Hour of Code

As an educator, Hour of Code is one of my favorite weeks of the year. I was first introduced to Hour of Code by a fellow educator a few years ago. I signed my third graders up on the code.org site, introduced what little I knew, and let them explore. I was amazed at what they discovered and how quickly they learned programming.

Last year, I wanted to take it a step further and offer them choices. The students had a choice of 16 different coding choices that not only involved code.org activities, but also hands-on coding (board game and Lego robotics), PC programs, and iPad apps.

Furthermore, a high school in our district reached out to the elementary schools during the week of Hour of Code. The high school students used video conferencing equipment to converse with my students about programming. The high school students taught my students the importance of coding language by relating it to the steps in making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Another group of high school students taught my third graders about coding within Minecraft. My third graders were so excited about conversing with high schoolers and aim to take programming in high school now.

My third grade students thoroughly enjoyed conferencing with high schoolers and the choosing aspect of the coding choice board. They beg to do coding daily.

This year, the choices I added to the Hour of Code Choice board included Dash and Dot (purchased through DonorsChoose.org) and Bloxels (students design video games).

Click here to see Hour of Code Choice Board (editable).

Holiday Novel Themed Digital BreakoutEDU using Microsoft OneNote, Sway, Office Mix, Forms, and Bing

Holiday Novel Themed Digital BreakoutEDU using Microsoft OneNote, Sway, Office Mix, Forms, and Bing

Summary

This unit focuses on teaching ELA standards through the use of three different novels with a holiday theme and lasts three weeks. The novels were chosen based on students’ Fountas and Pinnell level. The novels are The Last Holiday Concert by Andrew Clements (level Q), Winter According to Humphrey by Betty Birney (level O), and Christmas in Camelot by Mary Pope Osborne (level M).

Each week, groups were assigned chapters to read either independently, within the group, or with the teacher. Also, each week students were assigned DOK levels 1-4 questions within their OneNote notebooks that were to be completed independently. At the end of each week, students would meet in groups and discuss the weekly reading and share answers to DOK questions.

The final day prior to winter break, students will participate in a digital BreakoutEDU using OneNote. If you are not familiar with BreakoutEDU, the basic idea is for students to think critically to solve a challenge that will lead them to the next clue. Most of the time, BreakoutEDU involves tangible locks connected to a box and the students are to “break out” of the box; however, in this case students have to solve challenges that will give them the clue to unlock the next tab in the OneNote notebook! In the end, there was a box for each group located in my room locked with a key lock. The last challenge gives students the clue to find the key. Inside the box were Christmas presents for the students (pencils with his/her name on it).

Pre-class set up: 

• Set up OneNote Notebook by assigning weekly tasks, vocabulary, and DOK levels 1-4 Questions to students
• Set up BreakoutEDU and send links to OneNote Notebooks
  • Set up one box with three locks attached (place something inside the boxes. I placed a holiday gift for each student which were pencils with student names.
• Teach students how to create a new OneNote Notebook

Class time activities

• Using the Microsoft OneNote Notebooks, students have pre-reading discussions, preview vocabulary, and answer DOK levels 1-4 questions.
  • Complete OneNote Notebook (view only notebook just in case things get deleted from editable notebook)
  • Complete OneNote Notebook (editable notebook so you can copy into your own notebook and edit after you copy)
• This unit is a 3-week unit with all materials (except novel) located in OneNote notebook.
  • Week 1 only - Students preview books by having pre-reading discussions. Students record thoughts in OneNote Notebooks.  
  • Each week, students preview vocabulary that will be found in the book. In a group, students discuss the word, the meaning and use it in a sentence to understand meaning.
  • Students begin reading assigned chapters in groups, independently, or with teacher.
  • Individually, students answer DOK Level questions
  • Students let teacher know when assignments are completed and teacher gives feedback to students to improve student answers (ex: referring to the text, citing the text, or adding more detail, especially to DOK Level 4 questions)
  • Each Friday, students meet in a group and share answers and have a discussion about the book. Students make predictions and discuss opinions about the book.
• During Week 3, after students have completed the novel and questions, each group will participate in a digital BreakoutEDU using OneNote.
  • There are three digital BreakoutEDU games (one for each novel). The Breakouts were created using a new OneNote Notebook (separate from the OneNote notebook used for DOK questions and vocabulary). OneNote has a feature that allows users to password protect tabs. In other words, in order to view that particular tab, viewers have to enter a passcode that unlocks that tab. This feature within the OneNote notebook made creating this digital BreakoutEDU very easy. In order for students to advance to the next challenge, the students are required to solve the challenge to discover the password that will unlock the next challenge tab. Each tab/challenge within this OneNote Notebook is password protected.
    • Digital BreakoutEDU OneNote Notebook Links
      • Last Holiday Concert
      • Winter According to Humphrey
      • Christmas in Camelot
  • Each digital BreakoutEDU consists of 6 challenges.
    • Challenge 1: Vocabulary Challenge – Students use vocabulary located in OneNote Notebook and complete a Microsoft Forms quiz. The last question is a fill-in-the-blank question about a particular vocabulary word. The word that completes the sentence is the word that unlocks the next tab in the BreakoutEDU OneNote Notebook.
      • The Last Holiday Concert Challenge 1 Microsoft Forms link
        • Key: refrain, reduction, anxious, exhilarating, envy, rival (unlocks next challenge)
      • Winter According to Humphrey Challenge 1 Microsoft Forms link
        • Key: assignment, verse, dozed, disturbing, curious, distract (unlocks next challenge)
      • Christmas in Camelot Challenge 1 Microsoft Forms link
        • Key: tapestries, grove, amber, hoarse, fury, staggered (unlocks next challenge)
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
    • Challenge 2: Character Challenge – Students click a link that brings them to a OneNote Notebook. Within this OneNote Notebook, the tabs are password protected. Students have to make an inference about the quote that is on each tab and determine what character within the novel would say this quote based on the character traits of the character. The final tab has a quote of a character that will unlock the 3^rd challenge.
      • The Last Holiday Concert Challenge 2 OneNote Notebook link
        • Key: Lucy Meinert, Hart Evans, Mr. Meinert, Principal Richards (unlocks next challenge)
      • Winter According to Humphrey Challenge 2 OneNote Notebook link
        • Key: Og, Daniel, Mrs. Brisbane, Sophie (unlocks next challenge)
      • Christmas in Camelot Challenge 2 OneNote Notebook link
        • Key: Annie, The Christmas Knight, Morgan, Jack (unlocks next challenge)
    • Challenge 3: Plot Challenge – Students click a link that brings them to an Office Mix. The Office Mix has 3 plot challenges. In the Mix, the teacher states events that take place in the novel and wants to know what chapter the event occurred. After all three chapters are determined, the Office Mix asks students to manipulate the numbers somehow (in all the novels, students are asked to multiply three numbers). The product of the three numbers unlocks the next challenge.
      • The Last Holiday Concert Challenge 3 Office Mix link
        • Key: 3,5,9 (multiply all to get 135; 135 unlocks the next challenge)
      • Winter According to Humphrey Challenge 3 Office Mix link
        • Key: 3,5,9 (multiply all to get 135; 135 unlocks the next challenge)
      • Christmas in Camelot Challenge 3 Office Mix link
        • Key: 3,5,9 (multiply all to get 135; 135 unlocks the next challenge)
    • Challenge 4: Word Scavenger Hunt – Students click the link that brings them to a Microsoft Sway. The Sway asks students to turn to specific pages within the novel and find particular parts of speech on that page (nouns, proper nouns, possessive nouns, contractions, synonyms, and antonyms). After students determine all 6 words, the letters within the words form a “secret word” which unlocks the next challenge.  
      • The Last Holiday Concert Challenge 4 Sway link
        • Key: conversation, deafening, Ross’s, rumbled, he’d, Friday
        • Secret word is snored (unlocks next challenge)
      • Winter According to Humphrey Challenge 4 Sway link
        • Key: Holly’s, mermaid, Santa, scurried, wasn’t, curious
        • Secret word is smarts (unlocks next challenge)
      • Christmas in Camelot Challenge 4 Sway link
        • Key: backpack, Annie, gnawing, slender, we’re, Jack’s
        • Secret word is pagers (unlocks next challenge)
    • Challenge 5: Research Challenge – Students are asked a research question and use Bing.com to research the answer. The answer to the question unlocks the final challenge.
      • The question for each novel was: Using bing.com, research the month your author was born. This month will unlock the next clue.
      • Key
        • Last Holiday Concert - May
        • Winter According to Humphrey - April
        • Christmas in Camelot - May
    • Challenge 6: Key Clue – Students are given clues as to a person within our school that holds the key to the lock (principal, PE coach, Media Specialist). Students go retrieve the key, but first have to answer a question by the person who holds the key!

   

• The Box – The box has a gift for each student located inside (personalized pencils). The box has a hasp attached that allows for more than one lock to be attached. All three key locks are on the hasp. This means that each group has to complete the challenges in order for everyone to receive the reward. This is an optional way to set it up, you can set it up as three individual boxes with a lock on each if preferred.

• Afterwards, the teacher shows students how the BreakoutEDU was created by showing them how to create a OneNote notebook within Office 365. The teacher shows students how to password protect pages. Students work in groups to create a BreakoutEDU based on anything of his/her choice and can challenge students to have other groups participate in the breakout! Students are encouraged to create one for the holidays and share with families!