Running a full-day kindergarten classroom full of 25 five and six-year-olds could seem like daunting task...and sometimes it is. We are pushing hard to improve our literacy skills, but we also enjoy trying new things through brain breaks, creating and coding. We make sure to have fun with learning.
Our school is nestled within a loving community that is trying to get back on its feet after seeing some difficult times.
These tough times are reflected in kids who don't all have the opportunities and support to become successful students. They have to work hard to keep many plates spinning in their lives, but the friendships and relationships made at the school are strong, and will last.
The students in my kindergarten classroom have not all had quality preschool experience, or the support needed to develop solid early literacy skills. This makes the work that we are doing rather difficult for some of them. Regardless, they are hard workers who are developing a love for literature and learning. They are a tight-knit group who love having fun as they learn.
My Project
With Dash & Dot, my students will be able to learn the language of code. In conjunction with our classroom iPads, the students will communicate with the robots to make them navigate through mazes, make them write or draw, make them dance, make them play music...make them do anything that their little minds can come up with!
The idea is that through play with these robots, my students can learn how to communicate using coding. It's an idea that I have already put into practice using some basic iPad games (Kodable), and the students have already had success with them. They love it! I'm looking to take the next step, with a piece of technology that they are drawn to, that they can actually program.
These kids are growing up in a digital world that is changing very rapidly.
I would like to give them the opportunity to learn a new skill (some are calling it a foreign language) that they could use in the future. Besides that, working with these robots are a great way to encourage collaboration, teamwork, communication & other life skills. Being able to code could interest them in how technology works. It could also inspire them to try more new things...and change their lives in the process.
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mr. Dicken and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.