LINGLE – As a part of a national movement to promote computer science, several Lingle-Fort Laramie Elementary fifth graders spend their Friday flex periods learning about coding with librarian Denise Jackson.

The school hopes to integrate coding, a computer programming language, into its curriculum next year.
“We chose to start with some of our successful fifth graders to learn the basics, then teach their peers, and then help us work one-on-one with our kindergarten through fourth-grade students,”
Jackson explained.
One of the predominant teaching tools the students use is a nonprofit website, Code.org.
“Code.org has been a great resource – and it is free,” Jackson said. “(The website) has both plugged lessons, using computers, and what they call ‘unplugged’, which allows us a way to teach the basics behind the coding process, with or without
a computer.”
Jackson said unplugged courses use activities to introduce computer-science concepts via physical manipulatives before students write computer programs using those concepts.
“An example of this would be, ‘Getting Loopy’,” Jackson continued. “This lesson teaches a dance of repeated movements with the class to understand the concept of loops, which repeat commands in a computer program. This way, when the students go on to writing programs using loops, the unplugged activity has set them up with something they are already familiar with to relate this new concept to.”
Friday, students logged on to their Code.org accounts and got
to work.
Andie Foster worked to move scrap metal with a robot by entering commands in a sequence to complete specific tasks.
“I don’t feel like I’m learning sometimes – it just feels like fun,”
she said.
“In video games, you’re actually playing what the code is,” Bransen Bumguardner explained. “In coding, (you decide) what the video game could be.”
Fellow classmates Brenly Shipp and Skyler Thomas used a different non-profit, educational website, called Khan Academy, Friday.
Shipp worked to build and design her own headbands – ranging from Olympics-themed, which she said was extremely time-consuming, to an accessory emblazoned with Torrington Telegram.
“Since you are here, I was inspired to do a Telegram headband,” Shipp said as she experimented with font size and spacing. “I like just being able to make things that you want to do – just being able to create things.”
Skyler Thomas, who carefully placed a digital tail on an otherwise finished horse, agreed with Shipp about the benefits of coding.
“I like that you can make whatever you want,” he said. “Pretty much whatever you think you can do, you can do it here.”
“I am amazed at how much I am learning from the students,” Jackson said. “I had no background in coding, and even thought it might be intimidating. However, it has been a great learning experience for me and fun to learn together with the students; helping
each other.”
In addition to working on the computers Friday, students also made their own flowcharts and appeared excited to interact with Dash and Dot – a pair of robots purchased with proceeds from a recent Book Fair.
“We have … been working some with robotics and learning how they can be programmed,” Jackson said. “We just started working on process flows – understanding the importance of input/output, just like with coding. To help tie this all together, with how process flows work in real life, we will be going on a field trip to the sugar factory on April 6th, and see firsthand how we start with sugar beets and end up with sugar.
“We’re kind of just exploring different things,” she added. “Mostly just letting the kids explore.”
See an upcoming edition of the Telegram to find out what the coding movement looks like at Torrington and Southeast schools.