BOTS PD#1 Workshop: Teaching Algorithms 

Four teachers from Murchison Street Elementary met with USC VAST's robotics trainers for a professional development workshop on BOTS. Teachers worked together on a few activities from Course C on Code.org that give 2nd grade students experience with sequential algorithms through playing the popular mobile game Angry Birds. The lesson plan enables students to learn basic algorithms through a series of unplugged and plugged activities. First, the teachers shared how they had started with Code.org's Move It, Move It, a physical activity. The teachers shared with each other how to help students see the connections between the physical activity and the unplugged and plugged programming exercises. Finally, everyone handled the Sphero Sprk+ robots and showed how the Code.org lessons work well with robotics. Teachers also finalized registering their students' names into the Code.org Dashboard.