Scratch--Fractured Fairy Tales

Scratch- Digital Stories---Fractured Fairy Tales

Last year, I used i-movie and audacity as the format for students to make our digital story about Alberta, and I was looking for a new “hook”. In December, I was introduced to the program Scratch and I became interested because of the emphasis on coding that I had been reading about.  I didn’t just want to plunk the program in front of students and say here, construct a story. It was important for me to know how and why I was using it before I gave it to students.  I went to a session at Teacher Convention, I talked with team members and with teachers from other schools in order to learn how to best use and implement scratch.  As it turned out I should have just set in front of students and allowed them to “play”.

I had wanted students to use Scratch as the format to tell their story but it didn’t have the features students were wanting such as changing backgrounds to fit their voice and so students suggested they use Scratch to tell their fractured fairy tale.

Our “Scratch” Journey

Step 1: Students participated in the robot activity where they learned that they had to give, “code” specific instructions to get their partner to walk a square.  This activity helped students to understand that when coding they need to “code” every step because their robot won’t know what to do.   Students had some idea of how coding worked because they had used Mindstorm Robots earlier in the year.

Step 2: Students were provided a brief tutorial on how to use Scratch. They were shown the different features and the basics.

Step 3:  Students were taught what a fractured fairytale was and were provided a graphic organizer to help them plan their story.

Step 4:  Even though I thought they needed more instruction, I gave them a computer.  Students explored and experimented with the program.   They did an outstanding job.

Step 5: Armed with the knowledge of how to write a fractured fairytale, a graphic organizer and a program to share their story, students were off.   Students helped and supported one another and they were able to create a story.

I learned that even though I didn’t understand each part of the program, students were motivated to learn on their own and to teach me.  I still have lots to learn about how to utilize Scratch but it was fun to use a different program.  

The Great Ozobot Perimeter Race!

             As time has gone by this year, it has become apparent that my students respond well to the programming opportunities that they have been presented with.  While building their understanding of area and perimeter, it was time to revisit my very first Ozobot lesson.  I created this lesson about a year ago.  This year, with the development of the Ozobot Bit and the Blockly programming language, it would extend even further!

The Challenge:

          Students were given the sheet below and  grid paper for planning out the possible perimeters for the given area.  Students did steps one and two on their own and support was given as necessary. 

You can download a copy of the lesson plan by CLICKING HERE.

The Process:
            Students took their planning seriously and worked to figure out all of the possible dimensions for the area of 32 units squared. Below is one example of the kind of work the students produced. 

           From there, they worked to calculate the various perimeters.  Sharing their findings with a partner, they decided which perimeter would be optimal for the Ozobot to travel around the most times in 1 minute and 30 seconds.  I asked them to explain their reasoning.

          The next phase of the project had students design and test their Ozobot course.  They drew out the perimeter they thought was the optimal racing track.  Students needed to remember to make the line an appropriate thickness and ensure that there were no lines that surpassed the corners, as those could have confused their Ozobot.

         Most students determined that the 6 by 6 square was the best option.  The students who didn't choose this one came to the realization that their choice was not optimal when testing their chosen perimeter against that of their partner (who had a 6 by 6 square).  As students began to test, they asked if the Ozobots all had the same speed.  Since they hadn't been calibrated, we quickly adjusted that so that we had a control.  Then, testing began and students recorded the number of laps on their sheet and compared with their partner.

This student recorded the start and end positions of their Ozobot.

Extending the Learning:

          This year, with the development of the Ozoblockly coding, it was time to give my students an additional challenge.  I asked them to create a program that would draw out the perimeter of 36 units squared.  The eagerly accepted the challenge!  As they began, some interesting questions arose for discussion.  Do the steps in the Ozoblockly program match the grid squares? How far is one step? Is there a way to program the distance without using steps?

    I was delighted with the critical thinking that was going on and returned their questions with another question... How are you going to figure that out?  

  

This student programmed one step and ran the Ozobot to see the distance.

              Not every student approached the obstacle this way.  Another student discovered a higher level of programming and experimented with mixing the levels of coding to get what he desired. He measured his original drawing and input the data in to the program.  He, as well as many other students, decided to use the "forever" loop in order to run the Ozobot uninterrupted for the full 1 min and 30 second time limit.  Once the program was complete, it was uploaded into the Ozobot Bit and away they went, comparing the results to their original paper course design. 

          Since this was the second year that I have run this activity, it was nice to take it to another level and add in the Ozoblockly programming.  Not only did students develop their understanding that a given area can have multiple perimeters, but they also problem solved to get through the translation of their paper and marker courses, to the Ozoblockly program.