South Fayette Township S C HO OL DIS T RIC T NE WS
outh Fayette
Connected Learning Initiatives 6 – 8: The South Fayette
Township School District
• 5th – 8th Grade SFSD and Fort Cherry: In this seven-week
initiative, students learned to make their own unique video
game using Scratch-programming language. Video game
designer Lucas Blair, owner of Little Bird Games and Computer
Science Professor, Penn State University, connected to the
students through Skype to discuss the process and strategies of
game design. Students prepared storyboards, designed, playtested, and then showcased their work as they learned about
the design process.
• 6th – 8th Grade SFSD: This semester our STEAM Consultant
hosted a girls STEAM Team. The team explored engineering,
design, and technology by creating projects that team
members decide upon. Some of the projects included
programming a keyboard to play animal sounds through blockbased programming and the use of MaKey MaKey. This exhibit
will be used to help teach the concepts of programming to the
elementary students through MakeShop.
• 7th – 8th Grade SFSD App Inventor Club: Students made
their own unique apps for mobile devices using App Inventor.
During the 7th grade App Inventor unit students are introduced
to tutorials and then build additional features from the existing
design. In the afterschool app initiative, students began
developing their own unique designs, collaborating and
assisting each other through the process.
• 7th – 8th Grade SFSD: Students delve more deeply into the
entrepreneurial experience as
they participate in The Invention
Club. Students create prototypes
using CAD and the 3D printer and
learn to fabricate parts for their
inventions.
• Fort Cherry, MACS, and SFSD:
GameJam. The South Fayette
STEAM Consultant worked
independently with each of the
partner schools to help students
make interactive quizzes and
video games using Scratch. In February, all 84 students met
for the first time at South Fayette Township School District
to participate in an engineering, design and programming
challenge we fondly called GameJam! Students were assigned
to project teams made up of students from each school as
they designed and built a Rube Goldberg-style contraption.
Students engineered a machine to use sensors and motors to
move a ball from one location to another between the virtual
and physical worlds.
Outreach Curriculum Integration 6 – 8: Fort Cherry School
District
• 6th Grade Fort Cherry: Students in Fort Cherry’s gifted class
created a trivia game based on the history of China using
Scratch block-based programming language. Characters in
the game walk along the Great Wall of China and players must
answer questions correctly or risk starting the game over again.
Students programmed in the option of allowing players to
receive “hints” to help along the way. Professional development
was provided by the South Fayette STEAM Consultant.
54 South Fayette
• 6th Grade Fort Cherry: Students at Fort Cherry created an
exhibit for their annual spring art show. This year’s theme was
installation art. Traditionally, student docents guide visitors
through each exhibit. However, this year’s sixth grade social
studies class planned something uniquely different. They
made virtual docents using Scratch. Computers were located
beside some of the artwork and visitors clicked on the green
flag to learn more about the art. Professional development
for programming was provided by the South Fayette STEAM
Consultant; however, Fort Cherry’s teacher designed this
creative unit independently.
• 7th – 8th Grade Fort Cherry: Students in Computer Literacy
courses I and II completed a series of lessons using Scratch
programming language to achieve specific standards
addressed in the curriculum. South Fayette’s STEAM Consultant
provided professional development to the Fort Cherry
Computer Literacy teacher.
Outreach Curriculum Integration: 6 – 8 Manchester Academic
• 7th - 8th Grade: In art class students were learning about
sculpture. They transferred the concepts learned in art class
as they learned computer-aided drawing. Students turned
their drawings into a prototype using the 3D printer provided
through support from The Grable Grant. South Fayette’s STEAM
Consultant and Outreach Coordinator led classes and provided
professional development for the art teacher.
Curriculum Integration 9 – 12: The South Fayette Township
School District
• 9th – 12th Grade: Students in Industrial Technology took
their designs to the next level. BotsIQ participants built robots
for competition and designed and fabricated parts for the
bot using CAD and the newly acquired 3D printer. Students
working on a problem solving initiative with All Clad, a local
company, created prototypes of new handles for their pans
along with a variety of other projects.
Connected Learning Initiatives 9th – 12th: South Fayette
Township School District
• 9th – 12th Grade: Beginning in 2010 the South Fayette
Township School District offered the Mobile App Lab, an