Students will use Scratch to code an instrument of their choice to play “Happy Birthday” Instrument Tutorial

• Students will first need to choose an instrument, and write out a set of instructions of how to play Happy Birthday. For example, the first notes are G-G-A-G-C-B. So your first instruction will be to play those notes.

• This will then need to be broken down - students can be prompted with questions like “How long does each note last for?” “Do all of these notes get played at the same time?” This will prompt students to think of instructions more sequentially; Play G for one quarter note, Play G for one quarter note, Play A for one Quarter note etc

• Students who can successfully code their song on one instrument by now coordinating their code and adding percussion or a harmonizing instrument.

• -EXTENSION; Students can turn this into an animated birthday card by adding various animated sprites, and text animations that synchronize with the musical notes.

• iPad/iPhone/iOS exclusive lesson; Garageband Beat Sequencer

• Students will learn how to use the Garageband app to effectively programme any variety of drum patterns and sequences to create original music. This can also be extended to students programming a plethora of artificial instrumentation to write music. Full lesson plan in link above

• Using Microbits to track the soil moisture of your plants

• Make a soil moisture sensor

• Code your moisture meter using a pot of dry dirt and wet dirt

• Then Experiment!

• Test and record the P0 input values for both very dry dirt and for dirt that is wet.

Mr Kitty Kat

Running both these tasks with existing projects; students will need to see inside the programme, and fix the errors. Complete descriptions of the tasks and the errors presented in the code are in the programme script when kids open the file.

For Mr Kitty Kat students need to identify the issue that the cat has identical instructions/code for moving forwards and backwards, which is why he can only move forwards. To make him move backwards, two new steps need to be added to the backwards direction;

Set rotation style left/right - telling the programme that if the cat is moving left, he is facing left, and vice versa

Point in direction -90 - in the move forward common, the cat is directed to point in direction 90, so to move backwards he needs to be in the opposite, which is -90.

If the rotation style command isn’t set, the cat will move in the right direction, but he will move upside down, as the programme needs to be explicitly told to have him facing that way.

De-Bug Drummer

Running this task with existing projects; students will need to see inside the programme, and fix the errors. Complete descriptions of the tasks and the errors presented in the code are in the programme script when kids open the file.

For De-Bug Drummer students need to identify that the order of the code is incorrect. The command to change “next costume” happens before the repeat command, meaning that the cat isn’t moving back and forth with the repeating drum pattern.

Set rotation style left/right - telling the programme that if the cat is moving left, he is facing left, and vice versa

Point in direction -90 - in the move forward common, the cat is directed to point in direction 90, so to move backwards he needs to be in the opposite, which is -90.

If the rotation style command isn’t set, the cat will move in the right direction, but he will move upside down, as the programme needs to be explicitly told to have him facing that way.

Unplugged Fitness Circuits

This is a unplugged activity where students will design a fitness circuit that other groups will then be able to complete

Getting the sequence right for programming is very important. Students will learn that if any detail is missing then their program won’t runhow it is expected to run and they will need to debug in order for it to work. They will also use a loop to repeat the instructions inside of it, until a certain condition is met (in this case each exercise is completed a certain number of times). A loop can get a lot of instructions to happen with a relatively short program.

Google Earth for directions; have students create a set of directions, and have a partner following their instructions to get from one point to another, anywhere in the globe.

A virtual scavenger hunt on Google Earth would allow students to follow coordinate clues to discover global geography.

How do computers use input and output to get and give the information that they need to solve problems?

Lesson HERE

In this lesson students consider how computers get and give information to the user through inputs and outputs. Students first consider what information they would need to solve a "thinking problem", then use that information to produce a recommendation. They then identify the inputs and outputs to that process.

Afterwards, students consider an app that engages in the same process and determine how that app inputs and outputs information. Last, they consider other types of inputs and outputs that computers can use to help solve problems.

Talk to me

In this lesson sequence that focuses on input devices, students explore the possibilities and new types of functionality enabled by these technologies over time.

Learning map and outcomes:

Computers users need to have the ability to enter data into computers. Various peripheral devices have been created to fulfil this need and this process of invention continues. Students will explore some of the inventions developed over time to meet the need for users and computers to both input and output data.

Binary Images

In this lesson students will learn how information is represented in a way such that a computer can interpret and store it. When learning binary, students will have the opportunity to write code and share it with peers to view as images.

This can then be related back to how computers read a program, translate it to binary, use the information in some way, then reply back in a way humans can understand. For example, when we type a sentence into a document then press "save", a computer translates the sentence into binary, stores the information, then posts a message indicating the document has been stored.

Binary Images with artist

This series of online lessons will have students learning to make images using on and off. It will help reinforce the fact that computers can do a multitude of things with 0s and 1s.

Students will

• Create pictures using unique combinations of on and off

• Identify repeated sequences and break long codes up into smaller chunks that can be looped

• Utilize loops and binary code to recreate provided images

Detailed lesson plans

These lessons cover a variety of core digital and computational skills, particularly focussed on the idea of algorithmic thinking, and building loops.

It begins by unpacking the concept of an algorithm, by having students create a path manually (without their computer). This integrates previous knowledge of a Māori Myth, which is included in the lesson planning for pre-teaching material.

Planting a Seed

In this lesson, students will learn that algorithms are everywhere in our daily lives. For example, it is possible to write an algorithm to plant a seed. Instead of giving vague or over-generalized instructions, students will break down a large activity into smaller and more specific commands. From these commands, students must determine a special sequence of instructions that will allow their classmate to plant a seed.

Discovering the world of Te Ao Māori, using the Ngā Motu expansion of Minecraft.

Students can explore the world of Ngā Motu to develop an extensive glossary of language and concepts in Te Ao and Te Reo Māori (following the extensive lesson plans available here)

The glossary should be encouraged to be presented in a variety of creative ways, such as a documentary, or an animation.

Welcome to Ngā Motu – The Islands. Here your tamariki/students will explore a Māori universe built in Minecraft.

They set out on their adventure from a waka/canoe, having arrived together at two small islands not far off the mainland of Aotearoa. They will interact with whānau from a small hapū/tribe in a pā/fortified village. From the moment they enter this land, students will be prompted to read, listen to and speak Te Reo Māori. Their journey through the realms of Ngā Motu is guided by the accompanying game cards (see External Resources section below).

In realm one, they use Te Reo Māori to explore ideas about their own whānau.

In realm two, students learn more about wider Māori culture – whenua/land and whare/house.

In realm three, they work together to build a land – their own tūrangawaewae/place to stand.

In realm four, they learn how their relationships with tuakana and teina are similar to the relationships they have with Digital Technology.

In realm five, they learn how Digital Technology helps them to work smarter and faster.

As they work with each other in Ngā Motu and overcome wero/challenges, students open themselves to new ideas and possibilities. It empowers both Māori and non-Māori students to celebrate the unique Māori culture and the beauty of Aotearoa. Te Reo Māori is framed by the cultural context of the world of Ngā Motu. Students also learn collaboration and interpersonal communication skills, along with the STEM subjects. It’s an immersive experience grounded soundly in the New Zealand curriculum.

Fornite Creative - The GOAT Islands Lesson and Unit Plan

Using Fortnite Creative to get students exploring the concepts of building sustainable environments.

• Using Fortnite Creative for beginners

• Using Fortnite Creative to build the Seven Wonders of the World (This serves as a good exemplar of how fortnite creative can be used)

Allow students to host a game of Fortnite/Battle Royale once they have successfully completed tasks - this serves as a great incentive for kids who might think the teacher utilising the platform is a bit “cringy” (which seems to be common for students y7/8+)

• Teaching with Fortnite Creative course for teachers!

Book analysis with AI techniques

This learning sequence explores text analysis through Natural Language Processing, a significant application of Artificial Intelligence. Teachers and students are led through a series of video tutorials to develop a Python program that can break down and analyse the content of a complete text and use smart sentiment analysis to attempt to determine the villain(s) and hero(s).

Eco- Calculator

Students will make a paper prototype of an eco-calculator to demonstrate human impact on the environment and suggest changes in behaviour. This is an unplugged learning sequence with opportunities to extend learning through the development of a Scratch quiz.

Students will pretend to flow through the internet while learning about connections, URLs, IP Addresses, and DNS in this exploratory lesson.

This lesson has several new and important words:

• IP Address - A number assigned to any item that is connected to the Internet

• DNS (Domain Name Service) - The service that translates URLs to IP addresses

• URL (Universal Resource Locator) - An easy-to-remember address for calling a web page (like www.code.org)

• Internet - A group of computers and servers that are connected to each other

• Servers - Computers that exist only to provide things to others

• Fiber Optic Cable - A connection that uses light to transmit information

• Wi-Fi - A wireless method of sending information using radio waves

• DSL/Cable - A method of sending information using telephone or television cables

• Packets - Small chunks of information that have been carefully formed from larger chunks of information

STEM activities, games and lesson plans by NASA

Try these fun activities that introduce technologies being tested for use on space missions in the future. Robot-related activities include:

-- Toy Asteroid Nanorover

-- Robot Puzzle

-- See Why Two Eyes Beat One

Rover Races

Students experience some of the challenges of "tele-operating" a robotic vehicle on another planet when they design and execute a series of commands to guide a human "rover" through a simulated Martian surface.

Lesson Plan

Engineers and scientists tested the FIDO rover in the Mojave Desert. The rover drivers worked out of a trailer without watching the rovers. In similar fashion, in this activity students drive a remote-controlled car through a course to learn the challenges faced while trying to operate a planetary rover. They use measurement, geometry and problem-solving skills to move through the course.

Remote control cars or similar needed for this - Spheros would suit this well!

Design apps that work to solve problems in the community.

App Design Thinking Process gives a human-centered solution-based approach to identifying and solving problems. It’s the process of ideating and validating your concept whilst building it to the highest standard using a process that keeps everything watertight.

Follow the design thinking process HERE and create your own app

Students understand and explore the idea of Creative Commons and Basic Copyright Laws;

• Discuss why copyright laws exist as a class and how they benefit artists/creators/inventors etc

• Have students explore and create a database of Royalty Free Images/Videos/Content;

Music

Images

Videos

Have students create a music video/documentary/short film piece using exclusively royalty free content - this can be sourced from an accredited royalty free site as in the links above, and can be music, imagery or footage that has been created by the student as the student then holds the free creative licence!

Digital Sharing - This is a good lesson for the start of a year when students are unpacking their digital classroom agreements and exploring how to use their devices responsibly and respectfully. Younger students can unpack this on a surface level, while older students can be unpacking it on a legal and more complex level.

Students will soon be creating projects to share and most of these projects will contain either code or imagery that students did not create themselves. This lesson is here to show students the proper way to handle the use of content that is not their own.