Coding

In I.T. students had an introduction to coding. They had to find the shortest possible code to move their fruit from one corner of the paper to the other. It was a fun challenge to see which path was the shortest and why. Students discovered that in this example the most optimal route included the least amount of turns.

Properties of Shape

Students in Miss Anne’s junior kindergarten class participated in a science experiment where they had to discover which shapes roll and which shapes do not roll. Students used a ramp to discover the properties of shapes.

Classroom Redesign

The students in Mrs. Powell’s class worked in teams of three on a classroom design project. Each team compiled a report including a design proposal for the set up of the classroom with the desks, furniture, carpets and bookshelves. The students measured the area and perimeter of the classroom. Each day the recorder kept notes as the team went through the process of putting the report together. During the process, the word builder helped the group learn new vocabulary by looking up definitions in the dictionary and finding synonyms for their new words. As well, each group had to present an advertisement to “sell” their idea to the other students. At the end, each group printed their report and shared their advertisement. One group used the Bookmaker app to create a book on an iPad using screen shots of their report papers. After the presentations, the students took a gallery walk to get a closer look at all of the parts of the reports that were shared. A vote was cast and one design was selected by all. The classroom was transformed and the students had a small celebration and had some time to enjoy the new set up.

Structures in Story

Throughout a unit on buildings and structures the Donatello class read the story, “The Three Little Pigs: an Architectural Tale.” In the story the first little pig builds a house of scraps, the second pig builds a house of glass and the third builds a house of bricks. Students were asked to build three houses using scraps, “glass,” and “bricks.” Students then tested out their houses to see if they could withstand “The Big Bad Wolf.”