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The SEPjr Program

PBL Teaching Strategies: Content Integration

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Objectives

  • Have FUN and enjoy learning about CS Ed!
  • Learn how Project Based Learning can help teach students about computer science.
  • Learn how Project Based Learning connects to teaching the CS Practices, Analyzing, Prototyping and Communicating.
  • Learn different strategies for teaching computer science w/ Project Based Learning.
  • Learn about curriculum options for teaching w/ Project Based Learning.

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Reflection Questions (p. 2)

  • How do you use Project Based Learning in your classroom?
  • How can Project Based Learning help teach computer science?
  • What makes a successful driving/essential question for computer science?
  • What are some examples of opportunities for students to drive this work?
  • How do the CS Practices connect to Project Based Learning?
  • What additional strategies can you use when teaching CS with PBL?

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Computer Science is the…

Practice of…

Concepts from…

Perspectives

Analyzing the impacts of computing

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Prototyping projects connected to interests

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Communicating understanding of concepts

Abstraction

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Algorithms

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Programming

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Data

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Networks

Explorer

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Creator

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Innovator

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Citizen

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Content Integration

PBL & CS Teaching Strategies

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Content Integration (pp. 14-15)

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  • Project Based Learning is a perfect opportunity to integrate computer science into other subject areas.
  • Students can start by making connections between similar opportunities for problem solving and computational thinking, comparing and contrasting how they are applied in each subject area.
  • This is also an opportunity for students to begin developing an understanding of the Citizen perspective, and how to apply CS concepts and practices to social, economic and political issues.

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Example: PBL Works - Healthy Choices = Long Life!

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Final Project(s)

  • Students develop a set of health and wellness recommendations for the school to consider, and they present these in the form of a multimedia presentation.

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Example: Content Integration

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Ara The Star Engineer

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Example: Content Integration

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Hello Ruby - Sprites & Challenges

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Example: Content Integration

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PBS Kids - ScratchJr

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Example: How Plants Grow - PBS KIDS ScratchJr

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  • With PBS KIDS ScratchJr, kids can create their own interactive stories and games featuring their favorite PBS KIDS characters.
  • The storytelling possibilities are endless with this creative coding app for children ages 5-8. For this activity students view a NATURE CAT episode, “Ze Worm Whisperer,” and have to pay attention to how Nature Cat and his friends help prepare the garden to help Daisy’s plants grow.

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Example: How Plants Grow - PBS KIDS ScratchJr

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Overview

Tally Ho! Inspired by NATURE CAT, in this activity children will explore cause and effect relationships and what plants need to grow and thrive. Children will be challenged to create projects in PBS KIDS ScratchJr where they make their own plants and trees grow.

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Example: How Plants Grow - PBS KIDS ScratchJr

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Learning Goals

Children will learn how to use the PBS KIDS ScratchJr programming blocks to make animated stories and interactive projects. They will explore coding and computational thinking practices as they utilize technology as a tool for creativity, expression and learning with the PBS KIDS ScratchJr app. Keywords: Programming/Coding, Sequence/Algorithm, Events, Parallelism.

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Example: How Plants Grow - PBS KIDS ScratchJr

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Example: How Plants Grow - PBS KIDS ScratchJr

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Example: How Plants Grow - PBS KIDS ScratchJr

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Example: How Plants Grow - PBS KIDS ScratchJr

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Example: How Plants Grow - PBS KIDS ScratchJr

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Example: How Plants Grow - PBS KIDS ScratchJr

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Example: How Plants Grow - PBS KIDS ScratchJr

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How can content integration help to teach CS with PBL?

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Next Steps

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Check Us Out

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Checkout participating teachers learning, photos, and videos on social media! Use @CSForAllNYC #SEPjrNYC

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Join The Conversation

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Join the SEPjr Microsoft Teams Group to help stay connected and up to date with resources, opportunities and much more.

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Thank you from the CS4All Team!

We look forward to supporting you and your cs program!