Clarendon Hall K4 students attend a computer class weekly to learn the Code.org Pre-Reader Coding Curriculum taught by Amy Magaw. The main lesson involves algorithms, a process or set of rules to be followed in calculations or other problem-solving operations, especially by a computer. These algorithms - or steps in a process - are taught through an "Unplugged," or "hands-on" format. In the first week of the class, the K4 students cut algorithm squares and pasted them in this order: fill a cup with dirt; poke a hole in the dirt; place a seed in the hole; cover the seed with dirt; water the dirt; and put the dirt in the sunshine. Students then used their written algorithm during week two like a recipe to plant their seeds. K4 teacher Karen McEwen transplanted the students' sunflower seedlings into a classroom flowerbed near the Clarendon Hall early childhood wing. McEwen has reported that, since that time, the class continues to water their plants and monitor the growth of their sunflowers.
