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South Fayette | Summer 2014 | icmags.com 53
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Curriculum Integration 6 – 8: The South Fayette Township
School District
• 7th Grade SFSD: Beginning in January 2014, seventh graders
in technology education class began learning to make apps
for mobile devices using App Inventor. Students then began
the transition from block-based code to text-based code using
processing.js.
• 7th Grade SFSD: Through assistance from The Grable
Foundation, students in seventh grade are now learning the
intricacies of computer-aided drawing (CAD). Students use CAD
to complete technical drawings as class discussion focuses on
how this tool is used in industry. Students are exposed to the
concepts of building prototype models using CAD with the 3D
printer.
• 8th Grade SFSD: Students in eighth grade participate in an
invention unit creating their own unique products using CAD
and the 3D printer to fabricate parts for their inventions.
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Accomplishments for 2013-2014 include:
Curriculum Integration K-5: The South Fayette Township School
District and Partner Schools
• Kindergarten SFSD: Students in kindergarten participated in
their first computer programming activities in December 2013.
Students moved fellow classmates through a life-sized maze
on the classroom floor by using handwritten blocks of code.
Students then used Kodable, an app that introduces participants
to the concepts of computer programming, by manipulating
characters through a maze using block-based code.
• 1st - 2nd Grade SFSD: Students in 1st and 2nd grade were
introduced to the concepts of computer programming through
Scratch block-based language by building a math game.
Students wrote math facts and then programmed blocks
of code using conditional statements, to create a quiz with
questions, answers, and a scoring system. STEAM Consultant,
Melissa Unger, compiled the code into a classroom game that
students can play at home or school to practice math facts.
• 3rd Grade SFSD: Students were introduced to the concepts and
practices of computational thinking through Scratch. In this sixweek project, which started in October 2013, students designed
an interactive animated cartoon about their favorite things
entitled “All About Me.” Students learned important habits of
Connected Learning Initiatives K-5: The South Fayette Township
School District
• 3rd – 5th Grade: Over 115 students participated in afterschool
Scratch Clubs designed to help students continue their passion
for learning computer programming. Students choose from
three different options: Storytelling, Video Game Challenge,
and Scratch and Stuff – using motion sensors and motors to
program WeDo Robotics through block-based programming.
South Fayette
Providing Outreach to Partner Schools
Encouraged by The Grable Foundation to test the sustainability
of the STEAM Studio Model with different populations of students,
South Fayette selected two diverse schools that were committed to
similar STEAM strategies: Fort Cherry School District and Manchester
Academic Charter School (MACS). South Fayette is testing the
sustainability of the model and its ability to transform education
through innovation by providing outreach through curriculum
development, teacher training, and classroom support. Owens
explains, “This unique and innovative approach to education,
leveraging the expertise and resources from one district to help
another, enhances learning for all students and may pave the way
for a new direction in public education.”
The South Fayette Township School District works to build a
STEAM Studio model for innovation and to build capacity toward
sustainable outcomes within underserved partner schools.
mind such as being persistent and gaining
tolerance for ambiguity.
• 4th Grade SFSD, Fort Cherry and MACS:
Through an eTextile design project, students
learned the concepts of electrical circuitry,
computer programming, and design thinking
by making wearable, programmable t-shirts.
The DIY maker experience is brought into
the classroom experience as students use
conductive thread to complete circuits and
program Arduino boards and LED lights to blink
on and off.
• 4th - 5th Grade SFSD: Students created
robotic creatures, such as alligators, using Lego
WeDo Robotics. Our budding programmers
built their characters with Lego blocks and then
used motion sensors programmed with Scratch
to open and shut the alligator’s mouth based
on the distance the students placed their hands
from the robot.
• 5th Grade MACS Through Outreach Support:
In this multi-disciplinary 7-week unit led by
the South Fayette STEAM Consultant, students studied the
body systems in science class and then created self-portraits
in art class. Fifth graders learned computer programming and
used their new knowledge to create an interactive quiz on the
body system with Scratch block-based programming language.
Each student became a virtual host in their game as they
programmed their self-portrait to speak and move around the
screen. A video game designer from Entertainment Technology
Center and a game designer from Schell Games quickly became
new role models for the students as they joined in the class
periodically to speak about career opportunities in computer
programming.