Coding at OLN Lawson

At Our Lady of Nativity Lawson all students ES1-Stage 3 developed computational thinking coding for integrated STEM activities using coding with a range of robotics. 

Stage 1  had so much fun learning the functionality of our blue tooth robots the Blue Bots and Spheros and using them to deepen our knowledge of 2D shapes and 4 shape patterning . Students are developing computational skills , creating and debugging simple programmes.

The two pictures show students (programming) coding a hexagon on the iPad (mirrored on the apple TV) to instruct Blue bot to draw a hexagon on the carpet. It involves programming repeats and 45 degree angles.

Robots in Literacy to Assist Writing Narratives
After the teacher narrated a story ‘The Seed’ using story cards, students were asked to retell the sequence of events by coding Blue Bot and narrating the story in pairs. 

The writing scaffold was put up on the board for students to write their narrative.

Spheros
The picture below shows a St 1 student reinforcing a 4 shape pattern lesson by
using a robot to follow the contour of 4 2D shapes and repeating.



Kinders have also enjoyed learning the functionality of Sphero blue tooth robots. Commanding a sequence of steps (algorithms) via an ipad is also assisting hand eye co-ordination and problem solving.

Students coding a ‘fast race’ for ozobots. Students had to read and

comprehend the Code Reference Sheet and use computational thinking to

complete the task.

Students have narrated stories and coded Bee Bot robots to perform algorithms
to arrive at destinations on the story mat. This encourages creativity and
sequencing of ideas in storytelling and the development of coding skills.

Stages 2&3

To further students knowledge of Angles & Time, we have coded ozobot

robots to knock down 6 pins in a FAST bowling game in a right angle

configuration as a ‘Learning Hook’. Students had to predict the time it would

take and time the game to test .

When using coloured line code ozobot reads the four colours Red ,Green Blue &

Black and students are required to use the Code Reference Sheet for pre existing

codes & speeds. Ozobot immitates real life robots that read coloured lines in

factories nursing homes etc. all over the world.

Ozobot robots can be coded 3 ways –

1. Cloured line code

2. Dragging coded blocks on othe zoblockly site on a chrome book

3. Coding on an ipad using the ozogroove app.

After the initial Learning Hook students were given a rich task to

complete in maths. They were asked to design a new FAST 6 pin bowling

game which was not a right angle configuration. This required drawing on

prior learning of angles and testing prototypes/conducting time trials to

see if the new design was a faster bowling game. Evidence of exhaustive

mathematical thinking was required and documented.

Students were required to decompose shapes when coding a dance.Students were required to decompose shapes when coding a dance.

When coding Snow Soccer students were asked to explore other 2D shapes that
were not rectangles and justify their choices.

 Look out Fifa World Cup Soccer here
comes OLN Sphero Soccer. On the eve of Australia’s game against Peru students held their own World
Cup Sphero Soccer in the library for ES1-Stage 3. Students coded spheros for the
Aus w Peru game. We used books and Dewey shelving displays as barriers for
the soccer field.

View the videos for the coding activities below at the following links:
Ozobots at OLN
Sphero Soccer at OLN