Applying ICARE to our Digital Citizenship Practices Gillispie students in Grades 1-5 have spent the past two weeks of school revisiting the Gillispie ICARE Values as they apply to our digital citizenship practices. During our digital citizenship lessons, students review each of the ICARE letters, and the value they represent: I = Integrity ...
As part of the 6th-grade social studies curriculum, students studied the timeline of early human history and the features and capabilities of various hominid groups. They also learned about ancient Egypt, focusing on geography, social classes, certain pharaohs, and the process of mummification. In Science and Design, students learned about human ancestors, specifically, the changing structure of the skull over time. Students created vacuumed formed skull profiles and then reverse-painted and labeled distinct anatomical features. In art class,...
Grade 1 students have been working on their coding skills during tech time with our Director of Technology Dr. Lisa Hasler Waters. In these photos, students are getting creative with code using Scratch Jr. to animate silly cartoon characters. These age-appropriate games make coding so much more user-friendly, fun, and approachable for children. We only wish they were around when we were young!...
During our week-long celebration of Digital Citizenship, students connected the Gillispie ICARE Values with their technology experiences. Our main focus was on the letter A for Attitude, where we recognize that we have the power within us to overcome challenges. The Second Graders helped all of us learn how to keep calm, even when technology gets frustrating. Through videos, the Second Graders helped us to understand the Emotional Zones of Regulation and shared with us techniques...
Just in time for Summer! Our new presentation entitled, “Hot Tech Tips to Keep Your Parenting Cool this Summer (and Beyond)” will provide you tips for helping your child(ren) to navigate technology wisely and safely. We also explore ways to help our children develop healthy relationships with technology and we will take a brief dive into Youtube and other enticing apps (or menacing) apps and how you can manage them. For your convenience, the presentation is a video that...
Recently, students in Sequoia explored coding using fun, programmable robots called BeeBots. The students delighted in giving the Beebots instructions (code) to get from one end of the mat to the other. They began their coding exploration with simple instructions on how to use the buttons on the backs of their Beebots to code their robots. Then, they explored challenges and tried out different ways to program the bot to reach its destination. Some students even...
This past week during our Hour of Code activities we saw a flurry of young coders diligently working to solve coding challenges. The students were engaged and focussed. They showed persistence, drive, and importantly, joy in what they were doing! The value of learning how to code extends well beyond just using a computer. Coding, more formally referred to as programming, teaches students logical reasoning, problem-solving and creative thinking. Some suggest that coding helps students to build...
“This is gonna be great!” “Minecraft coding is awesome!" “CodeCombat is the best!” These are just some of the enthusiastic comments students have made this week while participating in the Hour of Code. Throughout the week, students have been using a variety of apps and programming languages during their coding activities. Our PreK students engaged in “unplugged” activities to learn about how to give computers instructions. They played a variation of “Simon Says” where one student plays the role of the...
We strive to develop open-minded collaborators and articulate communicators at Gillispie. Every child and adult has to navigate working with others on a daily basis and the tools needed to be an effective collaborator and communicator are not ones students are born with. Skills like these need to be explicitly taught, practiced, and reflected upon just as any other subject in school. Through group projects, students have a platform that not only develops these skills but...
One major goal of our media literacy program is to instill and support a lifelong love of reading in our students. Since reading is the core of both academic and personal competencies, we aim for all of our students to think of themselves as readers. To that end, our media literacy course includes regular library visits. In the library, reading is not just a quiet, solitary activity. Students listen to a story read aloud, which builds student...
