Alex Procenko, a.k.a. Miss P.
Aspiring to be an inspiring Educator
B.Sc., B.ed. Intermediate and Senior Division General Science and Biology, Intermediate Division Mathematics.
Senior Division Social Sciences, Special Education Part 1
Coding in the Classroom
Knowing how to code is fast becoming a vital skill for students to know in our increasingly technology driven world.
Even if you don't know much (or anything) about coding at all you can still bring it into your classroom!
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In 2016, as part of my teacher education program, I was involved in an initiative to bring introductory coding lessons into elementary math classrooms in TVDSB.
The group of teacher candidates I worked with all worked together to create lessons that teachers could use in their classrooms that not only teach coding, but also incorporate the math curriculum. All lessons and activities use Scratch as the coding language!
Check them out below!
Code 2 Curriculum Integrated Math and Coding Lessons
Geometry and Spatial Sense
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Drawing 2D shapes by coding in Scratch is the most intuitive way to introduce computer coding to your class (and yourself!) These lessons have many entry points and also a high ceiling for various levels of skill.
Even if you are in a different math unit, the 2D Shape Geometry lesson is the most intuitive way to introduce coding to your students.
Find a complete lesson plan, student worksheets, and an accompanying slideshow.
Measurement
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These activities are a natural extension of the 2D Shape Geometry lesson above, or could be used as a stand-alone introduction.
If you have access to Spheros and Ipads (with the Tickle app installed), this is a great place to bring coding and technology into your math classroom. A fun extension to this lesson is for students to create a "maze" using tape on the floor and then code their Spheros to move through the maze. The Sphero maze extension is a challenging, creative, and fun activity to do with your students- they will be doing physics without even knowing it!
Find a complete lesson plan, student worksheets, and an accompanying slideshow.
Measurement
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These activities are a natural extension of the 2D Shape Geometry lesson above, or could be used as a stand-alone introduction.
If you have access to Spheros and Ipads (with the Tickle app installed), this is a great place to bring coding and technology into your math classroom. A fun extension to this lesson is for students to create a "maze" using tape on the floor and then code their Spheros to move through the maze. The Sphero maze extension is a challenging, creative, and fun activity to do with your students- they will be doing physics without even knowing it!
Find a complete lesson plan, student worksheets, and an accompanying slideshow.
Data Management and Probability
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This grade 6 math lesson can be scaled up or down, and will teach students how to plot points on a cartesian plane using code.
Find a complete lesson plan, student worksheet, and an accompanying slideshow.
Patterning
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This math lesson is a good introduction to Scratch using patterning and introduces students to the concepts on costumes in Scratch.
Find a complete lesson plan, student worksheet, and an accompanying slideshow.
Why should you introduce coding into your math class? Because the kids love it!
By: Alexandria Procenko
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In my opinion, as a teacher candidate learning how to teach, as well as in my experience as a student, making Math exciting seems a near impossible feat. Tell students that they get to go to the computer lab to do some coding for today’s math class however, and all of a sudden they can barely stay in their seats.
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I recently went to a school to teach a grade 4/5 split class an introductory computer coding lesson masquerading in a Math lesson, along with two of my fellow teacher candidates. The plan was to use Scratch, which is a block-based coding language developed by MIT (scratch.mit.edu), to teach the kids both the basics of computer coding and to give them an opportunity to look at geometry through a new perspective. I was terrified. I was not scared of the kids, or scared of the Math, but I myself had only just learned how to draw a square in Scratch the month before. How was I supposed to teach this when I myself am still learning it?
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What I want to tell you is that even if you are new to computer coding yourself, take the risk and introduce it to your students. We have all heard that computer coding is a skill that all students should learn, but I think the best reason why you should bring coding in to your classroom is because the kids love it. Figuring out how to make an animated “Sprite” do something is so much more fun than completing a worksheet. Using Scratch got the kids thinking about math in a new way, even if they didn’t realize it. Every single student was engaged in the activity. Even if they were stuck, they were still engaged. Those students who were able to draw a square before everybody else were able to move onto other shapes. Seeing their progress and what could be made, the students wanted to do more.
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In my own short journey in learning how to code, I have consistently recognized I am learning how to learn again. To learn to code, you have to overcome the fear of not knowing how to do something. Using Scratch enables you to learn to code in a non-threatening way. There isn’t a wrong answer; there is just the satisfaction of getting your Sprite to finally do what you want it to do. Using Scratch is more akin to playing a game than learning something new. So even if you figured out how to make a square the night before you are going to teach your students how to, just think of their faces when you tell them that you get to program Sprites in Math class today.
Alex is a first-year teacher candidate at Western. Her teachable subjects are I/S General Science and Biology. Although her father is a computer programmer, this is her first year learning to code.