6th Grade English/Language Arts Activity - Point of View and Debate

So, the following standards were presented to me and I wanted to come up with a fun way to implement some coding:

HOUR OF CODE CORRELATION TO ELA STANDARDS

·      Analyze the impact of the way in which a literary text is told. Reflect and discuss the following questions: How does 1st person allow one to peer more deeply into a character’s psyche than perhaps other viewpoints? Would this scene evoke the same reaction in the reader if told from 3rd person point-of-view? How would it differ if told through a different voice?

·      Understand how the author of an informational text develops the point of view of the speaker in the text or presents his/her purpose throughout the text. Reflect upon certain portions within a text and imagine how the content/style would change if the author’s point of view shifted to an alternate purpose/point of view. Reflect and discuss the following questions: If the author’s purpose shifted from informing his/her audience about facts and details to persuading them to take action, how would the tone and style of the this text change? What techniques does this author use to appeal to the reader (pathos, ethos, logos)?

·      Speaking and Listening:

·      Engage in a variety of collaborative discussions to build on ideas, evaluate claims, and express ideas clearly.

Looking at the above standards,

In “The Hour of Code” Lessons, students view tutorials “first person” which elaborate on the coders' and computer scientists' experiences.  They also talk about the benefits of coding throughout their careers and in society. 

After students complete the Hour of Code, they could write an excerpt in their own journals from a 3^rd person perspective and analyze the differences between first person point of view and 3rd person point of view.

Additionally, the following articles have an alternative view on computers in the classroom: 

http://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/the-case-for-banning-laptops-in-the-classroom

http://nymag.com/scienceofus/2015/07/case-against-laptops-in-the-classroom.html#

Students could compare the points of view of these articles and have an extremely intriguing class discussion/debate.  

**  If you are interested in the intro video I have teachers show to students, here it is:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-9TSeS9nRwTV1BjTGxFb1Nlb0k/view