I created some basic (plain) versions of the Pop Its as well as some with numbers and letters. Being honest, if I never create a 10x10 digital pop it again, it is totally ok with me! Just kidding, I would, but it sure was a lot of work! ;)
After spending some time in Scratch recently while working on some projects, I realized that having digital pop its could offer endless possibilities beyond use as a fidget. If using physical Pop Its, teachers could write numbers or letters on the bubbles (and some come with them on them already), but it can become costly to have enough for stations or a whole class. Not to mention having to clean, erase numbers/letters, and rewriting characters for the next activity. So why not have digital versions on hand, ready to use at any time? I created some basic (plain) versions of the Pop Its as well as some with numbers and letters. Being honest, if I never create a 10x10 digital pop it again, it is totally ok with me! Just kidding, I would, but it sure was a lot of work! ;) Students (and adults) have been OBSESSED with Pop Its lately for the fidget benefits. Teachers are always looking for ways to capitalize on student interests, hence leveraging something that might be a distraction for some into a way to incorporate content. Which makes me curious...how might you use Pop Its in your classroom (basic/plain or custom digital ones)?
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I have been wanting to play around with Scratch for awhile, but for some reason never actually finished any projects I started or had a specific purpose in completing something that I started playing around with. As I have been working on planning some upcoming teacher PD and trying to have digital resources for the hands-on activities, I realized there could be a lot of power in using a digital Pop It. It could be a great addition to a Virtual Relaxation Room, math activities, and so much more. I think I can officially say I found a purpose in finishing this project and now have so many new ideas swirling around!
Back in the spring, right before our schools shut down for face to face learning, I was in the middle of my STEAM Minecraft unit. We were focusing on Computational Thinking and how we can use it to help us solve problems we might have - whether it is troubleshooting or the actual content. The theme idea came from the students (so it was a Culturally Responsive Teaching approach), so I used that drive the content. The students were so engaged! They had to know more, visit each station, and probably would have stayed all day if I let them.
This fall has presented us with different challenges with teaching and learning. This was a unit I designed and the kids absolutely loved. I knew I needed to find a way to make this happen in a virtual or socially distanced setting. As much as I would have loved to completely replicate this unit skill for skill, I wasn't quite able to the way I wanted. Although that part was a bit of a bummer, it also allowed me to stretch myself a bit and try new and different things. My hope is that this digital/virtual version of my Minecraft until will allow teachers to insert their content into a station if desired. This content can be whatever is relevant to whatever you are teaching now (or planning for the future)!
Below I am including preview of the resources, but also links where you can make copies of the files and make it your own! Minecraft Virtual Classroom
Most of the station square links in the presentation will open a new Google Slide presentation. A few of the station square links (Station 1, Station 2, and Station 7) will force students to make a copy of an existing Google Slide presentation (Station 2 will force a copy of a Google Sheet). This is because to complete those particular stations, students will need a copy of the full presentation to manipulate different components.
For our third Digital Citizenship lesson, we explored Digital Literacy and Communication. I think out of all of the shark Digital Citizenship lessons that I taught, this one was probably my favorite. We started off with the story, How to Make a Shark Smile, and then discussed appropriate ways that we can interact (responding, sharing, working, and playing) with others when online. With all of our lessons, I have stressed that Digital Citizenship is being our best self at all times - online or offline.
The students were fascinated with the concept of altering images and trying to guess if an image or video was altered. Of the two media pieces I showed them (one picture and one video), the majority of students fully believed that the video was real. It was a great way to show them the concept of altering as it fit with our shark theme. It prompted great discussion and often heated arguments (as much as the built-in quiz/check-ins that I put in the presentation!). I love how animated the students became when they were fully engaged in the topic.
For our activity for this lesson, I introduced the concept of coding. We connected the characters with our story with our Digital Citizenship concepts to code a path from a starting point to an ending point. The kids thought this was super fun, enjoyed completing the scenarios I presented them as well as creating their own!
In teaching several STEAM classes this year, I have been able to get to know elementary students on a deeper level. On the first class of the school year with my 4th grade STEAM classes, I asked students to write their name on one side of a piece of paper and their favorite movie and activity/hobby that they like to partake in outside of school. I wanted to use this information to see what their interests were so that I could incorporate them into our STEAM activities throughout the year to make them more meaningful. Stemming from that simple interest inventory, I have learned how passionate my STEAM learners are about playing Minecraft, creating pixel art, coding, and having a chance to express themselves in creative ways that are meaningful and personal to them. The activities that we have done in class so far that have been tied to their interests (and the students’ reactions to them!) solidified my desire to keep providing them with learning opportunities that are driven by their individual interests and identities. Please enter Minecraft...
I knew I wanted to do something that would give my students a memorable learning experience, while being focused on areas of STEAM that we haven't spent much time on or at all yet. I wanted to give them a learning opportunity to explore how Minecraft is rooted in STEAM and can be a portal to their creative innovation, which can truly be limitless. In this unit, students will explore STEAM through the lens of Minecraft. The unit is designed with a centers-based model, with students having the opportunity to engage in eight centers over several weeks. The centers will provide students with learning opportunities that are of high-interest and incorporate content that is STEAM and literacy based, making it a culturally responsive teaching and learning opportunity.
Below is a button that links to all the materials I created for this unit. I tried to consolidate most materials into one file, so it is a big file! I included a link at the bottom of this post with all of the materials that I used to make this unit happen (some things I already had while others were acquired through grants). It took some time planning, but totally worth it!
Note: If you are teaching in a virtual environment, check out the virtual resources to facilitate this learning in when students are attending school virtually.
As students worked through each station, I marked off on their "Crafting Table" if they successfully completed the station requirements or not. I used these stamps to mark completion level when students were done at a station. They received a green stamp if they met the requirements on the station direction sheet, an orange stamp if the mets some of the requirements, a red stamp if they did not meet any of the requirements, and a brown stamp if they were absent that day. I chose to do this to give students an opportunity to self regulate their learning at subsequent stations, ask for help when they had exhausted their Computational Thinking prompts, and know that I am watching and looking for active participation and creation at all station activities.
At the beginning and end of the unit, I asked students to reflect on their experience at the station and how it fit in with the 6C Learner Profile that our district has adopted (based off the book, Becoming Brilliant by Roberta Michnick Golinkoff PhD and Kathy Hirsh-Pasek PhD). I wanted to know how students felt before they began the unit about some of the topics as well as their understanding of the personal "C" level. At the end I also marked the level where I feel students achieved a level of mastery. I really wanted them to be a part of the assessment and growth tracking process and have ownership in what they are doing instead of me just doing the assessing. The Content
At the beginning and end of the unit, I asked students to reflect on their experience at the station and how it fit in with the 6C Learner Profile that our district has adopted (based off the book, Becoming Brilliant by Roberta Michnick Golinkoff PhD and Kathy Hirsh-Pasek PhD). I wanted to know how students felt before they began the unit about some of the topics as well as their understanding of the personal "C" level. At the end I also marked the level where I feel students achieved a level of mastery. I put all of this information into a spreadsheet to help me track information, see trends, and see how students ranked themselves in their learning. I used the colored stamps that I gave them weekly to help me monitor their progress on a weekly basis.
Classroom Set Up
I set up the stations as indicated below. The only one that differs a bit from a traditional group center station is that of the reading station, as this was set up to be a comfortable space on the floor. To be honest, the creative person in me would have loved to have some fun Minecraft curtains or other decorations on the walls to really set the stage, but due to it being a shared classroom and the limited time I had to even set up the stations, it did not happen. Would the kids have liked it if I had? You bet! Did the like it even thought I didn't? You bet! There is always next time...
I created a presentation that I used to introduce the unit, as well as daily reminders and updates. I included the timers in this presentation so that I could keep myself organized instead of opening different tabs, but also to give students consistency in how our class time would be utilized. If you are unable to view the presentation below, please click here.
Station #1
At Station 1, students created a digital comic. They used the Comic Caption Meme Maker Lite app to a create comic using resources from the Minecraft Stop Motion Movie Maker kit. They used spinners to determine the WHO, WHAT, and WHERE part of their comic so that they could direct their energy in to creating the comic, and not trying to decide on what to include in their comic. This worked really well in focusing their energy in the right direction and keeping everyone on task. Most of the groups had about 4 students, so I had them work with a partner in the group to make their comic. This meant that everyone was actively building, creating, and designing instead of watching someone else do the work. I have to admit, there was a bit of struggle with this station at first because it was something completely new. Once students used the spinners to get their storyline setup, they moved to the digital portion which actually took most of their time! Getting their shot framed right, adding speech bubbles, and other details were very important to them!
Station #2
At Station 2, students created items based on a Minecraft-themed Maker Mat. I knew that not every student was as knowledgeable as others about the intricacies of Minecraft, so I made sure to include simple pictures of the items. They, of course, created things that were beyond what I could have ever imagined and I heard so many stories about the items they were building and how they experience those items when playing Minecraft at home. Students were so proud of their creations and thought the Pix Brix were a perfect building material for this station. "Miss! They are just like building blocks in Minecraft so what I am building looks just like the real thing!" We have done Maker Mats several times with different topics, but I have to say that what they created with the Minecraft Maker Mat was some of their best work I have seen! Their attention to details, colors, how pieces fit together, and overall aesthetics was top notch!
Station #3
At Station 3, students played pixel and Minecraft themed brain games. We have spent the previous weeks to this unit playing different brain games, so that when it came time for these, students knew that they had to read the directions to figure out their challenges and determine a strategy for how to solve them. These were a bit different from the other ones we have previously played, but the Code Master and Minecraft magnetic games were similar in their execution so students were able to identify and attempt to debug any problems at their table before asking for help from me.
Station #4
At Station 4, students used code.org to explore four different Minecraft coding activities. As a class, we had already done some coding on code.org as well as other block coding, so the process of coding was familiar to them. The students really enjoyed having options for coding and could move from one activity to another when they were done. I think a big factor in their engagement in this station was that they had choice in their learning. And they really seemed to enjoy all of the coding modules!
Station #5
At Station 5, students were able to explore a variety of Minecraft books. I have to admit, when I was organizing my thoughts and ideas for this station, I was nervous. I knew I wanted to incorporate reading (as it is one of the building goals as well as Reading Month), but also know that reading compared to some of the other stations would not seem as exciting to the students. I wanted to make this station an inviting space and one where students would want to explore. So, this station was amped up a bit with with blankets, pillows, and stuffies. Students were able to explore a variety of books and were even able to take home a special bookmark that I made.
Station #6
At Station 6, students explored pixel art through Perler Beads. We have previously built with Pix Brix and Station 2 actually had them building with Pix Brix from a Maker Mat, but wanted to give them a different representation of pixels. When we were learning about coding, we talked about everything being coded in ones or zeros and it was similar to that of a light being turned on and off. This was taking it one step further and turning that light on (a one) with color - as represented in their pixel art. As they only had 20 minutes per station, I gave them simple designs that they could work from. This allowed all students to be successful in building, even if they had not used Perler Beads before. As we were crunched on time during class, I had students place their completed designs (with a sheet of paper under with their name on it) on my desk and then I ironed them after class and gave them to their classroom teacher. This worked really well and I didn't have students hanging around asking for them and not making their way back to their classroom as they should be. I was really impressed how they took the designs I gave them and put their spin on it!
Station #7
At Station 7, students had a quick little review of multiplication facts. As I know they are well familiar with their multiplication facts, I selected some of the ones that sometimes trip students up to give them a little more practice. Once they completed their multiplication facts, the back of their sheet basically turned into a color by number. Once they colored in the squares on their sheet, they could use the Quiver app for augmented reality with their sheet. As one of the options on the front of their sheet gave them the option to color the background any color, most designs turned out a little different. Coloring styles, how dark or light they colored, and the colors themselves made for quite a variety of designs!
Station #8
At Station 8, students used how-to-draw books to decorate lunch bags. At the end of the unit, we are donating these to Kids' Food Basket for their sack supper program. I always tell my students it is important to show gratitude to others, even if you do not know who they are - and this was a perfect way to show gratitude for the work that KFB does for the community. Students decorated the bags with Minecraft-themed drawings and sayings. Several students were really proud of their creations and didn't necessarily want to hand it over to me, but a quick conversation about why I chose to structure that particular activity the way I did usually resolved any issue (and of course, taking a picture of it!).
Stamp
I love creating and sharing things with others as I know how much I enjoy when I can find something for free that I can use right away with students. This is the main thing that motivates me to share my own creations for free on my site here. I do ask that if you use what I share and really like it, please consider making a donation to my DonorsChoose or Amazon Wish List. I choose to do it this way as everything that is donated goes right into the hands of the students I work with, not my pocket.
One thing I did create and sell through my Zazzle shop (simply because I made it and purchased it myself through there!) is the stamp that I used to mark off completion on their Crafting Table sheets. Also, if you are interested in the hand stamp I used or my shirt, feel free to check out my Zazzle store. Resources
To see all of the resources that I used (with links to the items online), click on the button below. Like I mentioned earlier, this would not have been possible to implement as I did without grants and donations! I think the only thing that came out of my pocket was the stamp I designed on Zazzle, the green stamp pad (which my students told me smelled like an "animal enclosure"), and the paper lunch bags.
Speaking of donations, A HUGE THANK YOU goes out to the AMAZING team at Minecraft who heard about my unit somehow and sent some UNBELIEVABLE swag for our reading nook. I cannot even begin to put into words the impact that these items had on students. The Exploring Reading station was a favorite and students couldn't believe that someone cared enough from the other side of the United States about what we were doing here in our classroom to send these items.
THANK YOU for believing in my students. THANK YOU for being an advocate for STEAM education. THANK YOU for your generosity. THANK YOU for designing a platform that my students love! This week in 4th grade, we explored coding with Dash robots. Students have previously done block coding online through code.org and other coding sites, so they were aware of how they needed to connect the function pieces together to form a "puzzle." I scaffolded the task cards for this activity, as we were using a new program and a new device (Dash). Some of the cards started out with me giving them the code, and them sharing with me the outcome of the code. Then the task cards progressed to written, color-coded directions and they had to figure out which function pieces to add to their code block. Then I gave them directions in black print and they had to figure out the rest! What Worked Well: It worked really well to have the class working at this pace. Some groups had no problem working through the problems and had a good productive struggle as they increased in difficulty. Other groups had a difficult time making the connection between the colors, functions, and execution. This really allowed me to float through the room and help those groups who needed to talk through their code a little more, and also encourage the groups who had a good understanding to be leaders and help neighboring groups if they needed it. What I Would Change for Next Time: Space! I had 8 groups coding at the same time, with most on different task cards. I have huge classes and this became frustrating for students as they couldn't complete the code on the task cards without running into a Dash robot from another group. This inevitably led to groups wanting to "race" each other or go out of their way to try and have their Dash robot run into the Dash robot of another group. Redirection was the name of the game for several groups all hour long! This week in Y5/T1, we explored our last Yeti book - Dear Yeti. I have to say, the students have really loved the Yeti stories we have read! I have enjoyed it as well - I love introducing students to new and different things and experiences. So keeping with the theme of new and different experiences, I decided to pair this book with an activity that is new and different for this group - coding! After reading the story, we did a little intro to coding with an unplugged coding activity - Hopscotch Coding. I thought this would be a great way to get them up and moving and understanding that robots (like our mouse) only follow the directions that they are given. I started out by making a path for students to follow and then when they got the hang of it, I let them take over! I separated the class into two groups and gave each group an envelope with direction cards. They had to put together a code/path, test it, and then I would follow it to make sure their directions followed their intended path. We had to do some debugging on their code, but we eventually got them working properly! After our kinesthetic coding activity, we moved into coding with the Code and Go Mouse. We used parts of the story to help us code our mouse from one story element to another. Once we got past the initial phase of wanting to push all of the buttons (I think just because they were there!), the students were able to settle down and code their mouse. Hey, I can't blame them, it is something new, different, and fun! We started out by building their workspace. I know that the mice can be used without the green squares they come with, but I wanted the students to build the workspace to understand the limits we were working with (4 x 4). I think this helped them understand that you can't push forward more than four times as it would go off the workspace. After that, we went over the functions of the mice. I had printed off the two sheets below and clipped them to the board so that they could reference any of my directions at any time. Then we tried some basic directions with the mouse on our workspace to see how the mouse traveled and work through that the orange (or purple) button doesn't move you to the left, rather it rotates in that direction. Once we had an understanding of how the mouse worked and had some productive failure, we moved forward with adding story parts. I had taken pictures of key parts in the story and put some of the story parts with them so the students could remember what happened in that point in the story. I had printed these out and put them up on the board as well. I had also printed out small squares of these story points and gave each group a bag with the story parts. They had to find the matching story parts that I had, match them to where I placed them on the workspace, and then code the directions from Start, to story part, to Stop. I expected frustration and difficulties working in their groups (as I thought everyone would want to always push the buttons). There was some of that (we rotated through pressing buttons at first so everyone had a chance), but they did much better than I expected. I heard them talking about how the mouse was traveling, reminding each other to press the yellow circle to clear directions before starting again, and other things. I get nervous when doing big and new things like this with littles, but they always amaze me! There are definitely some things I learned for next time, but I am glad I just went for it and tried. I know the kiddos were excited about what they did that day and I sure hope they took their learning story home to share with others!
I was trying to find some unplugged coding type of activity for my 4th graders as I was going to be missing one of my classes due to helping out with our high school Spanish Market. I came across this pixel activity at Teach Your Kids to Code as well as this maze activity from Brittany Washburn. I really liked the concept of both of them, but needed to do some modifications for my class. I created an unplugged Christmas Coding booklet for them to work through some basic challenges that taught them about coding and computational thinking. At the end, I built in an activity where they can do some building of the objects they coded in the booklet if they complete the challenges. It was a great activity to leave for a sub and still participate in the Hour of Code!
This month the date for the 3rd-5th grade PBIS celebration landed during the week of Hour of Code, so why not have the STEAM activity be a coding activity? As there are 3 rooms running a STEAM activity for 25 minutes, I knew I had to maximize the time - so a dance party it is! I combined the algorithm component of computational thinking to create custom dance moves. Students were led through a slideshow (button and slideshow below) in which they were introduced to some basic commands, what happens when those commands are changed, and then executed with a musical flair! This gives students insight in to how a computer is only as smart as the commands we give it, and there are many codes running behind the scene that make the commands run. And with this activity, executing a code means dancing!
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