First graders at Gilles-Sweet Elementary put their creativity and problem-solving skills on display as they hosted the annual First Grade Arcade in January. The First Grade Arcade is an event where students design and code their own mathematics games before inviting family and friends to the school to play.

“They have to use the math concepts of Friends of Ten or doubles,” First Grade Teacher Melissa Koenig explained. “Those are two things that we study for addition. I think it’s a culminating project. We wanted to do something where they create along with all the coding.”

First grade students are introduced to the ScratchJr coding app in the school’s technology classroom with teacher Graham Codney.  After that introduction, students then return to their classrooms to create and develop their own games for the arcade.

Besides learning and showcasing their math skills, students also have the opportunity to highlight their creativity. Games can include unique characters and themes based on what students code.

“Some of my kids did an ‘Under the Sea’ theme,” First Grade Teacher Valerie Garcia stated. “They have to pick a background. Then maybe they have different fish, or they have a little mermaid, or whatever they want. Some of my kids figured out how to take pictures of their face and put their face in it.”

“It’s kind of open-ended as far as what they are capable of doing and what they are capable of having their characters do,” First Grade Teacher Megan Lamb added. “It’s computer programming at a kid’s level. They create their own directions for the game. They come up with a title that goes with their theme, like ‘Underwater Addition’ or ‘Underwater Subtraction’ or whatever it might be.”

“I had a student who was interested in drawing his own characters,” Garcia noted. “He didn’t want to pick a character that was already there. I was impressed with his drawing, and it shocked me that he could do that. Sometimes, it's the ones you don’t expect to be doing that. Of course, they’re smart, but you didn’t expect them to be doing that and be into it.”

To test their games, students collaborate with each other to test and play each other’s games. They also get advice and tips from second graders who participated in the arcade last year.

On January 31, Gilles-Sweet Elementary's First Grade Arcade opened to guests. Families and friends were invited to the building and given tokens to play any game in a classroom. Each of the first grade classrooms were packed with families for the event. In addition, Gilles-Sweet staff helped ensure each student had someone to play their game. 

“The parents are like, ‘Oh my gosh - how did you do this,” Garcia exclaimed. “I think the parents are very impressed. I think some parents underestimate what their kids can do, primarily with the iPad. They may think they are always just playing games on an iPad rather than creating.”

Inviting families into the classroom allows students to demonstrate their important public presentation skills. The event also helps parents and guardians better connect with and understand the concepts taught in the first grade.

“Let’s face it: sometimes people wonder what we do in first grade,” Garcia stated. “There at a lot of things that they have to do.”

“This is something we cannot send home,” Koenig added. “It’s interactive, so it’s something we can’t put on SeeSaw for those families that can’t make it.”

“It’s a good way to connect with the families and to show them what we do every day,” Lamb said.