Next week (December 4-10) is Computer Science Education Week, otherwise known to many students as that time of the year that we complete the Hour of Code!
I sometimes struggle with ways to motivate and engage students at the middle school level (in general!), so this year I'm trying a special badge/achievement award that I really hope catches on!
To celebrate, all students have the chance to earn a very special locker laurel badge next week by completing the Hour of Code on their own:
To earn a locker laurel badge, students will need to show evidence of completion of an Hour of Code in a variety of ways:
- via a certificate from Code.org or other coding website
- a screenshot/screengrab providing proof of completion
- a note from a parent verifying completion of an activity
To sweeten the deal, I have a small stack of special CODE stickers to give to the first 15 students to complete an Hour of Code:
I purchased a whole slew of these online from the store at Code.org. I may have also grabbed myself some goodies, too, like buttons and a t-shirt! My personal favorite is the "Code Like a Girl" t-shirt. :)
I'd love to have other fun prizes to pass out for the future... what does your school do? Do you have any inexpensive/free-ish ideas that would interest middle schoolers? Let me know!
Here's wishing you a very happy Computer Science Education Week!
- Mrs L.
