Implementation
Early Stages
I conduct an experiment at the begining of the year to introduce students to variables by having them test the absorbancy of paper towels. The challenge is open-ended. Groups work together to design their own experiment from scratch. This project is always fun, but I always found students had difficulty with controlling variables and fair tests.
Early on in the year we were working on Rocks and Minerals Unit. I conducted some centres, but felt I really had to guide students through them. One such experiment was on classifying minerals. Students needed modelling on how to identify the different minerals by testing their properties.
I wanted to make my students more independent and scientifically minded.
I conduct an experiment at the begining of the year to introduce students to variables by having them test the absorbancy of paper towels. The challenge is open-ended. Groups work together to design their own experiment from scratch. This project is always fun, but I always found students had difficulty with controlling variables and fair tests.
Early on in the year we were working on Rocks and Minerals Unit. I conducted some centres, but felt I really had to guide students through them. One such experiment was on classifying minerals. Students needed modelling on how to identify the different minerals by testing their properties.
I wanted to make my students more independent and scientifically minded.
As an open-ended scenario activity, I gave paint trays to each group and a certain amount of soil. Students were given the following problem to work on in small groups:
Farmer Bill has worked hard to create fertile topsoil to grow hay for his cows. He hears a big rainstorm is coming. He doesn't want to lose his topsoil. How could we help Farmer Bill?
Students were able to choose from items such as twigs, popsicle sticks, pebbles, sand, larger rocks, straw, soil pods, wax paper...etc. for their design. When finished I dumped water into each "field". We observed how the water drained through. So many questions arose form the activity. How do we keep it fair for each group? What are the variables? What about how much water drained into the river? Would the cows not have enough water to drink? What color was the water that drained out? Why?
This activity went really well, although I still felt like I was very much in the "driver's seat" guiding them on what were the variables of the experiment.
We then began using the Code.org Course E to learn some of the fundamental terms of coding and how to use blocks to get achieve a goal. We did some of the unplugged activities, but not all. This course was great as it had videos, interactive challenges, taught coding terms, and gave hints when students were having difficulty. Students and teachers need to make an account. I shared the sign up link through my Google Classroom page.
Farmer Bill has worked hard to create fertile topsoil to grow hay for his cows. He hears a big rainstorm is coming. He doesn't want to lose his topsoil. How could we help Farmer Bill?
Students were able to choose from items such as twigs, popsicle sticks, pebbles, sand, larger rocks, straw, soil pods, wax paper...etc. for their design. When finished I dumped water into each "field". We observed how the water drained through. So many questions arose form the activity. How do we keep it fair for each group? What are the variables? What about how much water drained into the river? Would the cows not have enough water to drink? What color was the water that drained out? Why?
This activity went really well, although I still felt like I was very much in the "driver's seat" guiding them on what were the variables of the experiment.
We then began using the Code.org Course E to learn some of the fundamental terms of coding and how to use blocks to get achieve a goal. We did some of the unplugged activities, but not all. This course was great as it had videos, interactive challenges, taught coding terms, and gave hints when students were having difficulty. Students and teachers need to make an account. I shared the sign up link through my Google Classroom page.
Visits from Mr. Walsh
Tom came in on three separate occasions to give real world challenges to the students on design and engineering. Students learned about predicting and were engaged in investigations. They had to learn how to troubleshoot and fix their designs. Students also learned about variables and how they affect the outcome of an experiment. Students were introduced to independent, dependent and controlled variables.
Tom came in on three separate occasions to give real world challenges to the students on design and engineering. Students learned about predicting and were engaged in investigations. They had to learn how to troubleshoot and fix their designs. Students also learned about variables and how they affect the outcome of an experiment. Students were introduced to independent, dependent and controlled variables.
Beginning with Coding and Robotics
All students then used their @nlesd.ca Google accounts to sign up for Scratch platform. We began doing a little bit of "guided coding" to get both myself and them used to the platform. I drew heavily from the first couple activities of the Coding Projects in Scratch book by Jon Woodcock. I bought this at the Scholastic Book Fair in 2017. This book really showed me and the students all the basics of the platform, and how to use many of the different Scratch functions. Without it I would have been lost!
At around this time the Lego Robots arrived!
I played around with the kit on some of the planning days and looked over the Lego WeDo 2.0 app that you need to install on a Bluetooth capable device like an iPad or laptop.
I had our LRC teacher add the app to the school iPads, as we needed one device for each box. The laptops at our school did not have the ability to connect with the Bluetooth Lego hub, but it is possible. We have a fabulous tech administrator named Rob who helped me through this process. I also reached out to other schools using Lego WeDo for some practical advice.
All students then used their @nlesd.ca Google accounts to sign up for Scratch platform. We began doing a little bit of "guided coding" to get both myself and them used to the platform. I drew heavily from the first couple activities of the Coding Projects in Scratch book by Jon Woodcock. I bought this at the Scholastic Book Fair in 2017. This book really showed me and the students all the basics of the platform, and how to use many of the different Scratch functions. Without it I would have been lost!
At around this time the Lego Robots arrived!
I played around with the kit on some of the planning days and looked over the Lego WeDo 2.0 app that you need to install on a Bluetooth capable device like an iPad or laptop.
I had our LRC teacher add the app to the school iPads, as we needed one device for each box. The laptops at our school did not have the ability to connect with the Bluetooth Lego hub, but it is possible. We have a fabulous tech administrator named Rob who helped me through this process. I also reached out to other schools using Lego WeDo for some practical advice.
Full Swing
As the year progressed we did many "guided coding" lessons. As a class we got more and more comfortable with the Scratch platform and Lego WeDo kits.
What I began to notice:
As we got more into coding, I got more into making connections with science. I found I was more confident planning investigations and experiment to conduct in class. We as a class began to see links to coding in everyday life! If __________then _______ happens because _____________. This led perfectly into talking about hypothesis and science. Because of coding students started to "think algorithmically", meaning they understood the importance of knowing and taking steps to solve a problem. Students were showing more perseverance and determination to figure out how to make things work and the "why" of certain things.
As the year progressed we did many "guided coding" lessons. As a class we got more and more comfortable with the Scratch platform and Lego WeDo kits.
What I began to notice:
- Students increased their knowledge of coding terms
- Students began to understand how to manipulate robots and create code to achieve certain goals
- Students understood cause and effect relationships through "If...then" conditional blocks.
- Students began to understand what variables were
- Students began to learn how to "debug" their code by editing and revising
As we got more into coding, I got more into making connections with science. I found I was more confident planning investigations and experiment to conduct in class. We as a class began to see links to coding in everyday life! If __________then _______ happens because _____________. This led perfectly into talking about hypothesis and science. Because of coding students started to "think algorithmically", meaning they understood the importance of knowing and taking steps to solve a problem. Students were showing more perseverance and determination to figure out how to make things work and the "why" of certain things.
Students were also working collaboratively. During "free coding" I let students work on individual passion projects. I began to see students reach out to others to help them with a certain aspect of their program. They were so delighted by sharing any new expertise with others. I began to see that they were pulling away from me as the sole person to help them when things went wrong, the began to turn to each other, but most importantly, they began to rely on themselves and their own intuition. A student-centered approach had been achieved!
As students became more empowered with coding and robotics, I saw them start to "remix" other activities. They would look at others code and think how could I apply it to my program. How could I change or alter it? Students working with the Lego WeDo first started out with the guided activities, which were very straight forward and showed them what to do at each step. If the robot didn't function properly, either through a coding fault or a design flaw, we discussed how we could "debug" it. As we progressed through the lessons in the Lego WeDo app, students were then given more open-ended design challenges with the robots. They had to design both with function of the Lego Robot, and also with the code. We are currently working on some open-ended designs to see how animals can adapt to certain environments.
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One frustration myself and Tom discussed early on was that students in French immersion, sometimes have difficulty expressing themselves in a second language, especially when they are learning new vocabulary terms. Before each unit I would assign students book selections (in English) about our next science unit to get them familiar with terms and concepts. In class we would constructed an "I wonder" wall, as well as a vocabulary wall to help us. I gave them the terms and in teams students came up with visuals and key words that would help them remember the new science terms used. I like the idea of having students involved in the creation of the word wall, as it is more impactful for them.
As I designed centres for our units on Sound and Light, I thought about how to phrase them in coding ways. I left the instructions pretty simple in each centre. I wanted to see if they could conduct investigation to achieve a certain outcomes and identify variables in experiments. I kept reminding them "think like we are coding". The centres for light went so amazingly well that I am truly proud. The room was a silent hush of students actively engaged in science. The students took detailed notes, drew diagrams and charts, and took pictures with their iPads during the centres. They then made an iMovie explaining what they learned in each centre.