Wildcat Workshop @ Chester Arthur School
Grade 6
Protests Past, Present, & Future
Essential Questions
How are protests an important part of our society? What can and should a protest look like?
Should we allow our government to put limits on protests? And if so, which ones and why?
How can I use design thinking to create something that is useful and meaningful to others?
How can I craft arguments to persuade others to support something I care about?
What does it mean to be a good digital citizen?
Key Projects
Buttons modeled after historical examples that convey a message about a cause a student cares about
Mobile app in code.org that educates a user (visual story, choose-your-adventure, quiz, tour) about a historical protest that can then be shared at a museum, library, or some other even
Program a drone using code
Write an op-Ed about the potential effects of digital technologies on speech and protest
May & June 2022
We completed our app design and research project on connections between Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, and social movements: Abolitionism Movement, Women’s Suffrage Movement, Civil Rights Movement, LGBTQ Rights Movement, and Black Lives Matter Movement.
We also played Interland to review important Digital Citizenship ideas about passwords, being kind online, and protecting privacy.
Week of 4 April
We explored possibilities for coding Ozobots using color patterns.
Week of 21 March
We explored possibilities for coding micro:bits.
Weeks of 28 February; 7 & 14 March
We returned to our app design and research project that we began in the fall. We are researching connections between Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, and social movements: Abolitionism Movement, Women’s Suffrage Movement, Civil Rights Movement, LGBTQ Rights Movement, and Black Lives Matter Movement. We discussed some differences between primary and secondary sources.
Then, we explored example primary sources Mr. Smith had curated. We also searched for additional secondary sources to add to the ones we'd already found. We tried to answer the following questions about each movement:
What were the goals of the movement?
What were some key events in the movement?
Who were key figures in the movement?
How was this movement inspired / influenced by other movements?
What was the connection to Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, and/or Philadelphia?
What is the legacy of this movement?
Week of 21 February
We finished up our Lego stop motion video clips. We edited our photos using iMovie and changed the duration of each clip to make it look animated. Then, we exported the videos.
Week of 14 February
We continued working on creating stop motion video clips using Legos. We imported our photos into iMovie and changed the time each snapshot would be shown to create an animation.
Weeks of 17 & 24 January; 7 February
We kicked off a project in which we will create stop motion video clips using Legos. First, we watched an example video and discussed some of the methods the creator used (e.g., moving Lego pieces slightly but keeping everything else in the scene still, using cuts and zoom to shift what the viewer sees, drawing on slips to add additional animation). Then, in teams, we selected a handful of Lego characters and pieces of scenery, brainstormed story ideas, and began practicing capturing still images that we can eventually put into video editing software to make an animated clip. We used storyboards to help us with our story planning.
Over the past few weeks, we have used cameras on tripods, MacBooks, and iPads to figure out best practices for capturing stop motion images.
Week of 10 January
We watched a video about the origin of the word algorithm. We discussed how an algorithm is a set of step-by-step rules for solving a problem or completing a process.
Then, we practiced writing detailed and specific algorithms for building Lego structures.
You could only use words and numbers, not diagrams.
We tried to use as few words and numbers as possible.
Pretty quickly, most of us realized that we could tell someone to repeat certain steps. (This is called a loop in computer science.)
We shared our algorithms with peers, who tried to build the structure using our instructions. Some of us improved our written instructions after getting feedback from a peer.
We also learned about encoding color images with binary code. We discussed how three LEDs (red, green, and blue—abbreviated as RGB) can be used to produce a lot of different colors. This involves turning some lights on and others off. Or making some brighter than others. We can control which LEDs are on and off using 1s and 0s, too!
We used the pixel widget in code.org to make different colors. We also tried to recreate some images in color using 6 bit codes, 2 bits for red, green, and blue each.
Week of 3 January
We earned a Digital Citizen Badge for being a Conscientious Digital Sharer. This means we reflected on the ways that we passively and actively add information to our digital footprint. Next, we discussed how information in our digital footprint may be used by others who have access to it. We also discussed some of the negative consequences of sharing too much personal and private information online.
We also began exploring how digital files can be compressed to make them smaller. We used the text compression widget on code.org to make replace repeated words and phrases in music lyrics with a symbol. We could then connect the symbol with the phrase in a dictionary. This is an example of lossless compression.
Week of 20 December
We explored how we can use fewer bits to encode images using a compression technique called run-length encoding.
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 recreated simple patterns. Then, we made our own patterns and designs.
Week of 6 December
We practiced sequencing and problem-solving using a coding site called Tynker.
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.
Week of 29 November
After reflecting on remaking historical protest buttons, we focused in on best practices in design in terms of color use and typography.
We practiced identifying color pairings using color theory.
We identified the differences in look and use of serif, sans serif, and display fonts.
Weeks of 8 & 15 November
We looked back at an image of Dolores Huerta and Caesar Chavez from the United Farm Workers strike and boycotts and saw that they were wearing buttons. We then explored a website that explained that many political movements over the past century have used buttons to spread their messages. To develop our digital literacy skills for designing things with digital tools, we recreated buttons from the past. In redesigning the buttons, we had to pay attention to:
Sizing of our canvas and circles;
Margins around our designs to ensure the design would show up properly when put in the button maker;
Fonts, line spacing, and text alignment; and
The overall composition of the designs.
We will print our designs and create buttons using a button maker.
Week of 1 November
We conducted internet searches about one of the five protest and political movements and their connections to Independence Hall and/or the Liberty Bell.
We discussed using compound search terms (like "Civil Rights Movement Independence Hall") to begin our searches.
We then discussed using Ctrl + F ("find") to search for the term on pages we found to see if the page had enough relevant information. In some cases, the pages were very long. So, using Ctrl + F allowed us to skip to our search terms on the page. In some cases we also realized that a page only briefly mentioned the term we were looking for. So, we decided we needed to find a different source.
We also realized that some sources gave us new search terms to use. For instance, we found out about a sit-in protest at the Liberty Bell in 1965 as part of the Civil Rights Movement, calling for federal action in Selma, Alabama. So, we wrote down new search terms we could use: sit-in, 1965, and Selma.
We shared some of the sources we found with the class.
Week of 25 October
We took a virtual visit and tour of Independence Hall led by a Park Ranger from Independence National Historical Park (INHP). The Park Ranger showed us the Liberty Bell and inside Independence Hall, including the bell tower. He also told us that INHP has connections to a number of protests and political movements:
Abolitionism
Women’s Suffrage
Civil Rights
LGBTQ Rights
Black Lives Matter
We learned that Park Rangers from INHP are interested in our class building mobile apps that explain a connection between a historical protest movement and the park. We may be able to share these with our families and other students at Arthur. These apps also may be shared with other students who participate in a summer youth camp at INHP. We will also share our draft apps with Park Rangers, who can give us feedback at some point during the school year.
Week of 18 October
When we were making our "About Me" quiz apps, some of us chose to disclose personal information like birthdays or the names of pets. Any information we put online is part of our digital footprint.
We discussed how we may not want to put these kinds of details online because they may be used by other people to assemble profiles about us or gain access to our online accounts. For instance, some websites have security questions that can be used to reset passwords. If someone knows specific details about us because we put that information online, they may be able to access an account through password reset.
We watched a video about over-sharing online. The video mentioned phishing, blackmailing, and identify theft as types of online activity that we should be aware of and take steps to avoid. We researched each of those topics and shared what we learned.
Week of 11 October
We wrapped up our "About Me" quiz apps. We spent most of our time connecting the screens using code. For instance, most of the time, to move from one screen to the next, the user has to click a specific button.
Weeks of 27 September & 4 October
We began using App Lab on code.org to create a prototype quiz about ourselves. We used the example quiz from last week and the wireframe diagram as a model to work from. We wrote three questions about ourselves and added four choices. We're still in brainstorming and initial design mode this week. Next week, we'll connect the screens using code.
Week of 20 September
We began to explore App Lab on code.org using a free play approach. For instance, we added elements like labels, buttons, checkboxes, dropdown menus, and images. We also changed the properties of the elements we added, like background colors, text color and size, and button colors and size.
We also used a wireframe diagram to analyze an example quiz app. The wireframe diagram is something designers use to create prototypes that show the basic designs of different screens and also shows how screens are connected to one another. For instance, clicking one button might take a user to one screen. Another button would take a user to a different screen. We used arrows to show the flow between screens.
Week of 13 September
We pivoted this week to start using App Lab on code.org to analyze some existing apps. We considered what kinds of inputs and outputs were involved in making the apps work. For instance, someone could click a button or enter text as an input. An output would be a newly displayed page or a some other change on the screen that resulted from our input. We also reflected on the inputs and outputs involved in how an app like YouTube works.
App 1
App 2
App 3
Week of 6 September
We continued to learn a little more about the United Farm Workers boycott and strike by analyzing three additional photos. We again used a see-think-wonder approach to help us look closely and bring our prior knowledge to the analysis. After we read the bibliographic records, we realized two of the photos were from Philadelphia!
Then, we used some keywords that came up during our analysis of the images and bibliographic records to conduct an internet search about the boycott and strike. We used some tips for searching. We added some resources we found to a shared Google slideshow.
Week of 30 August
This week, we began exploring primary sources from a historical boycott. We didn't know much about the photos; so, we approached it using a see-think-wonder framework. We made some inferences based on our prior knowledge and had a lot of questions.
We will be researching protests this year and will build mobile apps to help others learn about this important events and tactics. We will also develop skills for conducting historical research online.
Our observations, reflections, and questions about this photo of Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta
We also analyzed a poster and two photos from Philadelphia of people promoting the lettuce and grape boycotts