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LAWRENCE, NEW YORK (NOVEMBER  2022)—Lawrence Primary School partnered with the Peninsula Public Library to teach students all about coding. Pat Murphy, Peninsula Library Children’s Librarian, brought in assortments of robots for the students to practice with. Botley and Dash are straightforward and user-friendly coding robots targeted at young learners, teaching them creative problem-solving and computational skills.

“During our STEAM lessons, our third-grade students had the opportunity to practice their coding skills by working together to code and program the robots, set up mazes, and send the robots spinning across the tables,” said Tracy Boerum, Lawrence Primary School Makerspace and STEAM teacher. These types of fun and engaging activities, many of which are made possible through our partnership with Peninsula Library, are what stimulate our students, enriching the learning experience.”

During their lessons, students watched their virtual coding turn into tangible learning experiences in real-time as Botley and Dash interacted with and responded to their surroundings based on the students’ coding. “Introducing our young learners to STEAM early on promotes their academic growth,” said Kristen McLoughlin, Principal of Lawrence Primary School. “It promotes the development of critical- thinking and reasoning skills. These real-life are vital for success as our students move through their elementary and secondary school years and on to college, trade school, or the workforce.”

For more information about the Lawrence Union Free School District and the latest District news please visit www.lawrence.org. #LawrenceSTRONG

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Photos 1: Lawrence Primary School student, Annabella Romero, learning to code with Botley and Dash coding robots during her STEAM lesson Photo 2: Lawrence Primary School students learning to code with Botley and Dash during their STEAM lesson Photo 3: Lawrence Primary School students, (left to right) Kelis Ramsey, Jackeline Galindo-Sierra, and Genesis Proano learning to code with Botley and Dash during their STEAM lesson Photo 4: Lawrence Primary School students with Pat Murphy learning to code during their STEAM lesson Photo 5: Lawrence Primary Schools students, (left to right) Kashe-Logan Clarke, Elian Barillas Melgar, and Maxwell Reyes Rodas learning how to code during their STEAM lesson