Edgewood Primary School Hits 100 % Participation ! By Ashley Luczak and Sue Lewis oodland Hills
WOODLAND HILLS SCHOOL DISTRICT NEWS BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE WOODLAND HILLS FOUNDATION .
During the week of December 5 , 2016 , Edgewood Primary School joined in the global movement to teach all students computer science . The Hour of Code is the combined effort of over 180 countries joining together in a pledge to teach every student at least one hour of computer science . Susan Lewis , Technology Integration Specialist , and Ashley Luczak , Library Media Specialist , both at Edgewood Primary School in the Woodland Hills School District , took the pledge to introduce computer programming to the almost 400 Pre-K thru Grade 3 students . Using the school ’ s computer lab during their weekly library class , second- and third-grade students completed their coding using the website Code . org . Code . org uses popular games and movies to pique student interest in computer programming . For the Hour of Code at Edgewood Primary , the students coded in Minecraft . The stepby-step nature of the program promotes problem-solving skills and logic . It teaches students to become fluent with technology and how to communicate with machines . Pre-kindergarten , kindergarten , and first-grade students used the Kodable app on the iPad to complete their coding . Kodable follows a stepby-step set of objectives to teach JavaScript . Games and apps like Kobable are designed with a visual programming language so that students are able to code before they can read . It is an entirely different form of literacy .
Becoming information and computer literate are key goals for the Edgewood Primary School Library . As the Library Media Specialist for Edgewood Primary , I would like to infuse more computer science skills into the school library curriculum . Careers in the computer programming field are skyrocketing ; www . kodable . com projects that there will be 1.4 million programming jobs to fill . There are currently only 400,000 graduates in the computer science field . With only 1 in 10 schools teaching computer science I feel like I am offering the students of Edgewood Primary an advantage . Literacy is easiest to learn when young . This is why a foreign language can be learned easily in early childhood . The same goes for computer literacy . By teaching students in the primary grades to code we are setting them on a path of technology fluency . They can use these skills anywhere . We plan to fine-tune these coding skills during the second semester when students will complete Course 1 in Code . org and learn the basics of computer programming at its core . Students will walk through a variety of tutorials and hands-on scenarios designed to open their minds to a whole new level of thinking . It is S . T . E . A . M in its purest form , and it is happening with students as young as four years old .
Pulitzer Prize Winner Engages Students
By Kevin McGuire
“‘ All these lives ,’ she said . ‘ All the stories we never know .’” — Elizabeth Strout , Olive Kitteridge
A recent project at Woodland Hills Junior Senior High School had students not only reading stories , but meeting the author who created them . On December 5 , 2016 , Pulitzer Prize winning author Elizabeth Strout visited the high school library and spoke with students as part of the Woodland Hills Interaction Series . In preparation for her visit , students in 11th grade English classes read and discussed Strout ’ s work . The students read Olive Kitteridge , My Name is Lucy Barton , or The Burgess Boys and discussed the books with their teachers and peers . Teachers Mrs . Christyn Coles , Mr . John Danchisko , Mr . Nathan Johnson , Mr . Tom Maloney , and Ms . Erin Wall developed lessons surrounding Strout ’ s work .
During her visit , Ms . Strout answered the students ’ questions in an interview conducted by Stephanie Flom , the Executive Director of Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures .
Regarding the project , Mr . Maloney said , “ the
Stephanie Flom , Executive Director of Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures , interviews Elizabeth Strout at the Woodland Hills Junior Senior High School library .
Mr . Danchisko discussing My Name is Lucy Barton with his students .
students enjoyed interacting with the text , they were able to take a piece of writing and truly make it their own through discussions and annotations . Strout ' s writing style allowed our students to read an engaging text that they could pull real life examples from and use in their learning .”
The Woodland Hill Interaction Series was founded in 2013 by library media specialist Mr . Kevin McGuire and instructional technology coach Mr . Jason Coleman . Since its inception , the WHIS has hosted such notable guests as Colum McCann ( National Book Award Winner / Academy Award nominated writer ), Dr . Sheri Fink ( Pulitzer Prize Winner ), Terrance Hayes ( National Book Award winner / MacArthur Fellow ), Jesse Andrews ( New York Times bestselling author ), Dr . Cyril Wecht , and Robert Bilheimer ( Academy Award nominated director ). Additionally , the WHIS has also hosted local writer Dave Newman , poet Jim Daniels , EPA Director Barnes Johnson and U . S . Ambassador Bryant Salter .
Strout ’ s visit was made possible by Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures as a part of their mission to bring authors to schools . Visit Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures at http :// pittsburghlectures . org / and follow the Woodland Hills Interaction Series on Twitter @ WHInteraction .
36 Woodland Hills