Junkyard Wonders: Engineering Empathy and Imagination Through Coding

Outline

Coding with Compassion: Junkyard Wonders
Engineering Empathy and Imagination Through Coding
“From story to sculpture to code: empowering students to engineer empathy through hands-on creation.”

A. Continuous Presenter Roles (0–90 min; 5 student presenters)
1.Greeter – Welcomes attendees, gives a 30-second overview, and points them to stations.
2. Student Demo Leads (2–3) – Guide attendees through interactive sculptures (recyclables + Scratch + Makey Makey), actively encourage hands-on participation, and explain design iterations and coding choices.
3. Voice Recording Facilitator – Helps attendees record kindness, inspiration, or humor messages for the central sculpture’s audio collage.
4. Picture Book Inspiration Host – Shares curated picture books (Junkyard Wonders, The Lorax, Wonder, A Bad Case of Stripes, Fish in a Tree) and suggests coding or sculpture ideas inspired by their themes.
5. Educator/Resource Host – Educator floats among stations, answers in-depth questions, and distributes QR-coded resources.
6. Role Rotation – Students swap roles every 15–20 minutes to experience multiple responsibilities and prevent crowding.

B. Continuous Engagement Flow (0–90 min)
1. Greeting & Quick Orientation – Greeter introduces the project and empathy-driven design concept, then directs attendees to demos or books.
2. Interactive Demos – Attendees trigger sensors, explore Scratch projects, handle sculptures, and talk directly with students about design challenges and coding iterations.
3. Voice Recording – Attendees add their own uplifting messages to the sculpture. Preloaded student recordings demonstrate the feature.
4. Picture Book Inspiration Station – Attendees browse picture books and discuss with hosts how literary themes could inspire coding projects or recycled-material sculptures.
5. Flexible Interaction – Attendees come and go; presenters adjust conversations ad hoc.
6. Rotation – Students quietly change roles every 15–20 minutes for variety and smoother flow.

C. Engagement Tactics
1. Hands-On Participation: Demo Leads invite attendees to press sensors, test Scratch projects, and safely handle interactive components.
2. Student Voice Front and Center: Multiple students rotate roles to present, greet, and guide recording interactions.
3. Literature Connection: Picture Book station sparks brainstorming of coding and sculpture ideas inspired by book themes (Junkyard Wonders, The Lorax, Wonder, A Bad Case of Stripes, Fish in a Tree).
4. Community-Building Artifact: The evolving sculpture captures attendee and student voices, fostering an inclusive, dynamic dialogue throughout the session.

Outcomes

After this session, participants will be able to:

Design a cross-curricular activity that uses a book’s theme—such as Junkyard Wonders—to integrate recycled-material engineering and Scratch/Makey Makey coding, fostering empathy-driven design and creative problem-solving.

Apply strategies for cultivating belonging and amplifying student voice through teamwork, role rotation, and community participation.

Replicate or adapt the framework—including planning resources, build/coding steps, and showcase ideas—to engage diverse learners and create interactive projects that invite authentic community dialogue.

Supporting research

Books & Literature:
1. Polacco, Patricia. Junkyard Wonders. (Picture book inspiration; celebrates belonging, empathy, and hidden strengths.)

2. Palacio, R.J. Wonder. (Novel promoting kindness and empathy; reinforces your theme of compassion in learning.)

3. Fullan, Michael & Quinn, Joanne. Deep Learning: Engage the World, Change the World. (Framework for authentic, student-centered, and transformative learning.)

Websites & Articles:
4. International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Standards for Students – https://www.iste.org/standards/students
(Defines competencies for empowered learning and global collaboration.)

5. Makey Makey Educator Resources – https://makeymakey.com/pages/how-to
(Hands-on circuits enabling students to turn everyday objects into interactive creations.)

6. Scratch Foundation –https://www.scratchfoundation.org/impact
(Evidence showing Scratch fosters creativity, collaboration, and computational thinking.)

7. PBLWorks – What Is Project Based Learning? – https://www.pblworks.org/what-is-pbl
(Explains how PBL builds critical thinking, collaboration, and real-world problem-solving.)

8. Harvard Graduate School of Education – Project Zero: Agency by Design – https://pz.harvard.edu/projects/agency-by-design
(Maker-centered learning framework emphasizing perspective-taking and material exploration.)

Recognized Experts & Maker Movement:
9. Beers, Kylene & Probst, Robert E. Disrupting Thinking: Why How We Read Matters. (Connects literature to empathy, critical thinking, and real-world relevance.)

10. Martinez, Sylvia & Stager, Gary. Invent to Learn: Making, Tinkering, and Engineering in the Classroom. (Maker movement classic advocating student-driven, hands-on projects with recyclables and coding.)