OVERVIEW

Activity Overview:

This lesson will probably take one block day, or 85-minute class. It will be a hands-on activity filled class that involves looking at different compasses, using a few different ones, and building their own on a micro bit. The lesson will look at how revolutionary a technology it was when it was invented, and how it has evolved over the years and the role it plays today.

Meta description

• Subject Area: Computer Science, Social Studies
• Grade Level : 6-8
• Computer Science Domains:
  • Computing Systems
• Computer Science Principles:
  • Fostering an Inclusive Computing Culture
• Materials:
  • Micro:bit
• Considerations:
  • I talked with our STEM teacher to see how he incorporates using micro bits in his classes and how it is best to teach/instruct the kids on how to use them.

Lesson Plan

Overview

This lesson will probably take one block day, or 85-minute class. It will be a hands-on activity filled class that involves looking at different compasses, using a few different ones, and building their own on a micro bit. The lesson will look at how revolutionary a technology it was when it was invented, and how it has evolved over the years and the role it plays today.

ASSESSMENT PRE/POST-TEST

The students will be asked to label a compass rose with cardinal and intermediate directions. They will then be asked to explain how a compass works and why it is an important technological advancement.

OBJECTIVES

1. By the end of this lesson, students will be able to create a compass on a Micro Bit and use it to navigate the cardinal directions around the classroom to find different items/locations.
2. The student will be able to see how the invention of the compass in China helped advance the human race and will be able to see how it enables people to move around the world more accurately.

CATCH/HOOK

This lesson would start with the attention grabber and that would be placing a compass in front of each student and having them figure out which direction North is in the classroom. After they got a feel for North, we would locate the other cardinal directions – East, South, and West.

ACTIVITY INSTRUCTIONS

1.    This lesson would start with the attention grabber and that would be placing a compass in front of each student and having them figure out which direction North is in the classroom.
   

2.    After they got a feel for North, we would locate the other cardinal directions – East, South, and West.  
   

3.    Once they had a feel for the compass and the cardinal directions, we would move onto the history aspect of this lesson and do the pre-test questions.
   

4.    After assessing the students basic understanding and knowledge of what a compass is, what it was/is used for, and its impact on civilizations, we could move onto who invented it and how it works.
   

5.    The students would have a basic compass in front of them, we would then watch a video that shows how to make a basic compass with cork and a needle.  
   

6.    After that we would look at a compass on their phones to compare that compass to the others and look at the evolution of the compass and the positive and negative changes they can see from more advanced compasses.
   

7.    The final learning piece in this lesson would be to create their own basic compass on a micro bit.  This would allow them to incorporate technology and computer science into social studies and make connections about how we are constantly evolving.
   

8.    The final activity would be to have 3 little scavenger hunts using the first compass, the one on their phones, and then the one they created on their micro bits.  They would then get to compare them and come up with a list of pros and cons for all three before moving onto the post-test.
   

Supplements

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REVIEW

The final activity would be to have 3 little scavenger hunts using the first compass, the one on their phones, and then the one they created on their micro bits. They would then get to compare them and come up with a list of pros and cons for all three before moving onto the post-test.

STANDARDS