Showing posts with label video games. Show all posts
Showing posts with label video games. Show all posts

Saturday, December 7, 2013

Hour of Code - Kindergarten activity - FREE lesson plans!

One of the largest road blocks to having K-5 teachers implement computer programming skills is TIME! I have often heard my teachers saying "I just can't add more more thing to the day."

That's why I think that the success of incorporating computer science skills INTO the curriculum is essential! Currently, I am looking at the CCSS and the learning progressions. Using Scratch (www.scratch.mit.edu) - a FREE website, I am working on creating lessons that are aligned to the CCSS in ELA and math.

Please feel free to use the FREE resources and worksheets for the Hour Of code week - December 9th thru December 15th!  The worksheets take the Kindergarten student through the process of creating a holiday card through various screen shots.

http://scratch.mit.edu/projects/14804494/#player

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Magnetism & Electricity Video Game

Video games can bring engagement through mastery of content. Bailey, a fourth grader who scored above an 80% on her pre-test for an up-coming unit on electricity and magnetism, decided to create a video game review for her classmates to use in preparation for their unit test.

Not only did Bailey increase her computational thinking skills, but she also scored a 100% on the post-test, as she had to know the content forward and backwards in order to create her game. Her classmates also found success in studying for their unit test, but evaluating and providing feedback to Bailey on the game she created.

When all was said and done, over 90% of the students received grades of 90% and above on their unit final. The lowest score was a 73%! Take a look at an up-close and personal interview with Bailey, as she shares her project and insights with you!


Sunday, February 3, 2013

Monday, January 28, 2013

Video Game creation for learning!

Throughout the school year, students create PowerPoints, Prezis, Digital Stories, Posters, etc...why not create a video game?

My daughter has a teacher who does an excellent job differentiating for the needs of her students. Thus when Bailey showed an interest in electricity and compacting through the unit, she allowed her to create a video game to help her classmates review for the test. 

Scratch Project

Needless to say, she earned a 100% on the final unit test and she  new the content forward and backward. In the process of creating the game, she really had to "know her stuff!"

Her classmates had a lot of fun reviewing with the game and test scores were higher than normal for the entire class! Many students now want to learn how to create these games.