Computer Science in the Middle School
Thank you for the warm welcome to Ellis! I am very excited to be a part of the ongoing efforts here to provide quality STEM education at all levels, and that Ellis has embraced computer science as an important part of 21st century learning.
The act of learning computer science is like learning to think; it requires computational thinking, problem solving, and critical thinking skills. Coding is becoming a basic literacy; everyone should understand how to think logically and how technology works. Personally, I love empowering students to bring their ideas to life through making, and to showcase their creativity in a science that relies on precision.
The act of learning computer science is like learning to think; it requires computational thinking, problem solving, and critical thinking skills. Coding is becoming a basic literacy; everyone should understand how to think logically and how technology works. Personally, I love empowering students to bring their ideas to life through making, and to showcase their creativity in a science that relies on precision.
In Middle School, every student in grades 5 and 6 completes a full-year computer science class. The primary coding platform in these classes is Scratch, a drag-and-drop programming tool from MIT that takes out the frustration of syntax and infuses the creativity of drawing and animation.
Scratch allows for endless possibilities from creating a game to animating a movie, and is a wonderful platform for cross-curricular activities. These classes aim to build a solid foundation of programming concepts for our girls that can be transferred to any traditional text-based language.
Additionally, these classes build each student’s confidence in programming and encourage them to continue their computer science studies in the Upper School and beyond. Later in the year, students also explore the basics of electronics and robotics through MakeyMakey and Hummingbird Robotics kits.
In grades 7 and 8, students have the opportunity to take the Mobile Robotics elective in which they build and program Lego Mindstorm EV3 robots to solve problems and play games.
If you have questions about the computer science program, please feel free to contact me via email at lombardim@theellisschool.org.
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Scratch allows for endless possibilities from creating a game to animating a movie, and is a wonderful platform for cross-curricular activities. These classes aim to build a solid foundation of programming concepts for our girls that can be transferred to any traditional text-based language.
Additionally, these classes build each student’s confidence in programming and encourage them to continue their computer science studies in the Upper School and beyond. Later in the year, students also explore the basics of electronics and robotics through MakeyMakey and Hummingbird Robotics kits.
In grades 7 and 8, students have the opportunity to take the Mobile Robotics elective in which they build and program Lego Mindstorm EV3 robots to solve problems and play games.
If you have questions about the computer science program, please feel free to contact me via email at lombardim@theellisschool.org.
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