Middle school students to show off coding skills at RDC
Students from schools in Chinook’s Edge School Division and Red Deer Public Schools are gathering at Red Deer College this Friday, to showcase the video games they have created through a unique program called Coding Quest.
The students, who are in Grades 4-8, have been working on their projects since last fall. They have combined cross-curricular research to create their game’s story with inquiry-based technical learning to actually code the video game. Their video game creations, along with background documentation they have researched, will all be part of the unique ‘arcade’ at RDC.
As is the focus of Coding Quest, the learning incorporates science and technology, mathematics, language arts, visual arts and social studies. Students learn fundamental coding skills through the involvement of The Learning Partnership, a national charity dedicated to enhancing publicly funded education to prepare students in Canada for a globally connected world. The result is 500 students ignited by learning – 125 from Chinook’s Edge and 375 from Red Deer Public.
“This is such an innovative project and we’re thrilled our students had the opportunity to be involved,” said Jody Dennis, Principal of Poplar Ridge School in Chinook’s Edge. “They’ve worked really hard, but it’s been exciting for them all along and it’s built such confidence. What makes this whole thing so special is that The Learning Partnership provided the materials and the entire opportunity at no cost.”