Grade 1

June 2022

We planned and built solar ovens. Solar ovens allow us to cook some foods using the power of the sun!

May 2022

We used Google Slides to create a digital cookbook with recipes that we like.

Week of 25 April 

We worked toward earning two Digital Citizen Badges, one for being Responsible Device Users and another for being Password Security Pros.

Week of 18 April 

We researched breakfast foods from around the world after 3 food lessons from Vetri Community Partnership.

• We paid attention to how information on web pages is organized: titles, bolded text, and paragraph groupings.

• To find images of food, we improved our search terms by adding the country name to our searches. 

• We also added text, images, and shapes to maps in Google Slides.

Week of 4 April 

We explored how to use if/then statements to check for where a sprite is positioned on the screen in Scratch and then do something if the sprite is too far to one side. Another way to say this is to check the x position of the sprite. We used change backdrop and go to blocks to make it look like the sprite was running through multiple locations.

Week of 28 March 

We discussed what kinds of things we'd need to tell a sprite to do if we wanted it to move around the screen in Scratch and bounce at the edges. First, we'd need to tell it to move. Second, we'd need to make sure that it kept moving using a loop (a forever or repeat block in Scratch). Third, we'd need the sprite to check to see if it was at the edge of the screen, and if so, bounce. (Thankfully, Scratch provides us with an if on edge, bounce block!) Once we coded one sprite, then we created additional sprites and modified our programs further.

Week of 7 March 

We made graphs in Google Slides, which allowed us to practice other skills: changing cell colors in a table and copying/pasting images with keyboard shortcuts. We also practiced searching for our own images using a kid-friendly search engine to create the graphs. Our graphs were about things we were learning about in other classes, like phases of the moon and favorite pets. 

Week of 17 January 

We practiced drawing and formatting shapes (size, fill color, border color, rotation) in Google Slides by creating foods we like to eat. We also practiced using the shapes we created multiple times by copying and pasting them.

Week of 20 December 

We explored how to use event listeners in Scratch to make a sprite move. For instance, we could make the sprite move or rotate when we pressed a specific key on our keyboard.

We also continued practicing our keyboarding skills with Dance Mat. We focused on the six letters above the home row.

Week of 13 December 

We explored how to encode images and patterns using binary code (0s and 1s) using the Pixel Widget in code.org. First, we made letters based on pre-written code. Then, we created our other letters and drawings using our creativity.

We also continued practicing our keyboarding skills with Dance Mat. We focused on letters "r" and "u."

Weeks of 29 November & 6 December 

We practiced sequencing and using conditionals in code using two sites: Kodable and Code Monkey. 

For Computer Science Education Week (December 6-10), we also contributed to a secret pixel message. Each student placed five Post-its based on horizontal and vertical coordinates. All digital images are made up of pixels. And some programming languages, like Javascript, use horizontal and vertical coordinates to place objects on a digital page.

Later in the week, we practiced using the forever block in Scratch, which makes our sprites repeat an action without stopping. We made our apples move in differently ways with the help of the forever block.

We also completed our research on ginger and added information to our Google Slides.

Week of 25 October 

We continued learning about apples and coding. First, we listened to a story about a visit to an apple orchard. Then, we explored a new Scratch story with spinning apples. We noticed that we could change how the apples moved by changing the numbers in the move and rotate blocks. After changing the numbers to see how it changed the apple movements, we added a new sprite to the story.

We also practiced conducting internet searches by researching cinnamon and ginger. These spices were part of the pumpkin pie recipes we had been formatting. First, we touched and smelled each of the spices. Then, we added what we learned about each spice to a digital presentation in Google Slides.

• We learned that cinnamon comes from the bark of trees grown in parts of Asia. We can buy ground cinnamon and cinnamon sticks at grocery stores.

• We learned that ginger comes from stems that grow underground mainly in parts of Asia and Africa. We can buy ground ginger and fresh ginger at grocery stores.  

Finally, we searched foods that use cinnamon and added this information to our slideshows. We also added images of cinnamon to our slideshows.

Week of 18 October 

We finished typing and formatting our pumpkin pie recipes, being sure to bold headings and use a numbered list for the steps. We also practiced using the Shift key to type parentheses and creating fractions.

We returned to our pumpkin pie recipe internet search. We started making our own versions of a pumpkin pie recipe in Google Slides. We formatted the titles by changing the size, color, and boldness of the text. We also added bullet points to create a list of ingredients.

We also continued practicing internet searches by looking for a pumpkin pie recipe.

• We noticed that the search results often have a bold title and some information below the title. 

• We also noticed that recipe pages have features like titles, timing information in a box, smaller section titles, and lists that have both bullets and numbers. 

• We discussed that sometimes internet pages have advertisements on top, on the side, and that pop up. Most of the time, we should just ignore these advertisements.

Week of 20 September 

We will be creating stories about food from around the world this year. To create these stories, we'll use a programming language called Scratch. We practiced logging in, making a sprite move, making the sprite make a sound, changing the background, and adding new sprites.

There are a lot of possibilities for coding stories with Scratch!

Week of 13 September 

We practiced typing in search terms into a search engine find images. We typed in a word like "apple," counted the number of images that matched what we were actually looking for and how many didn’t. We recorded our data in a table.

We realized that a word like "apple" might mean the food or the technology company. Then, we brainstormed some ways to improve our searches, mainly be adding a second word. For instance, we learned that typing in "red apple" or "apple fruit" helped us find more of what we'd been looking for.