Students in Pre-K - Grade 6 at Richfield Springs Central School District engaged in collaborative robotics learning experiences led by the school librarian in partnership with MORIC Model Schools Team. For younger students in Pre-K through Grade 2, instruction centered on the Sphero Indi robot, a screen-free coding tool that used color-based sequencing and familiar real-world connections, such as traffic signals, to introduce foundational coding concepts. Through guided storytelling, simulations, and hands-on challenges, students developed early skills in sequencing, cause-and-effect, problem-solving, and debugging while reinforcing math concepts like patterns and spatial reasoning. Students in Grades 3–6 advanced their learning using Sphero Mini robots and the Sphero Edu app, applying block coding to program precise movements around geometric shapes. These lessons emphasized accuracy, calculation, and iterative testing, with older students exploring angles, speed, and the relationship between control and outcomes. Across all grade levels, the program fostered collaboration, perseverance, and creativity while integrating literacy, mathematics, and computational thinking in developmentally appropriate and engaging ways.
