Coding, Robots, Community Service, and Theater

Hour of Code, SCDS-Style
 
SCDS incorporated Hour of Code—an international effort for introducing and developing computer science skills that takes place annually in December—into math and science opportunities in fifth, seventh, and eighth grades. Seventh and eighth grade coders shared their project experiences at a January Assembly. “We incorporate coding into our curriculum because the characteristics needed for programming dovetail with the characteristics of a scientist and learner,” said science department chair Kristen Sorensen. “Coding gives our students another opportunity to practice these habits in a different arena and see how these characteristics connect with their learning in and out of school.”

Why the Week of Code?
  • The characteristics needed by programmers are the same needed by scientists, engineers, and students.
  • Programming allows students to engage in problem solving in a way that engages them.
  • Programming is a practical 21st century skill.
  • Students get to peek behind the curtain of the digital world they are a part of and begin to understand how it is constructed and functions.
Student feedback on the week:
  1. Students loved having the freedom to select their own coding language and project.
  2. Students were frustrated on many occasions but ended up being proud of their work and ability to work through their frustration.
  3. Students wished they had more time to work on the project.
  4. Over 2/3s of the students put more time into their project than the 5 hours required.
Visit the links below to learn more about this project!

Science Teacher Kristen Sorensen Explains the Project (Video)

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WeScheme: Algebra-Based Coding
 
Eighth grade students learned WeScheme—a program language utilizing math functions, order of operations, inequalities, and distance formulas—to write complex code to create “targets” and move them through their programs. They practiced abstract thinking skills as they designed programs, wrote test cases, and explained the logic of their code. At Assembly, students shared that they learned a lot about problem solving, creativity, and expectations of programmers, and felt that while knowing how to write code was useful, it did not make them programmers. However, the skills and experience they had acquired would be helpful in learning other programming languages.

Play The Eighth Grade WeScheme Games
Sully's Mud Run
Krackattack
Bills' Christmas Special
The Michael Jackson Effect
Chainsaw Chase 1
Chainsaw Chase 2: Return of the Chainsaw
Chainsaw Chase 3: Chicken Strikes Back
Hunt for the Krabby Patty
Bon Appetit Kirby
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Servos, Sensors, and Motors...Oh My!
 
Teams of seventh grade robotic engineers wrote object-based programs for their Lego® Mindstorms robots to navigate challenge courses with twists and turns as well as recognize colors and respond to them using light, color, and ultrasonic sensors. The project offered an important real-world engineering lesson as students learned the value of using each other as resources when trying to troubleshoot operating hitches and reprogram their robots. “Robotics allows us to address Next Generation Science Standards for engineering and science practices in a collaborative, engaging way,” said teacher Kristen Sorensen. “Students learn to use computers and robotics materials as creative tools to solve complex problems.”
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Third Grade Service: Fleece Blankets
 
Teachers Lindsay Walter and Stephanie Nylander led students in an annual holiday service project of creating no-sew fleece blankets for children. Working in small groups, they carefully measured, cut, and tied the edges of the cuddly blankets. All were donated to the Sloan House Emergency Women’s Shelter, which the nonprofit acknowledged with this heartwarming message to our students, "Thank you so much for the special gift you made for us and our children. You're amazing for all you do!"
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The Light in the Library

Our grades 3-8 theatrical talent shone this fall in The Light in the Library, written by Kevin Stone. Directed by drama teacher Denise Elia-Yen, the play featured curious patrons suspicious of after-hours activity in the library. Determined to investigate, they hid in the stacks until the library closed, found a cryptic poem, and as they deciphered it brought to life a host of characters from favorite children’s books.
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Let There Be Music, Let There Be Song
 
The holiday concert featured a memorable display of musical selections ranging from choral and band holiday, traditional, and popular music. Performers’ confidence and musical training were evident in all aspects of the program, from playing instruments and singing to acting in vignettes during the on-stage transitions and musical storytelling.
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Sonoma Country Day School

4400 Day School Place
Santa Rosa, CA 95403
phone: 707.284.3200
fax: 707.284.3254
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The premier, fully accredited, independent TK-8 college preparatory school in Sonoma County. Located in northern Santa Rosa and proud home of The Jackson Theater, SCDS offers a challenging academic program rich in fine and performing arts, music, world languages, and social and emotional learning. For more than thirty years SCDS has been the school that brings learning to life.

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