Scratch is a visual programming language that we can use to create games and animations. In Fifth Class, we code with Scratch every week as part of our Maths stations...so we decided to share our expertise with our younger peers. 

We created a series of lessons for 2nd Class that aimed to teach them computational thinking and coding. These lessons, which included unplugged computational thinking, programming Beebots and an introduction to Scratch, were delivered by 5th Class to the younger children over the course of a week. We then presented the 2nd Class group with a final assignment; to create a Scratch animation complete with beginning, middle and end! We even graded them using an assessment rubric! (We were very generous, of course!!) 

The first group introduced the 2nd Class students to unplugged computational thinking. The children had to create an algorithm that told their partner how to draw a monster. 

The second group taught the children how to program a number of Beebots to perform a synchronised dance using an algorithm.

Group 3 extended the learning that had taken place in the first two sessions and introduced Scratch for the first time with the help of the ‘Getting Started’ online tutorial. 

Group 4, meanwhile, allowed the 2nd Class children a chance to follow the ‘Animate a Character’ tutorial so as to familiarise them with the blocks they would need for their final assignment.

Of course, like all good teachers, 5th Class made sure to identify their learning objectives (WALT= We are Learning to) when planning their lesson, and to include a warm-up activity and a good mix of didactic teaching and active learning in their delivery. Wow! There are definitely some natural teachers among us, though Niamh did take issue with Abdullah's assertion that teaching was 'easy.' Not always, Abdullah!!!!

All of this meant that, by the time Friday rolled around, 2nd Class were ready to create some amazing animations! Click on the examples below and have a look. Brilliant work by all. Maith sibh!

We used digital media to 'Tell a Story Without Words.' First, we created a sequence of sounds, with an accompanying graphic score. Given a theme, we wrote a very short story with beginning, middle and end. We found sounds that could replace the words. We found symbols that could represent those sounds. We used those symbols to create a graphic score.

Even when we had completed our movie, our project wasn't finished! We were then tasked with recording each stage of the process using BookCreator. We used the eBook that we made to help us with our final presentations. Check out the links to these eBooks below! Super work by all! 

Classroom Chaos:
https://read.bookcreator.com/IL3aWA9dmXXeITywPnoI5EILxtq1/ykcDbbF1Q3Kxk_1d5JQeGQ

In the Jungle 
https://read.bookcreator.com/IL3aWA9dmXXeITywPnoI5EILxtq1/NxrCGFGhTgq33wJz5o4cYg

Breakfast Time 
https://read.bookcreator.com/IL3aWA9dmXXeITywPnoI5EILxtq1/5c-ofOJZRNK7d8bDEiamWw

School Yard 
https://read.bookcreator.com/IL3aWA9dmXXeITywPnoI5EILxtq1/wae4xx6WTfKZvINkmxxIQQ

Bird's Revenge:
https://read.bookcreator.com/IL3aWA9dmXXeITywPnoI5EILxtq1/RGpOLYpDRKm6GVHxh4_w0A

Under the Sea:
https://read.bookcreator.com/IL3aWA9dmXXeITywPnoI5EILxtq1/uPRDxJPdS1Sug592JvQQew

On the Bus:
https://read.bookcreator.com/IL3aWA9dmXXeITywPnoI5EILxtq1/yxA1f8RARvuA6Csw-9YfaQ

​On the Moon:
https://read.bookcreator.com/IL3aWA9dmXXeITywPnoI5EILxtq1/7_sNis0LQEymHIdB2ASabA

Teamwork is so important. To be an effective member of a team, we must practise essential skills such as collaboration, communication, leadership and time management. 
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Below, you can see how we often decide on important qualities in a team member in advance of a group activity. After our activities, we reflect on what went well and the areas upon which we can improve!

When conducting a Science experiment, it is important to ensure that it is a fair test. Do you think this video is proof of a fair test....or are some people edging past the start line with their catapults?

Our experiments with Makey Makeys allowed us to gain an understanding of circuits in a most unusual way...by making a banana keyboard. We investigated which other materials conduct electricity too, and changed traditional music notes on a stave to symbols that allowed us to play Ode to Joy using fruit and tinfoil!!!

From there, we combined our knowledge of Makey Makeys with our coding expertise to make something really fun. We code every week during Maths stations using Scratch, a visual programming language that allows us to create games and animations. When we hooked our Makey Makey kit up to Scratch, we managed to make a cardboard controller for a game we programmed ourselves that actually works!! Just look!