One of my absolute favorite projects has made a comeback for a 2nd year in a row! Last year, a 5th grade teacher approached me to inquire about changing up the engagement level of her Colonial Times unit. After some pondering and this aligning perfectly to the Hour of Code, I stumbled upon a lesson on the Sphero Education Website. Many of our students have previously been exposed to coding and the basic vocabulary of coding, but we wanted another avenue to go beyond. I wish I could find the original lesson, so I apologize to the author.

This particular project breaks down into three parts.
Phase 1: Research
Phase 2: Build, Code, Create
Phase 3: Present

Phase 1: The Research
The research portion is always modified year to year depending on the goals and objectives of the teacher. In the past, and still in some present classrooms, teachers have used this time for students to work in small groups of 4-5 students and jigsaw the original 13 colonies. Each group focuses on the colony to research and answer questions that will help inform the rest of the class what living in their colony was like. Last year we had students who were assigned to the “researcher” role, but this year we used a collaborative slideshow for all group members to be involved. This year, one room slightly changed their plan by focusing on the careers of colonists. We supplemented with classroom materials and online resources. This is also a great time to insert digital citizenship mini lessons.

Phase 2: Build, Code, and Create
This is the portion that students absolutely love! Each group member selects a leadership role: Architect, Presenter, or Coding Engineer. Usually we double up on each role. During this time, when the research has concluded, the architects work on collecting recycled materials to build and iconic landmark or business from their colony. I’ve always been quite impressed with how creative the students get. The presenters are those who take the lead on arranging the media. We focus a lot on what a good presentation looks like and the importance of identifying sources. The coding engineers work with the Sphero robotics. Their job is to pair program and code their robot to travel through our colonial town, which is mapped out on the floor. The tricky part is that they must program their robot to stop at their colony and pause for the exact amount of time it takes their teammates to present, before continuing on it’s journey. Again…I am always impressed by how well they do with this portion too.

Phase 3: Presentation Day
So, what exactly does the presentation look like? We try, the best we can, to clear the furniture from the center of the room. This allows all of the class to sit around our colonial map. Then, students are usually jumping at the gun to have their group go first. The presenters stand where comfortable and airplay to our projector, the architects provide support to the presenters, and the engineers are ready to start their program. One the engineers start, the presenters wait for their turn, and then the code concludes. Students provide feedback and ask questions, which leads into so many great classroom discussions.

If you are interested in this lesson and would like additional resources, please don’t hesitate to contact me!