My students come from a variety of different economic and ethnic backgrounds. Our school is also one of the most ethnically diverse schools in New York. Students speak a multitude of languages including English, Spanish, Hindi, Urdu, Bengali, Mandarin, Cantonese, and Arabic. As diverse as our students are economically and culturally, they are diverse in their academics. Our school is home to general, special, and gifted education programs. We have students that range from one end of the spectrum to another. We have many different programs offered in our school that range from studio art, ballet, hip hop, drama, and chess to name a few. Our school's instructional focus zones in on reaching every learner with a differentiated approach where we tell the students to DREAM big, INSPIRE others, to ACHIEVE their goals.

Problem solving, analytical thinking, perseverance, divergent thinking, teamwork, creative thinking, cooperation, flexibility...these are all 21st century skills that I teach my Gifted and Talented students each year. These robots allow students to engage in using the newest technology, all while learning to code and move through each component of STEM.

Coding is tomorrow's literacy, and Ozobot robots partnered with STEM activities, students will be challenged to learn coding in a creative and meaningful way!

By bringing robotics to our classroom I will allow students to participate in their learning, encourage teamwork, allow students to contribute based on their strengths, and engage in a more personalized learning experience. Coding and robotics can be difficult to learn, especially for students with no background in these areas, but working on STEM activities with engaging, hands-on lessons, life can be a game changer. Coding mice and Ozobots will make a huge difference in the knowledge my students will obtain through hands-on coding. These materials will help to motivate my students to engage in personalized, interest-based and rigorous learning experiences throughout the year.