Wow! I had a blast planning a Whoville Celebration that was centered around Computer Science fundamentals. I couldn't have pulled off such an awesome event without the mention of a few of my colleagues that helped me tremendously! Shoutout to Mrs. Samuelson, Mr. Bowers, and Mrs. Evans. From our brainstorming sessions, to getting supplies and robots ready, to setting up and tearing down the event (each of the three days I might add :)), your late nights and early mornings DO NOT go unnoticed. Thank You!
How It Began
I've always had a love for The Grinch movie and would watch it several times yearly with my three children when they were young. The Grinch theme easily filled my mind when I was brainstorming the what, how, when, and where specifics.
The Process
This year we have hit the ground running in terms of making Computer Science fundamentals a priority in our weekly schedules. Each teacher Prep-4th grade has committed to teaching CS fundamentals, vocabulary, and connecting Common Core standards and CS Standards to create engaging cross-curricular integrated lessons at least 30 minutes every week. As the technology integrationist - and passionate about Computer Science - I have been in their classrooms weekly leading, modeling, and co-teaching the CSTA Standards. You always know it is a fantastic day when the students see you in the hall and ask, "is it our Computer Science day today!"
The Plan
With Covid restrictions, available space, and the number of robotics needed to pull off a Whoville Celebration, the plan was to span the event over three days - and the last three days before Christmas Break too :) Each designated grade span would engage in the Whoville Celebration for 3 hours which allowed them TIME to really complete the challenges AND... I'm obsessed with the Wonder Workshop line of robotics and accessories so the entire event was focused around these products.
Day 1 - Grades 2-4
Day 2 - Prep - 1st
Day 3 - 5th & 6th
Grades 2-4 and 5-6 used the first hour of their event time to create their Whoville costume for either their Dash Robot or a head piece for themselves because their Whoville station had a Dash/Cue accessory attached to the robot's head. There were character templates and supplies in each classroom so the students could use their imagination and creativity. Students then transitioned to 90 minutes of coding in Whoville at their stations to prepare them for the final 30 minutes of the event. Teachers picked students from each station to come to the microphone and talk about their stations challenge and then all students migrated to that particular station to watch a few students highlight their coding skills. Prep-1st - used their first hour creating their Whoville costume for their robots, the 2nd hour making snow for Whoville, and the last hour coding their robots in Whoville.
Robotics Equipment & Accessories
We were very fortunate to be awarded a grant to implement Computer Science into our elementary classrooms. The Computer Science is Elementary grant allowed us to spend some of our funding on robotics equipment. In addition to this grant, we also have available an Iowa State Extension Office where we can check-out robotics equipment as well. They helped us with the Xylophones, additional launchers, and Sketch kits and mats.
72 Dash Robots
15 Cue Robots
15 Blasters
14 Launchers
5 Sketch Kits & Mats
6 Xylophones
24 Bluebots
Student Chromebooks & Tab 10 Tablets
What's in Whoville?
I created five Whoville stations with challenge cards that guided students to the performance tasks.
Catapult Peak
Delivery Cove
Heart Hill
Music Hall
Creation Cave
Whoville Magic
Watching students collaborate, problem solve, trouble shoot, perservere, be resilient learners, and have fun was truly magical. All teachers and associates were engaged in the Computer Science event as well. Here is a glimpse of our Whoville Magic.
I ended each day with this message to the students.
Reflection
Honestly, I don't think this event could have gone any better. My biggest fear going into the first day was not having the student devices connect effortlessly to their robotic devices. There were a lot of kids in the gym and a lot of robots being connected at the same time. I am proud to say. We didn't have any problems. If I could change one thing, it would be to have space where I could have left Whoville set up each day. But limited space and extra curricular activities each night forced me to set up and tear down each of the three days :)
My Final Thought
Let the beauty of what you love, be what you do! The time and effort of this event was beyond worth it to see the smiles, engagement, and excitement on the students' faces.
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