15 More Examples of Meaningful Coding Across the Middle School Curriculum

Back in December during the International Hour of Code, we asked all of our middle school teachers to include a coding activity tied in with their curricular area and share with all teachers what they did by posting to a Schoology Group. Below is a sampling of what was done at both of our middle schools along with some of the photos they submitted. As you can see, there was great variety and creativity involved and teachers tied it to their curriculum, from language arts, music, math, science and more. A big thanks to our participating teachers and to our middle school computer science teachers, Lisa Reed and Michelle Pease, for encouraging colleagues to explore the opportunities for integrating coding into their curriculum. 

1. My 8th grade geometry students used Spheros to calculate polygon interior and exterior angles, and programmed their bots to draw pictures. 
   
   
2. I had my 7th grade Comp Math students work on coding the coordinate plane. Students were able to learn about the coordinate plane and coding through this Codesters activity. They had a great time! 
   
   
3. 8th grade Global Studies students at MME coded flags of the world today! Fun times coding Libya then going for more challenging flags of Ukraine and Germany. Some students designed and coded their own flags.
   
4. Students are currently reading The Cay by Theodore Taylor in 6th grade LA class. The book lent itself well to a connection about WWII, Alan Turing and the Enigma code in spirit of Code Week! They learned what encryption is and how to decrypt messages just like Alan Turing did during WWII in the fight against Nazi Germany. Students attempted to decrypt the attached cryptogram, and some were successful! Those that finished could extend their knowledge of Cryptography with Swift Playgrounds: Cipher. The conversations spurred from this lesson were not all focused on coding, but the life of Alan Turing brought rich conversations about history, persecution, and humanity that brought great value to the class. 
   
   
   
5. My classes are participating in code week this week. Today we did a coding Breakout EDU. Tuesday and Wednesday we are using Spheros and Thursday we are doing Swift Playgrounds. On Friday we are ending the week with a coder speaker.
    
6. In my social skills class we did an hour of code using Breakout Edu. The students had to work in partners to problem solve various puzzles and codes. It was a great way to observe collaboration skills and their ability to persevere through frustration!
   
   
7. I had students code a health super hero that would rescue someone from drug use. My 6th graders were really creative. One student coded a grandma figure that went into schools and talked to kids about how drugs have aged her. And even though she looked old like a grandma, she actually was not as old as she looked because of her drug use. So fun to see their creativity!
   
   
8. 6th Grade LA coded Homophone stories - the requirements were three sets of homophones that were different and a story that made sense! Many kids had a lot of fun with this!!
   
   
9. 7th grade Spanish Immersion LA students created story maps to retell fairy tales. They programmed Ozobots to follow their story maps.
   
   
10. In 7th grade life science, students had the opportunity to explore the Code.org website tutorials. Many a Flappy Bird game were coded this day.
    
    
11. In 8th grade earth science the students played with the different Hour of Code Activities! Some of them created their own games! 
    
    
12. In Band 8, we worked on coding the music of Franz Lizst. A great activity to do right after the concert!!
    
    
13. In Language Arts, students created a PSA with Codester.com. 
    
    
14. In comp math students were coding a snowman with coordinate points. 
    
    
15. In our language arts hour of code, students are coding mini narratives! Students code to establish character and setting in a short story.

To learn more about coding in Minnetonka K-12, please see some of the related posts listed below:

• Using Technology to Think Critically About History & Engage Students' Creativity
• 40+ Ideas for Coding Across the Curriculum in Middle School: Math, Band, Language Arts, Science, Spanish & More
• Photo Recap: 7,300+ Hours of December Coding in Minnetonka Schools
• Minnetonka’s Coding Program for Every K-5 Student Now Assessed on Report Cards
• Why Teach Coding? Same Reasons to Teach Writing Even When Not All Students Will Be Writers
• Behind the Code: Using Spheros in Middle School for Deeper Learning
• Beyond Coding and Computer Science in Schools: The Need for Computer Ethics
• Paperless Hall Passes in School: There's a (Student Made) App For That
• What Are Minnetonka Teachers Learning About This Summer? A Lot--During Our Professional Development Classes!
• Over 20% of Minnetonka Teachers Are Learning Online This Summer
• The Hub: Minnetonka Makerspaces Launch
• Dancing Robots Programmed in Grade 6 STEM Class
• Video Game Design and Computer Coding at High School
• Minnetonka Linear Algebra 8th Graders Use Bootstrap to Code
• More Than an Hour of Code: Tonka Coding & Computer Science Programs Now in Year Three
• 7,843 Hours of Coding this Week @TonkaSchools
• Computer Coding Starting in Kindergarten
• Minnetonka Elementary Coding
• Details about the Curriculum and Program
• What's Cool in Our School
• Minnetonka Summer Coding Camp

Equity Maps Make Discussion Assessment Easier

Sometimes it’s amazing when you realize how difficult a task is prior to use of technology. One example of this for teachers is the assessment of student discussions during literature circles or Socratic seminars. Peter Gausmann, seventh grade language arts teacher at Minnetonka Middle School East, recently showed me a technology tool that has made these assessments so much easier, it’s hard to imagine going back to non-tech solution.

Recently Peter began using the Equity Maps app on his iPad during student discussions. After uploading his class lists for each hour, he simply opens the app before a discussion and drags the kids’ icons around the table “map” of the seating arrangement for the discussion group. He then taps a record button and begins tracking the conversation and discussion. Tapping on each name around the table automatically tallies the number of times each student speaks as well as places a marker in the audio recording for ease of access when listening to the recording later. In addition to this, Peter can make notes about the comments and quality of things each person says. At the end of the conversation there is a nice visual map showing how frequently people have spoken, who hasn’t, who has dominated the conversation, the gender equity balance, and more. That visual infographic can help guide the students to learn about their performance and improve in future discussions.

Peter explained to me that this tool has made assessing class discussions much less of a daunting task. Using the Equity Maps tool allows him to better provide his students with feedback about their performance. He can actually focus on the content of what’s being discussed rather than having to worry about tallying who said what when and for how long. This is just another example of ways that technology enhances instruction and learning for both students and teachers!

Related Posts:

• More Ways to Inform Parents of How Technology Changes Learning
• Even More Minnetonka iPad Integration: Examples from Middle School
• Minnebytes Year 2: 50 More Examples of High School iPad Integration
• Stop Motion Races to Visually Demonstrate High School Physics Concepts
• Minnetonka Teaching and Learning Framework
• Minnetonka Top 100+ Ideas for 1:1 Integration in 5th grade, English, Math, Science, Social Studies, and World Language
• An Easy Way to Weekly Inform Teachers & Parents of Great Technology Integration
• Immersive Technology Accelerates Learning in Science
• Pear Deck in Minnetonka Classrooms- Engaging, Interactive Lessons with Realtime Feedback
• Quizlet Live: Collaborative Team Quizzes Loved by Teachers & Students
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• 40+ Elementary iPad Integration Examples
• Harnessing the Power of Technology in Physical Education
• A New Twist on a Band Playing Test: Solo Trios with GarageBand
• Six Years with Schoology: Setting Expectations for the Future
• Tonka Teacher Talks at ETT San Diego iPad Summit 2015
• Beyond SAMR Ladders & Pools: A Framework for Teaching & Learning
• Free iBook about Minnetonka's 1:1 iPad Apple Distinguished Program: Four+ Years Transforming Learning
• Grade 11 Students Create Amazing Graphic Novels with iPads, Book Creator & Notability
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• Mt. Rushmore 2- Beyond Four Presidents
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• One Year Later, Green Screens Are Everywhere in Minnetonka Schools
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• Math: An Overlooked Subject in Non-Tablet 1:1 Programs 
• Students Learn to Visualize a Process: A Valuable Life Skill for Everyone
• Technology Speed Dating Professional Development
• My Christmas Ed Tech Moonshot Wish: A Marriage Between Apple & Google
• Bigger, Better, Faster: New iPads Coming for Year Six in Minnetonka's 1:1 Program; First Devices Cost $0.38/school day 
• School's (Almost) Out, So Keep Your iPad for the Summer
• More Than an Hour of Code: Tonka Coding & Computer Science Programs Now in Year Three
• Stop Motion Races to Visually Demonstrate High School Physics Concepts
• Minnetonka Language Chinese and Spanish Immersion Program
• Minnetonka Research: An In Depth, Highly Advanced High School Research Program
• Tonka Online High School Starting Year Five with 40+ Courses & 1200+ Students
• Why Teach Coding? Same Reasons to Teach Writing Even When Not All Students Will Be Writers
• Minnetonka Schools: Innovation is Now Our Strategic Plan

Book Creator(s) in Minnetonka Schools

Source: iTunes

Starting last month, students in Minnetonka Public Schools began using the Book Creator app on their iPads in our 1:1 iPad program for 6,250 students in grades 5-12. This great tool makes ePublishing easy, and students use it to publish texts with images, drawings, comic strips, photos, music, and videos. Students can produce their own eBook or work collaboratively to combine their work into a group authored publication. After publishing, students can share their work with their classmates on Schoology, our learning management system and hub for our 1:1 program. eBooks can also be saved to Google Drive or published as an iBook. 

Last week, Deephaven Elementary teacher Mike Borgendale took his class to a nearby Carson Bay on Lake Minnetonka to collect invertebrate specimens as part of their science study. They are working with the educational branch of the DNR, MinnAqua. When they brought these samples back to their school, the students used a $2.50 macro lens which clipped on to their iPad over the camera to take close up photos and videos of what they found. They identified the organisms and began researching them, from snails to water scorpions. The students are writing and producing a non-fiction eBook using Book Creator to showcase their learning. The teacher is integrating the language arts lessons of non-fiction text features with science to make this activity interdisciplinary.

Photos: Andrea Hoffmann

Check out numerous examples online to see many more possibilities. Book Creator is just one of the many great tools teachers in Minnetonka Public Schools are using with students in our 1:1 iPad Program. Like Pear Deck highlighted last week, it is another example of how technology can be used to deepen learning experiences for students and make instruction more efficient and effective.