To wrap up the coding unit in the Lower School science classroom, the fifth graders have been busy preparing lessons for the kindergarten students’ last day of class before winter break! All of our students have been learning to code on studio.code.org and on BeeBots, simple robots that are a fun way to learn counting, sequencing, directionality, and problem-solving. 

Lower School Science Teacher Cynthia Trapanese explains how the fifth graders came to become teachers for a day: “The fifth graders asked me, ‘What do the kindergartners do during our coding unit?’ I explained that they are learning to code, too! Code.org has pre-reader/early-reader lessons, and the BeeBots are designed to be used for younger students… to which they responded, ‘Whoa, that's cool.’ And, as if a cartoon light bulb went on above my head, I said to the fifth-grade students, ‘What would be really cool is if you could teach the kindergartners what you've learned…’ and a plan was hatched!”

Demonstrating their newfound knowledge, the fifth graders designed lessons specifically for the kindergarteners, who rotated through four stations: BeeBot drawing, BeeBot neighborhoods, code.org puzzles on iPads, and off-screen mazes to code with arrows. The fifth graders were very excited to deliver their lessons that they had prepared during their previous class time. Teacher-for-a-day Siena B. ’31 remarked, “It’s fun to teach them. If they are having fun now, maybe later they may look back on this and remember how fun coding is.”

“This collaboration between grade levels is enriching for all of the students. The students gained confidence and pride in displaying their mastery of the concepts and curriculum,” explains Ms. Trapanese, “and these powerful moments of connection help to build the joyful community that is SD.”