Scratch and Grade 5 Triangles - TLLP Activity 3

This is the third in a series of blog posts connected to the Teacher Learning and Leadership (TLLP) I am part of. Our goal was to “Investigate ways that students can use Computational Thinking, across the Curriculum, to problem solve, create and remix - maximizing available technology.”

I need to thank Cliff Kraeker @kraekerc for the genesis of this idea. A colleague was using part of his Coding Quest Education Program and I made some variations to the lesson for my Grade 5 class.

Curriculum Connections - Grade 5 - Mathematics (Geometry)

By the end of Grade 5, students will:

• identify triangles (i.e., acute, right, obtuse, scalene, isosceles, equilateral), and classify them according to angle and side properties
• construct triangles, using a variety of tools (e.g., protractor, compass, dynamic geometry software), given acute or right angles and side measurements

Procedure (Over several periods, depending on knowledge and understanding)

1./ My students were familiar with the different triangles and most could already name them all. Experiences in earlier grades were obviously paying dividends. The review period for the terms (acute, right, obtuse, scalene, isosceles & equilateral) were quick. A brief review of an interior measure of an angle and an exterior measure of an angle is also helpful.

2./ We did a paper cutting activity where students were encouraged to make a large triangle of any kind on a standard sheet of paper. We cut the triangles out and then cut each corner off on a slight curve. We assembled the curves together and, in every case, we formed a rudimentary semicircle. The following guiding questions helped them come to some realizations

• How many degrees in a circle?  What about half a circle?
• If all of us could make a half circle from the corners or our unique triangles, what does the tell us about all triangles?
• If an equilateral triangle has three corners with interior angles that are the same, and they add up to 180 degrees...What will each corner measure?
• If a right triangle has a corner that measures 90 degrees - what do the other two angles measure? BONUS: Is a right triangle always an isosceles triangle?
• If an isosceles triangle has two angles that measure 80 degrees, what will the third be? How do you know?

3./ As a kinesthetic learning activity students put a strip of masking tape on an open floor space. One partner walks the tape and turns his/her body to begin to walk an equilateral triangle at the corner (vertex). Before continuing, they must answer the question.

How many degrees did I turn my body? Was it more than 60 degrees? Was it more than 90?

 

The realization that they actually turned 120 degrees is an important one for the coding they will eventually do in Scratch. The interior angle is 60, but the person, or pen or coded line actually turns the distance of the exterior angle. The activity can continue as students explore the space for isosceles, right, scalene, obtuse and acute triangles. In previous years. In previous years, I would encourage them to mark the sides with masking tape - but this did not serve to enhance their understanding and took up too much time...and tape.

Coding with Scratch

The students are shown the following example.

However, it is paused after the Equilateral Triangle is shown. Expectations are discussed.

• Using any sprite and the pen tool, create three different triangles.
• Using the “say” function - provide your viewer with information about the triangle.
• You must provide at least 3 truths about the triangle - but you can add more.
• Use any background and feel free to add sound effects.
• You can record your voice reading the information that you are “saying” on screen.
• You can work with a partner, but must do an equitable amount of the work.

Students exceeded expectations, as seen here and here

The part they liked the best - beyond the absence of boring worksheets.

• They got to choose which triangles they would share.
• There was flexibility on the information they chose to share.
• They liked the challenge of the scalene triangle.
• They liked the freedom to add music, moving images, colourful backgrounds.
• They loved working with a partner.

Differentiation

• Struggling students were allowed to use a large section of my code and remix it.
• Students with limited proficiency copied code from handouts, and were encouraged to look for patterns that could be duplicated.
• Students comfortable with the program created it on their own - referencing my code when necessary.
• Advanced students were encouraged to find a more interesting approach to the code and the final product or to find a different way to code it.

We shared our final products on Edmodo in order to allow other students to offer positive feedback.

Hints (Or Problem Solving Opportunities for them to debug)

• Show them the “Clear Graphic Effects” and “Clear” option that starts their program.
• Remind them that their Sprite needs to be reset with “Point in direction 90” - otherwise, they can’t test and debug as they are building their script.
• Suggest that they start their first triangle well away from a central location - this will allow them room for the other two.

Have Fun - I think you will enjoy seeing and evaluating the results.

A Report Card comment could read:

"Name was able to construct and identify a number of different triangles according to angle and side properties using dynamic geometric software with (insert modifier here)."

Computational Thinking in Art -TLLP Activity 1

This spring, I will be presenting at the Thames Valley District School Board’s S.T.E.A.M. conference. When I put my application in, I was taking a risk. I agreed to present results from a few activities I had never tried. I wasn’t entirely sure what I was going to ask my students to do and I had no idea what they might create. I did know that I wanted to investigate one of the key pillars of computational thinking, decomposition.

Decomposition is, as it sounds, the breaking down of a complex problem or system into manageable parts. During this process, patterns are often revealed and a deeper, richer understanding of a solution can be reached.

In mathematics, the connections are obvious. Breaking a problem into smaller parts has always been a hallmark of problem solving methodology.  However, I wanted students to learn to develop this skill to investigate art and literacy.

CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS

Connections are numerous. I have highlighted a few from the Grade 5 Visual Arts & Language curriculum.

Visual Art D2.2 Grade 5 students are learning to explain how the elements and principles of design are used in their own and others’ art work to communicate meaning or understanding. EX:  Piet Mondrian’s paintings use colour, line, and geometric shape to create an impression of movement.  

Oral Communication 1.4 Grade 5 students are learning to demonstrate an understanding of the information and ideas in oral texts by summarizing important ideas and citing a variety of supporting details.

Oral Communication 1.7 Grade 5 students are learning to analyse oral texts and explain how specific elements in them contribute to meaning.

Reading 1.7 Grade 5 students are learning to analyse texts and explain how various elements in them contribute to meaning.

Writing 1.6 Grade 5 students are learning to  determine whether the ideas and information they have gathered are relevant, appropriate, and adequate for the purpose,

ACTIVITY 1

Students were organized, in advance, into 6 groups. I was sure that students with academic or language needs (I have a high ESL population) were separated into different groups. I also made sure that every group had at least two students with strong literacy skills.

I was fortunate to be accompanied by two Teacher Candidates from Althouse College at Western University. Consequently, each group had ready access to an adult who could help them (a) stay on task and (b) support them when challenged.

We began by looking at the concept of minimalism, using the following Google Slide Each group was provided with an editable copy of this slideshow on a Chromebook. This is important because the display on the Chromebook is far superior to that of a classroom projector.

After introducing four paintings by Yves Klein and Barnett Newman, students were encouraged to discuss their opinions and ideas about the pieces with these guiding questions.

Slide 7: In the space below type in Words that come to mind when you and your group first look at any of  these paintings.  Anything goes. Whatever words pop into your head. You don’t have to agree.

Slide 8: What do these paintings have in common?

What rules do the painters seem to be following?

Use the space below to type your ideas.

Slide 9: Can an artist tell a story with a painting like this one (or one of the others)

What story is he trying to tell? (Picture of Who’s afraid of red, yellow and blue)

Share your ideas in your group.

A member of the group was responsible for typing responses into the provided space.

You don’t have to a

Here is what one group chose to share (See Slides 7 - 10)

A class discussion followed and all ideas were shared. Responses were also screened with the class projector. A final conversations about minimalism and simplicity of design followed. Opinions were varied.

“It isn’t art, it is just three lines of paint. I could do that.”

“I’ll bet it looks better in real life.”

“It is art. It makes you think.”

 

EVALUATION

Anecdotal notes were taken to evaluate students on Visual Arts D2.2 (above) and the Learning Skill of Collaboration as outlined in the Growing Success Document

Page 17

The student:

• accepts various roles and an equitable share of work in a group;

• responds positively to the ideas, opinions, values, and traditions of others;

• builds healthy peer-to-peer relationships through personal and media-assisted interactions;

• works with others to resolve conflicts and build consensus to achieve group goals;

• shares information, resources, and expertise and promotes critical thinking to solve problems and make decisions.

RESULTS

Engagement was high and the discussion was rich. The students liked creating a story for the final picture “Who’s afraid of red, yellow and blue.” Students seemed comfortable sharing their ideas about the art piece because of the simplicity. This was a wonderful stepping stone to get to the next activity. All students met expectations and some exceeded it.

2016 Reflections

My summer goal was to have 12 posts published this year. if I can finish this entry in the next two hours, I will exceed that expectation - with plenty of time to see the puck drop at the Canada vs U.S.A World Junior hockey game. So, here is a quick reflection of some of the best things that happened to me in education in 2016.

TLLP

I, along with a group of highly motivated colleagues from three Thames Valley schools, successfully applied for a grant through the Ontario Government’s Teacher Learning and Leadership Program (TLLP). With the money from the grant, I was fortunate enough to attend two conferences, the TLLP Learning Summit in May and then the Bring it Together (BIT) Conference in November. Additionally, we secured plenty of new technology (Chromebooks, IPads, Spheros, Ozobots, Dash & Dot) for our schools. We were also provided with release time to learn how to use them in our classrooms with an eye toward a  changing curriculum that necessarily embraces coding and computational thinking.

My understanding of both coding and computational thinking grew by leaps and bounds through this wonderful opportunity. I benefited greatly from the experiences of both my "Grant Colleagues" and from the many, passionate educators who shared their knowledge at these informative events. It has also helped me build my Professional Learning Network through Twitter and that has become an invaluable resource.

Lego Mindstorms EV3 Robots

I was also fortunate enough to be selected by my Principal to attend three, half-day, workshop sessions to learn about Lego Mindstorm EV3 Robots. Eight of these high-tech kits were purchased for our school and I have been asked to learn how to incorporate them into the Junior curriculum. After this year, I will provide the resources and support required for other teachers to share them in their classrooms. My students and I explored the  DRiVe Inquiry Approach supported by the Thames Valley board and took on a number of coding challenges. These included the navigation of a floor hockey stick maze and programming the robotic arms to throw a ping-pong ball. I am keen to expand my understanding in the first few months of the 2017 school year so that I have much to offer my colleagues when they explore the kits.

Feedback Driven Evaluation

For several year, I have been trying to move student focus away from “marks” and toward “feedback”. This year, I have had increased success. I have made it a priority to give prompt, written feedback with both "Next Steps" and constructive praise through this version of a no marks rubric*.

(*A rubric is a document that articulates the expectations of an assignment. It often includes some form of mark)

Some challenges have persisted

• Parents and students still think in terms of marks - the question: “Did I get an A?” is hard to shake.
• Report Cards still require "Letter Grades". Consequently, I eventually have to quantify this feedback and distill it to a mark.

However, this approach has been most enhanced by two changes in my practice. The first is incorporating more “ongoing feedback" during an activity.  This is typically provided through Google Classroom and Google Documents. For example, a student completing a writing task will submit it after the completion of a first draft. I will provide feedback for some of the work and encourage them to review their work with my recommendations in mind. Google Docs "suggestion" feature is wonderful for this process.

Additionally, I have encouraged students to make a copy of the rubric and self-evaluate. If they are able to self-reflect and determine their own “Next Steps” they have time to make the changes. Not only does this encourage students to be critical of their own work, it also inspires personal celebration. Students benefit greatly from discovering the intrinsic value of work that is well done.

Well, “game time” approaches. I think I will end things here. 2016 was a year of growth for me and I experienced many successes. I enthusiastically look forward to 2017 and I hope to write my next post before the first week is over...however, with report cards looming, I make no promises.

Thanks for reading.

Happy New Year!

  
  

Summer Goals

My summer officially started today, Friday, July 8th. It was slightly delayed because I had the opportunity to teach a course with fellow educators that was sponsored by the Elementary Teacher’s Federation of Ontario (ETFO). The course was designed to help teachers transition to a Blended Classroom environment in the Junior Grades (4-6). Overall, it seemed to be well received by participants.

I am now looking at approximately 60 days before greeting my new Grade 5/6 class. Past summers have taught me that, left to my own devices, I will increasingly accomplish less. I have learned that I need to plan ahead and I must set the same S.M.A.R.T. goals I encourage my students to embrace. I need to be sure that my summer has some clear objectives that will keep me from too many late nights playing video games and/or watching television. I am also fighting a losing battle with my waistline. Although an extra ten pounds over the winter is understandable, gaining weight in temperate weather is just sad. (You can read between the lines and add "drinking beers" and "eating junk food" to my list of summer distractions.

With that in mind. Here is what I want to get done.

• Continue the 365 miles in 365 days challenge . I am currently at mile 208 on Day 190!
• Advance my TLLP Ontario Grant journey by mastering more at Code.org and Scratch(ed)
• Reorganize my math lessons based on computational thinking strategies provided here
• Read the book Invent to Learn
• Continue to practice my Spanish daily, using Rosetta Stone and Duolingo
• Write at least 6 blog entries (one every ten days) by the end of the summer.
• Learn 3 songs on the guitar that I can use in the classroom next year. This one for sure.
• Get more comfortable with the Lego Mindstorms EV3 robots for next year.

Beyond this, I still plan to have an awesome summer with my family and friends close to me as often as possible - with lots of beer, food, kayaking, hiking, campfires, laughs...a Mud Hero obstacle course race with my sister and, a 10 day vacation in Halifax, Charlottetown and Cape Breton to celebrate my 30th Anniversary with my wife! Perhaps I should reconsider the “A” in S.M.A.R.T. goals. These may not all be achievable - but it will be a great summer trying! I hope your summer is wonderful too.

The Start of My TLLP Journey

About a year ago, my principal approached me and asked if I was interested in getting involved with a grant proposal. Thinking back on that day, I have a vague recollection of this having something to do with technology in the classroom (an interest of mine). I also remember that there was mention of a “guru” from another school that was going to do a lot of the initial paperwork. (That's a plus!)

“Would you be interested?” my principal asked. All she needed was a commitment from a few staff members (including me) and a signature on a document.

At the time, I was intrigued, but also distracted. I’ll admit, "distracted and curious" is modus operandi for me at the best of times. Staff at my school will attest that I am regularly staring at my phone as I walk down the hall. Typically, I am reading an article, perusing the news or scanning my PLN on Twitter.

Looking back on that day, I suppose I realized that I would have more time to evaluate this opportunity at a later date. So, I signed the document and moved on.

I should mention that this event coincided with some significant challenges in my teaching career. At the time, I was moving to a new classroom and changing my assignment from Grade 4 to Grade 5/6. Consequently, I had been pouring over unfamiliar curriculum documents while trying to incorporate more technology into my classroom. WiFi had recently been installed at our school and I knew I would have increased access to Chromebooks. I really wanted to step-up my efforts to be a Google Educator.

Additionally, I was a Workplace Steward and we were navigating the challenges of increased job actions due a year long contract battle with the government. There was also volleyball season (I was a coach and a regional convenor). Needless to say, in the chaos of first few months of the new school year, the “grant” had slipped my mind.

Early this spring, I was reminded of my commitment. This time, things had settled in my world and I was less distracted and far more intrigued. I found out that the grant was part of an ongoing project. It was geared toward experienced teachers who are passionate about their practice and want to share their ideas with others. By choosing to participate, I would be provided with release time to hone my professional practice and my skills. I would also have access to additional funding to spend on technology for use in my classroom and at our school. More information on this grant can be found here. Needless to say, I was glad I had signed up and was delighted to understand fully that this was the type of opportunity for which I had been looking.

A few weeks later, I learned that I had been selected by my administration to attend a three day conference in Toronto as the representative from our school. If I didn’t have enough incentive before - I certainly did now. There is something wonderfully energizing about being trusted through a generous opportunity. I began to investigate our grant with renewed vigour. I got a chance to meet with the aforementioned “guru”, Michelle, and I also got to meet my conference partner from our companion school, Kari. I looked at the initiative with fresh eyes.

The long version of our grant proposal reads as follows:

We hope to explore, implement and evaluate coding and computational thinking in the K-8 classroom. Computational Thinking (CT) includes computer programming (ie: coding) and means problem solving, understanding and designing systems and understanding human behaviour (Wing, 2006; 2008 p 3717). We will investigate how CT can be useful for learning the mathematical processes outlined in the Ontario Mathematics Curriculum as well as the 21st Century Skills championed in Ontario and around the world. Complementing our board’s recent initiative with Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts & Math (S.T.E.A.M.) this project will investigate four pedagogical phases CT: unplugged, making, tinkering and remixing. (Floyd, Kafai, Khan, Kotsopoulis, Morrison, Namukasa et al 2015) . We will also explore how CT manifests in the physical world through tangible materials such as robots, circuits and micro-controllers.

In my next entry, I hope to distil that to 25 words or fewer and update my experiences at the 10th Annual TLLP Conference in Toronto.