February 2, 2017

Adding Higher Level Thinking Activities to Small Group Instruction

So, it is January and you are probably thinking, "I still hate small group instruction time" or "I've got my small groups instruction rolling along and have no desire to change it!" 

Ask yourself a few reflection questions about your workstations/center!
1. Are your workstation activities engaging?
2. Do they challenge all students?
3. Do they include an extension activity?

Here's an idea which might help...Code.org. You may be thinking, "What a silly idea; I have no coding experience."  Well, good news!  You do NOT need experience. Keep reading and you will find out more.

Locating Code.org
Code.org is now on Clever, just like MyOn. Do you see it? 

Getting Started with Code.org
Since it is on Clever, students can log in through Clever and get to work. Code.org offers many course for students of all ages...yes, even Pre-K!


What Does Coding Teach?
HERE is a list of the courses. The topics covered in these courses include:
 *Sequencing
 *Problem solving
 *Internet safety
 *Algorithms
 *Functions
 *Digital citizenship
 *Variables
 *Functions
Are you starting to see how coding can be used in all content areas?

Using Code.org as a Teacher
As a teacher, you can create a class and add your students to your class. This way you can track student progress through the courses.


So now that you know a little more about Code.org and where to find it on the OKCPS Clever site, what else can you do with it?

1. Add it as a workstation/center of its own.
2. Add it as an activity during RTI or intervention time.
3. Add it as an activity for early finishers.
4. Use it to teach digital citizenship.

Resources
When you start to dig deeper into Code.org, check out the resources below!

Coding in the Classroom video tutorial



Share with us in the comments section how you are using Code.org in your classroom. We would love to showcase and share your great ideas and spotlight your classroom!