K1 Prep - 7/31/18

These K1 kids are getting ready for school to start in a few short weeks.  We've all mastered writing our name and some amazing things were happening in journals today.  Many kids took the lesson last week to heart and were able to draw a picture and label it in their journals.  I am so proud of them!

 We did a lot of math today.  We practiced counting to 100 and learned about the greater than and less than sign.  We talked about how it's a greedy alligator who wants to eat the most cookies possible.  We did a cut and paste activity and it really shows how solid of a number sense your child has - check their work in your backpack.  If it's not that great there is work to be done on the numbers 0-10.

The biggest lesson in reading today was b vs d.  That's a tricky one.  We made beds from our hands to be able to check if a printed letter is a b or a d.  Reference the picture in order to practice at home.

Robotics 4 - EdCrane Build

As the builds get harder our class endurance, grit, and problem solving all have stepped up to the challenge. 

 When everyone was done building we experimented with different magnetic toys to determine how much weight the crane could hold and what made it tip over.  I encouraged the kids to explore adding pieces or changing the design of the crane to be able to hold more weight. 

Here is the speed build and a couple videos from our class time together:

Summer Writing Workshop

Writing Workshop this afternoon was a whirlwind of awesome. We read a few of my favorite mentor texts, talked about storytelling and writing generas, explored fun conventions such as the ellipsis (...) text size/location and color, and explored different illustration options.  One of the books we read aloud was "Beep, Beep, Go to Sleep!"  It's a book where a little boy is putting three robots down to sleep.  The number of kids that related to the robots getting up multiple times made me hope for a more restful evening for all you parents out there!  We also read my number one favorite, "Rhyming Dust Bunnies".  There were two different versions written in writing workshop camp today.  With cute fuzzy dust bunnies and speech bubbles the book is hard to resist, plus it encourages a lot of giggling. 

 Our focus for writing workshop is on fiction writing and telling stories.  We talked about he main elements in a piece of fiction (characters, setting, problem, solution) and dissected the mentor texts as we read them aloud.  We played a fun game from "Tell Me a Story" where we rolled story cubes and had to fill in the blanks for a few story starters. We played with funny pairings of characters and imagined all sorts of nonsense.  The giggles were quite intense at this point in our discussion which led quite easily into what kind of stories we like to listen to and read - stories that make us feel an emotion, like happiness!

 Students then got to work putting their ideas down on paper in their sloppy copy or rough draft.  We worked out the kinks together however due to time constraints we didn't do too much illustration work in our sloppy copies. After a short recess break we pulled out the hard-backed books for kiddos that were ready to start working on their own real book.  We talked about the cover and how the first page is usually a title page.  I encouraged kids to start their story on the second page in.  We read through their rough drafts and added correct spelling where needed to make reading easier.  They all did amazing work in our time together and I hope they finish their books at home.  I encouraged them to send me pictures or video of their completed books.  You can post them over on our Facebook page at Facebook.com/InitiateLearning. 

It was a fast paced adventure in storytelling where we explored ways to make vibrant, innovative, powerful, and intriguing stories.  We looked for examples of crazy pairings in mentor texts and tried to add our own crazy twists into our stories.

Summer Robotics 2 Day 3

This afternoon the Robotics 2 camp finished up with a dance a party.  We reviewed computational thinking and how we will be more successful if we work out one piece of code at a time. Then we jumped into our challenge of using all 4 drive directions to make Edison dance.  I was impressed with how many different varieties of turns, twists, speed, and length of time were used.  The kids thought it was fantastic that they could pick a favorite song, I could play it over the speaker system, and they could have their Edison "dance" to the music.

 Our dance code was a fun adventure in creative coding. I could see the "choreography" happening in some student's minds as they thought about how they would like Edison to move to a Greatest Showman song or how would Edison do the Floss dance?

 After our break we learned how to make Edison turn on and off his lights.  We played around with the code to make Edison dance and turn on and off the lights. Our main coding focus today was on the Loop block, which makes the code repeat either a set number of times or forever.  The kids discovered the Look block on Wednesday so it was fairly easy for them to incorporate it into their dancing code. We even learned that you can put a Loop block around a few blocks, add more blocks, and put a loop block around all of it.

We had an amazing time learning together.  It was a ton of fun to watch the kids become confident in loading code onto Edison and playing around with writing the code.  It is awesome that Edison is open ended so all these kids can go home and continue creating new code challenges for their Edison.  Here are some example challenges to get your kids to do (or come up with your own!): 

• Drive around and obstacle, such as a cup or pencil case
• Drive around the border of a desk without driving off the edge
• Create a maze on a large piece of paper
• Create a maze using building blocks

Share with me what amazing challenge you can make your Edison do!  Share a video, pictures, or even just text on Facebook.com/InitiateLearning  I can't wait to see what you can accomplish! 

Summer MakerSpace Wrap Up

Summer MakerSpace camp was illuminating! I loved having the opportunity to teach our makers about circuits and how to add light to their creations.  Day 2 of summer MakerSpace camp started with the challenge to add light to a creation and these kids did not disappoint. Everyone had a different idea of a project that they wanted to make and we all got right to work.

 Some of the ideas were super challenging and after spending some time trying to create a lantern together a small group of children and I decided to shelve the idea and work on something else for a bit.  The project even stumped me.  In MakerSpace we accept that things won't always work and it's a safe place to craft and explore something new.  I was really impressed when wiring started happening that mimicked our paper circuits and resembled the simple circuits we were making during spring break.

 Overall, Makerspace was a smashing success.  Within the two day camp we saw collaboration, exploration, creative thinking, and authentic problem solving.  We saw students become masters and share their knowledge with others.  We saw students engaging in creative projects and stretching beyond their comfort zones.  In Makerspace we value creativity and love the creations.  Very well done!

Summer Robotics 2 Day 2

The kids in Robotics 2 brought some amazing passion and energy to camp today!  I am incredibly impressed with what we were able to accomplish.  They were able to recall the parts of a robot with the correct vocabulary and they were able to transition into a more independent situation where students didn't need me to remind them step-by-step how to program the Edison Robots.  This led to a fantastic situation for any classroom - Individualized Learning.  The kids who where working on mastering the decimal form of a percentage of a second were coached through that.  Students who mastered the math quickly were able to move on and challenge themselves by adding more complicated code.

 When we were ready to put Edison through a maze we spent time talking about computational thinking.  Computational thinking is the process of doing one step at a time.  First we want Edison to go forward, then turn left, then go forward, then turn right, then go forward.  Just being able to list the steps in order is a skill to master.  As we worked on the code I stressed that THE ONLY WAY anyone can be successful at writing code in the beginning is to write one step of code at a time, test it, adjust it, and make it absolutely correct before adding the next step of code.

 Then we learned how Edison can interact with drawn lines.  Edison has a line tracking sensor and can follow a black line or respond to a black line.  We learned a few more coding blocks such as "Speed" and "Turn OFF the Motors" all while playing with following our own drawn trails - a simple black marker and large sheet of paper does the trick! These are all activities that can me built upon at home after camp ends.  We spent some time today talking about how coding robots is a fairly complicated task and we will hardly ever get the math right on the first try.  

After each task we sat as a group on the sofa and reflected on what went well and not so well and why we thought that.  We also brainstormed different ideas to troubleshoot problems such as accidentally poking holes in the paper that then cause Edison to get stuck!  I am continually impressed with the enthusiasm and perseverance that is shown by kids in robotics camps - something about robots helps us be a little more brave to try, fail, and try again.  Keep up the great work!

Summer MakerSpace - Paper Circuits

These kids did some amazing work with paper circuits today.  Each child created their own paper circuits book to demonstrate a simple circuit, a parallel circuit, and a switch.  We used copper tape and LED stickers.  We'd make the circuit on a blank page and then turn back a page and draw a design that incorporated the light that was shining through the paper.

 We talked about how a simple circuit can only power one light and how a parallel circuit can have as many lights as there is space.  We talked about the positive and negative sides of a battery and how they have to match up to the correct end on the sticker lights.

 Then we dove into crafting and creating.  With all the supplies available students worked on helicopters, message delivery systems, pencil holders, cards, and art.  They all did a fantastic job!

Summer Robotics 2 - Introduction to Coding

Summer Robotics 2 kicked off today with a bang!  Robotics 2 is an introduction to coding and is REALLY content heavy on day one.  Pat your kids on the back because they made it through a lesson on coding and a lesson on decimals BEFORE they got to play with their actual robots.  We reviewed the parts of a machine that make it a robot (computer, actuator, sensor) and shared our own robot brainstorms.  Then we headed into physical coding.  I introduce coding like baking a cake - you follow the recipe in order to make something yummy. 

Using our large floor mats kids split into two teams and made a pathway for their friends to follow.  They worked together to "write the code" with the code cards to help their friends get safely to the end.

Then we were able to practice the process of downloading code to Edison.  Once the code is written:

1. Make sure Edison is turned on

2. Plug Edison into the computer

3. Click the circle button on Edison ONE time

4. Click "Program Edison" on the computer

5. Click the pop up "Program Edison"

6. Listen for the correct sound that says it's uploaded

7. Unplug Edison

8. Set Edison down and press Play

Though we only played with programming Edison to drive forward for a variety of time and turn for differing lengths of time we surely had fun doing it.  The kids got a kick out of making Edison turn "forever" and "accidentally" driving him off the edge.  Our next two sessions will be chalk full of different code arrangements to teach Edison to do a variety of tricks.  I look forward to your children's creativity in the next couple of sessions!

Summer Robotics 1 Wrap Up

Robotics 1 was so full of energy on day 2!  I love how they learned enough from day 1 to be able to jump right in to playing and exploring on day 2. One of the hardest parts of learning to use Edison is simply remembering which buttons to push and when in order to control him.  I was impressed with this group of kids coming right back into it and helping each other remember how to scan the program barcodes and make it play. 

 Day 2 of Robotics 1 reviews the three main parts of a robot (computer, sensors, actuators) and compares robots to remote controlled toys.  We had such a fun discussion about if certain machines were robots or just machines.  Then, we played with a remote controlled car and remote controlled dinosaur.  We mostly tried to make them fight each other.  That seemed like the obvious choice.  There were so many giggles and so much energy it was contagious. 

 After discussing robots versus remote controlled toys and machines we moved into programming more with Edison.  We programmed him to follow a light and to drive on a black line. We broke into teams and created maps for Edison to drive on. The kids worked so cooperatively on this project.

 At the end of the day we learned to have Edison bounce within drawn borders and then sumo wrestle another robot.  To wrap up our camp we talked about all the different things we learned and shared our favorite parts of the camp. We had an absolute blast learning and exploring robots together.  Every student took their robot home at the end of the day along with their workbook of barcodes.  I've already heard back from families that were amazed how much their child came home and talked their ears off about robots!

Thank you to this wonderful class for coming to play with me!

K1 Prep July 5th

I LOVED the second day of K1 Prep Camp.  It was amazing.  So many factors go in to why the second day of school is always better than the first.  We've all been together in a group, have been exposed to expectations, and are ready for routine to kick in.  We started off our day with writing, mostly because it's a fantastic skill that kids can get started on as they trickle in without missing a lesson.

Tip for your toolbox: Our young writers are still learning how to hold their writing tool correctly and the reality is that it requires an amount of fine muscle skills that develop just like other muscles.  They cramp and get easily tired.  Students that struggle often find that a crutch can help a ton to ease into the strength building while still having proper placement.  Use the lid of a marker or a small Lincoln Log inside the child's fist (last three fingers) while pinching the pen.  Have them hold the lid or Lincoln Log the whole time they are writing.  It works like magic if you're consistent and you'll find they don't need the crutch rather quickly.

 I wish you could all be a fly on my classroom wall.  In fact, I was telling this to my husband this evening.  There is a teacher side of me that is only brought out when a class is in a groove and would benefit from an incredibly over exaggerated teacher response. I'm dramatic.  And loud. And quiet. And, I tend to fall over and proclaim, "OH NO!  HE SAID HE CAN'T DO IT! That's what takes away super powers!" And then, do you want to know what happens?  Kids laugh, they think it's ridiculous, and they try the task at hand.  It ultimately makes the notion of "I can't do it" ridiculous.

 We had an awesome win in our writing today.  Using the concept of "Growth Mindset" we talk all day long about how we learn and grow by trying and sometimes making mistakes.  Our class is talking about drawing people.  The skill level varies and we have students drawing heads with stick arms and legs coming out of them all the way to students drawing amazing looking people.  We've talked about the shapes of our body parts (not sticks, rather circles and rectangles and ovals).  The sweet gal (pictured above) was really trying and when we conferenced we talked about how on the previous page the head took up the whole white space, so where would the body fit?  We talked about sizing and I offered a simple smaller drawing of a person.  I encouraged her to aim for that approximate size, and she did it!  We shared the success with the whole class about how sometimes we just need a little direction from a teacher and with some effort we can succeed. 

 We headed outside for snack, recess, and math.  We counted to 100 by ones and tens.  We used the 100 chart to talk about how we read two digit numbers.  The first is usually the number name followed by "ty" (think "forty") and then we say the second number in its usual way.

It appears that we don't have any pictures of our reading, but I sure got a lot of video of it.  After I pair it down I'll put together another post featuring some of our reading lesson.  We had an amazingly successful day.  Keep up the great work!

Summer Robotics 1

Teaching robotics is incredibly fun and because the kids are so engaged it's easy to guide them to explore all the things a new robot can do.  Camp started with everyone drawing what they would create if they were building a robot.  Then we shared our creations with the whole group.  Next we talked about what we knew about robots, what we wanted to learn about robots, and then did actual learning about the robots.

 I introduced our amazing Edison Bots from MeetEdison.com and showed the kids a picture of all the parts and controls before giving out robots.  We learned to unbox them safely (don't drop it!) and then explored all the buttons.

 Next we learned about coding the Edison Bot.  For this class we're using pre-planned code that is in barcode form.  We learned how Edison can scan the barcode and how we have to push play/go/start to make him perform the code.  Our first code was to have Edison respond to sound.  One clap and Edison would turn a quarter turn, two claps and Edison would drive forward a short distance.  This became super fun when we set up races against each other.  The second code that we programmed Edison to do was to avoid obstacles.  We put our hands and even our arms around Edison and found that he was trapped.  He'd get close to a "wall" and then back up and turn around to try a different direction.

 Even awesome roboticists need a big PE recess break.  After having snacks and climbing around in the backyard we were back at it again with the avoid obstacles code.  We used Legos to build walls and barriers for our robots.  Toward the end of our day each child was able to make an origami paper robot.  That was the quietest moment of our whole three hours together :). 

The last program that we taught Edison was to follow a flashlight.  We talked about where the sensors are and how the program works before setting kids free in the dark with flashlights and their Edison bots.  I think everyone had a fantastic time and I can't wait until Thursday!

Welcome to Kindergarten and First Grade Prep Camp!

Kindergarten and First Grade prep camp was a whirlwind this morning.  We started off playing on the SmartBoard on Starfall.com.  If you've never used it I highly recommend their engaging games and activities.  Then we moved into how we can listen with different parts of our bodies.  We listen with our ears to hear sounds.  We listen with our eyes by looking at the eyes of the person speaking.  We listen with our mouths by keeping them quiet while we listen.  We listen with our hands by keeping them still.  We listen with our bodies by sitting respectfully with little wiggling.

Next we worked on an ABC and Nursery Rhymes song.  It mixes the two together and is great for phonemic awareness.  Hopefully we'll learn it well enough to post a video of it in a few weeks.  Then we split into groups and worked on reading.  Everyone was given a fairly difficult challenge at their own reading level.

 We were able to work on our journaling today.  The most important things we focused on was how to draw a person with more than just stick body parts.  We also wrote our names and talked about the correct way to hold a pencil.  When we went outside for snack time we played a fun game where I'd call out a letter sound and the kids would run to the paper and hand print paint it.

For math today we talked about numerals and started a game called Monster Math.  We separated cards of numerals and cards of pictures.  We took the numeral cards and put them in order from 1-20, or as high as we could go.  We ran out of time to learn the next step, but at home you can practice putting your cards in order and then matching the picture card to the numeral card.  We'll play more with that on Thursday.  We got SO much learning in today but not everything I had hoped to.  In the end we were a little scattered, but with a few tweaks and adjustments we'll be ready to learn even more in the coming days.