Third Grade Class Unboxes Sphero Bolts Donated to Class

Thanks to generous donations from the community, one Ste. Genevieve Elementary third grade class was in for a surprise the first full week of school when co-teachers Tiffany Wolk and Whitney Hilbert unboxed a set of five programmable, app-enabled robots called Sphero Bolts.

The funds were raised through Donors Choose, a nonprofit organization that allows individuals to donate directly to public school classroom projects. The entire project cost $736. 

“We chose the Sphero Bolt robots as our project, because our classroom to help our students become coders, thinkers, problem solvers, while offering a lesson that interests them,” teacher Tiffany Wolk said. “We want them to truly discover a love of learning.” 

The students will use the Sphero robots in small groups during Genius Hour, a time of the day for inquiry-based student directed learning. The group learning helps students collaborate with peers to problem solve, improve their social interactions and aid in the development of oral communication. 

“Our goal is to have the students take charge of their learning and work to make authentic connections that will take them from the classroom to the world,” Tiffany Wolk said. “I am beyond thankful for each one of our donors for recognizing how beneficial these robots will be for our students. The possibilities are endless with what our students can achieve.”