As Steve Jobs once said, “Everybody in this country should learn how to program a computer…because it teaches you how to think.” Thanks to the new SSSD Coding Club, 5th grade students in the Sulphur Springs School District are getting the opportunity to learn computer programming through the creation of a video game or digital animation.
Utilizing a program called “Scratch” (developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology) 120 fifth graders began learning basics of computer programming in five after school classes across the district. The program will run through March 2015, with a Media Fair in April 2015 to highlight the video games and animations created by each student. Through learning computer programming, students are developing sequencing and problem solving skills that will be a benefit to them in all areas of their education. In addition to the 5th grade program, a pilot K/1 Coding program is taking place as well that utilizes BeeBot programmable robots to teach five and six year olds the building blocks of computer programming.
At the same time, 6th grade students in the Sulphur Springs School District have been participating in their Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math program (S.T.E.A.M.) where they are utilizing Next Generation Science Standards in designing and engineering model cities that filter pollution through green roofs and porous surfaces before it can reach the river below. This is the first of a series of projects that 6th grade students will undertake as they address and solve real issues through science, technology, engineering, art, and math. This hands on approach to instruction allows all students the opportunity to create, collaborate, think critically, and communicate ideas about the world around them.
Both of these initiatives are excellent examples of how the Sulphur Springs School District is continuing our mission to prepare each and every student to be a leader in the world of tomorrow.
Check us out online at www.sssd.k12.ca.us.