Smithtown 5th Graders Learn Robotics

SMITHTOWN, NY — Fifth grade students in the Smithtown Central School District are loving the new Robotics Enrichment Program, according to the district.

The program was piloted last spring by Mills Pond STEM instructional specialist Serena Spata.

"It was important to me that our new enrichment program was the best that it could be for our fifth graders," Spata said in a news release. "I also wanted to be sure that every student across the district had the same wonderful experience. During the pilot, I was able to modify the activities, to
allow for maximum student engagement and excitement. I am grateful that the district recognized the importance of the trial run, as it allowed me to write up detailed plans and to take pictures in order to fully support the instructors of the new program."

The program began this past fall and runs through the spring. Currently, students are working through Autonomous Coding Level II. Students code the robots to move autonomously using color sensors.

Students are learning problem-solving skills, because as Spata told the students, "It’s not the robot doing something wrong, it’s our code."

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