Learning Coding in Inquiry

Throughout term four, students in Year 3/4 have been learning about the art and skill of coding, which sounds a lot more complex than it is! Basically coding involves learning how to give clear instructions that can direct an object on a program/computer to move, talk, dance and change. The students have been exploring several programs such as Studio Code, Tynker, Scratch, Code Combat and Cargo Bot on the computers and iPads, and they have had the opportunity to follow steps, create programs and solve problems. Students have also be looking at everyday coding situations such as coding dance moves, paper aeroplane directions, creating friendship bracelets and origami.

Here is what the students have been saying:

Coding is learning how to control your ‘character’ to move in directions using controls like ‘move 50 pixels and 100 degrees’. There is lots of coding that people do without noticing and they use it every day, like when using maps. ~ Ben Daile

 

Coding is where you learn to use pixels, degrees and a lot more. You can learn how to use an algorithm. In code I enjoy creating projects and playing them. I like Scratch the most. ~ Hudson Price

A Writing Unit on Science Fiction

Closely linked to our unit on coding, the Year 3/4 students have focused on the genre of science fiction throughout their reading and writing units. During this time, we have delved deeply into the genre by studying a range of texts that include not only space and planets but time travel, alternate worlds and universes, science and technology, and robotics. Students have let their imagination run wild with narratives revolving around different dimensions, hover boards, up-side down worlds and flying cars.

Here is what the students have been saying:

I wrote a science fiction story about a girl that gets to the top of Mount Everest and meets a robot that sends her to the future, on the dark side of the moon. She has to discover how she is going to get back. The thing I liked the most in sci-fi writing is that you can use your imagination and your crazy ideas. ~ Matilda Brewer

 

 I was really excited when Ginger said that we were writing science fiction stories. I liked how we got to use robots, time machines and lots of other cool stuff. Science fiction is science, space and time machines and events that do not exist in the real world. ~ Evie Mameghan