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eSchoolNews: How 7 Educators Are Accelerating Summer Learning

In this article 7 educators share how their summer camps, programs and instruction will be different from last year’s. Summer learning can be fun! Hear how these educators are creating engaging and educational programs for their students.

One of our KIBO Ambassadors, Dr. Julie Wilkerson, a K–5 STEM educator for Gwinnett County (GA) Public Schools, shares how she intends to bring on the fun and engagement this summer with robotics:

Robots as Summer Enrichment

For our summer enrichment program, I will be teaching computer science to all students in attendance. I will be using the KIBO Robot Kit to extend the learning of the students in K-3^rd in the following ways:

Rising kindergarteners and kindergarteners will be programming their robots to move and dance so that it spells out their name on the floor. They will then use the turntable art platform attached to the robot to show the letters of their name as it spins for their dance.

1^st graders will be learning about the parts of a plant as a preview for 2^nd grade science. They will then program KIBO to move to the plant parts that are attached to the floor. I have cards that they will pick from that either have the part name or a description of the part as a hint as to which part they move the robot toward next.

For 2^nd grade, we will be practicing their math facts for addition and subtraction. I have printed out math problems for them to solve. The correct answers will be in baskets spread around the classroom. Teams of students will program their robot to move to the correct basket and then launch a ball into that basket. If they get the correct answer, it’s a point. If they launch the ball and it lands in the basket on the first try, it’s another point. Teams with the most points win a trip to the treasure box.

3^rd graders will work on solving multiplication problems, using the robot in a similar way. Teams will first illustrate how they solved the problem, then program KIBO to move to the basket containing their answer. If they get the correct answer, it’s a point. If they launch the ball into the basket on the first try, it’s another point. Teams with the most points win a trip to the treasure box. Our 3^rd-graders will also program their robot to do a victory dance after each correct answer.

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