Hudson Montessori School held its 7th annual Hour of Code event on Dec. 9 through 11. Nearly 50 students from kindergarten through sixth grade hopped on Zoom each night for an hour of games, short lessons on computer science and coding, and student project presentations.
Hour of Code is typically a hands-on, in-person exhibition where students showcase their coding progress through dazzling art, animated stories, quizzes, and games. . Computational thinking is an integral part of Hudson Montessori School’s curriculum for each grade level, and students are encouraged to connect their coding knowledge with other areas of learning.
Hudson Montessori School’s students fully adapted to this year’s online format. More students presented projects this year than ever before, with some students presenting multiple projects. Others spent their recess time throughout the week coding new projects to present.
Some upper elementary presentations followed the 2020 Computer Science Education Week theme of social justice. The students were asked to consider how their projects could be used to give back to their community.
In one presentation, a student shared an animated game he had created to bring awareness to LGBTQ+ discrimination. Each level showed a step toward equality that he’d like to see come to fruition.
“I feel like LGBTQ+ people need the rights that everyone has. There’s nothing different about them. I stand with them,” he said during his presentation.
Another student shared a two-minute story he had written, animated, and voiced using Scratch, a coding program for children.
The students in the audience were able to ask follow up questions, give feedback, and praise their peer presenters.
“Incredible! You just made my mind blown,” one student shouted.
“Amazing! You are a fantastic presenter,” another added.
Events like Hour of Code are one of many ways the Hudson Montessori School teachers engage students with real-world applications for the content taught in class, helping their learning to come alive.
Computer Science Education week takes place each year in the beginning of December to commemorate the birthday of computer science pioneer Grace Hopper. The week is filled with events that take place all over the world, including Hour of Code, to promote computer science education in hopes it will become a key piece of global K-12 education.