thinking and basic coding skills to communicate information about a problem. Students learn basic Scratch coding to communicate information about a problem (awareness) or a (solution) to a social/global problem of their choice.
Examples of Social/Global Problem Topics
World Hunger
Impacts of Cellphones
Global Water Crisis
The Local Homeless Community
CT skills and dispositions included in this learning experience:
▪ Representing data through abstractions such as models and simulations
▪ Automating solutions through algorithmic thinking
▪ Generalizing and transferring this problem-solving process to a wide variety of problems
▪Persistence in working with difficult problem
Student Product, Process or Action
Student Product, Process or Action
Students will code an animation to bring awareness to or a provide a potential solution to a social/global issue of their choosing.
Need to Know List and Lesson Seeds
Need to Know List and Lesson Seeds
Learn Scratch:
Scratch Cards- Learn Scratch through these step-by-step cards.
The code blocks listed to the left are very useful as students begin coding their own messages. The color-coded blocks should be discussed as a class so student make connections regarding where to locate specific types of features.
Content Vocabulary
Content Vocabulary
Sprites
Script
Events
Code Blocks
Animation
Pacing Guide
Pacing Guide
Day one
Introduction of the 5 Critical Thinking Skills - Productive Thinking, Communication, Planning, Forecasting, Decision Making
Introduction to the Unit/Problem
Day 2
Spend a day or two with the unplugged activities. Lessons do require some prep for teachers. Recommended to provide students with voice and choice with activities. Could be set up as a station rotation model OR choice menu. To differentiate for students, each lesson could be extended so that students use and add to code, allowing them to create their own variation of the product.
Coding with Cups - What is a Computer Program?
Lego Presentation teaching key terms
Day 3
NEXT - Select Tutorials and complete as many tutorials as you can!!!
Recommended to start with: "Create Animations That Talk"
Mini-Lesson Ideas or Small Group Instructional Opportunities~Could be Blended!
Sprites: Adding, Selecting, and Deleting
Script: Categories, Adding Blocks, Removing Blocks
Coding Events
Dragging Groups of Code Blocks
Running and Restarting Your Program
Testing a Group of Blocks on Purpose-Using the mouse to click and check script area blocks for the group to test event.
Saving and Downloading Projects
Days 4- 10 : Students will create an informative animation about a problem or solution to a problem of their choosing.
Animations must include:
Day 4: A beginning, middle, and end to the narrative.
Students Complete Page 4 & 5 of Graphic Organizer for Project
Day 5:At least two sprites interacting.
Students Complete Page 6 & 7 of Graphic Organizer for Project
Days 6-9 Coding:
USE Pages 10 to 14 of Graphic Organizer for Project for coding checkpoints - this is important to hold students accountable and on track)At least two backgrounds that fit the narrative.
At least two sounds.
At least six lines of dialogue.
Day 10 Peer Review Use student facing document.
Day 11 Share with Gallery Walk
The following blocks are recommended for students to use in their animation
Teacher Resources
Teacher Resources
Setting Up Scratch - video on how to create a teacher account and classroom in Scratch.
Scratch Peer Review Document (Student facing)
Student Tools and Resources
Student Tools and Resources
Scratch Cards- Learn Scratch through these step-by-step cards.
Alternate Scratch Plugged Activity: Food Chain
Alternate Scratch Plugged Activity: Food Chain
Outcomes: Students will create an animation representing the food chain using Scratch. OR They could create any animation using scratch, if you want to get creative!!!
Evidence:
1. Meets: Students create a scene simulating several levels of the food chain.
2. Exceeds: Students create and save multiple scenes showing elements of the ecosystem competing for food.
CT Guide on the Side
Food Chain
CT skills and dispositions included in this learning experience:
▪ Representing data through abstractions such as models and simulations
▪ Automating solutions through algorithmic thinking
▪ Generalizing and transferring this problem-solving process to a wide variety of problems
▪Persistence in working with difficult problem
Food Chains and Ecosystems
1. As a whole class, students brainstorm characteristics of the following players in the food chain: grass, rabbit, and hawk and [diagram their relationship] in the food chain, which includes the sun and decomposition.
2. Discuss with students various factors that will support equilibrium among the grass, rabbit, and hawk. Extend the discussion to roles that are played by the sun and other animals in the ecosystem. Prompt discussion with these questions:
a. “If we think beyond these three species, what would make this ecosystem more complex?”
b. “What are some of the conditions that endanger species in the ecosystem?”
3. Each student creates a simple [Scratch project] that includes a scene of a rabbit eating grass and a hawk taking away the rabbit to demonstrate their understanding of the food chain.
Students to do:
Before they begin, they have to [break up their storyline] into pieces—individual characters have specific actions and the characters interact in a specific order.
Students have to plan what they want their characters to do, design costumes, and create backgrounds.
They begin [creating their animation] of the food chain in Scratch using programming code blocks with commands.
Students run the program and test that their animation plays out as intended. If not, they [revise and refine] their program to automate the relationship between the species.
Reinforce:
Students must visualize, test, change, and test again to have this system work.
Strategies:
▪ Have students act out the food chain with their bodies to visualize the system. ▪ Encourage “guess and check” to have students experiment.
▪ Use Scratch to do something simple related to prior knowledge. This leads to discussion of the additional factors and variables. Team students up to add complexity to the original Scratch project.
Guide
[Break up their storyline] Students decompose their stories into parts.
Highlight Problem Decomposition: Break down task into smaller, manageable parts.
[Creating their animation] Scratch programming requires students to use algorithmic thinking to ensure that commands are in a specific order to successfully automate a dynamic representation of the concept.
[Revise and refine] Persistence in working with difficult problems
Code.org Computational Thinking Resources
Code.org Computational Thinking Resources
Can be used for sub plans or ELT time. Students should complete the above Scratch unit.
One day intro from Code.org on Computational Thinking
Unplugged Computational Thinking Lesson Ideas
Unplugged Computational Thinking Lesson Ideas
Breaking It Down
Use the ideas and resources below to help students understand each of the components more clearly; communication, planning, forecasting, and decision-making.
Communication
Make your point clearly and efficiently
Analyze 3 different websites to determine how well they accomplish this task:
Corporation: focus - sales
State: focus - information & tourism
Fair: focus - entertainment
Students will need to navigate the various pages and decide how well the organizations communicate
Planning
Consider what needs to be done
Define & write the steps are needed to complete the task
Gather the necessary materials to complete the project
Complete the project according to the directions
Reflect - what could have been done differently to improve
Planning exercise - list of what can be brought in from home for toy making
Student Planning Worksheet
Forecasting
Gather various current events articles and identify the cause(s) & effect(s) of each article
As a wrap up-students can complete a road map planning guide for this school year
Decision Making
Introduce students to the process of more abstract thinking: establish the criteria first of what you may want to consider, then identify your alternatives based upon that criteria. Matrix can be used to have students select shirt, pants and shoes to wear-3 options for each. Students may brainstorm criteria, but may be factors such as does it fit, is it clean, favorite color, etc. Then number rank
Lost at Sea is a fun group activity which can be done either before or after introducing the Decision Making Matrix
Additional Websites with Computational Thinking Lessons
Additional Websites with Computational Thinking Lessons
Share My Lesson: Computational Thinking Lessons for Middle School
Google Sign-in/Login
Go to: Grades/Middle School/Digital Literacy and Computer Science/Computation Thinking
CT Lessons and Resource Sites
Getting Smart: 10 Classroom Ready Resources for K-12 (Lessons)
Ignite My Future in School: 12 Computational Thinking Resources (Lesson Resources)
Standards
Standards
LAB21.6.30 - Interpret and Communicate Information from Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (MD SSP 3)
LAB21.6.30.01 - Identify, analyze, and synthesize appropriate Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics information (text, visual, audio, etc.)
LAB21.6.30.02 - Apply appropriate academic vocabulary when responding and discussing Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics content LAB21.6.30.03 - Engage in critical reading and writing of technical information LAB21.6.30.04 - Evaluate and integrate multiple sources of information (e.g.: quantitative data, video and multimedia) presented in diverse formats
LAB21.6.30.05 - Develop an evidence-based opinion or argument
LAB21.6.30.06 - Communicate effectively and precisely with others
LAB21.6.50 - Engage in Logical Reasoning (MD SSP 5)
LAB21.6.50.01 - Engage in critical thinking
LAB21.6.50.03 - Apply STEM content to construct creative and innovate ideas
LAB21.6.60 - Collaborate as a STEM Team (MD SSP 6)
LAB21.6.60.01 - Incorporate the skills of team members
LAB21.6.60.03 - Share ideas and work effectively with the STEM team to achieve a common goal
LAB21.6.60.04 - Listen and be receptive to ideas of others
LAB21.6.70 - Apply Technology Strategically (MD SSP 7)
LAB21.6.70.01 - Identify technologies needed to develop solutions to problems or construct answers to complex questions
LAB21.6.70.03 - Engage in responsible/ethical use of technology
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