Quarterly Two

KWL

Over the course of the Q2 PD, we’ll work together to create a KWL (Know, Want to Learn, Learned) Chart. In the first part of the session, you’ll add contributions to the Know and Want to Learn sections and then share out in the synchronous session. At the end of the week, prior to completing your Final Reflection Journal, you’ll add items to the Learned section. This is a collaborative tool that will allow each of you to enter contributions and will ultimately display our group’s collective thinking.

Activing 1: Journal KWL

Complete the Know and Want to Learn columns in the Q2 KWL Chart Activity

As a reminder, the Student Learning Objectives for Unit 4: Introduction to Programming include the following:

• Use appropriate algorithms to solve a problem

• Design, code, test, and execute a program that corresponds to a set of specifications

• Select appropriate programming structures

• Locate and correct errors in a program

• Explain how a particular program functions

• Justify the correctness of a program

• Create programs with practical, personal, and/or societal intent

Scratch

In this section, you will complete activities that will provide opportunities to learn the content needed prior to planning a lesson with your group. Please complete these activities prior to your synchronous planning session so that you are adequately prepared to discuss the content.

Activity 2: Get to Know Scratch and Explore

Unit 4 makes extensive use of Scratch, a programming language developed at MIT specifically for use by young people. Using Scratch, students can program their own interactive stories, games and animations.

• If you are new to using Scratch, take a moment to watch this introductory video.

• Download the supplemental Scratch files for the ECS Curriculum website or from here.

• Go to the Scratch site and create a teacher account if you do not have one.

• Log in to make sure you don’t have any issues getting into the website.

Review Unit 4: Programming

This unit addresses programming, algorithms and abstractions, connections between mathematics and computer science, and societal impacts of computing.

Activity 3: Review the Model Lesson

In this activity, you will review some video clips from the model lesson and then respond to some questions in the journal activity guide (please make a copy) about what you saw happening. As you watch the clips and work through the questions and pay particular attention to the teacher’s use of explicit Inquiry, Equity and CS Concept strategies.

Activity 4: Review Supporting Resources (optional)

Take some time to review resources that directly support the teaching of Unit 4. These resources should help you in your group lesson-planning activity this week.

ECS Scratch Files

URL: http://www.exploringcs.org/curriculum

Author: ECS

Audience: Teachers

Skill Level: Beginner, Intermediate

Summary:

Download the Scratch Files zip file (found under Supplemental Files); extract files and use with in the Scratch environment for the various lessons in ECS.

Scratch Getting Started Video

URL: https://vimeo.com/80961102

Author: MIT Media Lab

Audience: Students

Skill Level: Beginner, Intermediate

Summary: This is a brief introduction to the Scratch environment intended to motivate students.

Scratch Tutorials

URL: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/editor/?tutorial=getStarted

Author: MIT Media Lab

Audience: Students, Teachers

Skill Level: Beginner

Summary: This pictorial guide provides a quick overview of some of the key features of the Scratch environment. It can be used in the first few days of the unit as a supplementary document as students are introduced to these features.