Exploring World's New Language

EXPLORING WORLD’S NEW LANGUAGE

The pandemic takes away. And it also gives.

Students in Penn Charter’s sixth grade were given a unique opportunity this year to study and write computer coding in much the same way as sixth graders study Chinese, French, Latin and Spanish.

In a normal year, Middle School provides for an eightweek rotation through each of four world languages so that sixth graders experience each and can make a more informed decision about which language (or, in some cases, two languages) they wish to study in subsequent years. Earning a PC diploma requires completion through level three of the same language in Upper School; all students study Spanish in kindergarten through fifth grade.

Wilson Felter, director of Middle School, said he and his team faced a dilemma this year because of the pandemic: The 70-student sixth grade was divided into five covid-safe pods, but Penn Charter has four concurrent world language classes. Coding provided the fifth class—a solution as well as an enhancement.

“Coding is a 21st century skill and we know we want to teach the fundamentals of coding to all students,” Felter said. “This was the chance to begin.”

Upper School Physics teacher Corey Kilbane (pictured below) developed the curriculum and taught the coding class. Because PC is a Google school, Kilbane has been able to build around CS First, a Google computer science curriculum. Students use drag-and-drop, block-based coding and add text, creating interactive stories, games and animations.

Computer science options in Lower and Upper School have expanded, and Felter and Kilbane are excited to find a permanent place in the Middle School curriculum for coding. “It is a great addition and it definitely won’t disappear, it will just find another landing spot,” Felter said.

Upper School Physics teacher Corey Kilbane teaches coding in Middle School in the 2020-21 school year.