OVERVIEW

Activity Overview:

This lesson will teach 5th & 6th grade elementary students how to program and use a microbit. Learners will be able to use basic program commands to make the microbit display names, banners, and numbers. Learners will also be able to program simple programs, then download it to the microbit.

Meta description

• Subject Area: Computer Science
• Grade Level : 3-5, 6-8
• Computer Science Domains:
  • Computing Systems, Algorithms and Programming
• Computer Science Principles:
  • Collaborating Around Computing, Creating Computational Artifacts
• Materials:
  • Micro:bit
• Considerations:
  • This is a fun CS activity which helps students with problem solving and team building.

Lesson Plan

Overview

This lesson will teach 5th & 6th grade elementary students how to program and use a microbit. Learners will be able to use basic program commands to make the microbit display names, banners, and numbers. Learners will also be able to program simple programs, then download it to the microbit.

ASSESSMENT PRE/POST-TEST

What are the steps to programming a banner with you name on the microbit?

What is a microbit and it’s uses?

OBJECTIVES

Learn the components and program a microbit.

CATCH/HOOK

Create a scrolling electronic banner on a microbit!

ACTIVITY INSTRUCTIONS

Steps:

Activity 1:

*Plug the included usb cable into the back of the microbit; the other end of the usb plugs into the USB port of the PC or Chromebook.

*On the PC or Chromebook type in the website https://makecode.microbit.org/v0.

*Click on Basic on the menu. Find the On Start icon and drag it to the box on the right. Find the Show Number icon and drag it to the box on the right.

*Click on Loop on the menu. Find the For Index icon and drag it to the box on the right.

*Drag the For Index icon into the On Start Icon. Type the number range from 0 to 8 in the For Index icon.

*Drag the show number icon into the For Index icon. Then drag the Index icon into the Show Number icon.

*This will complete the programming and the numbers 0 thru 8 will be cycling in the display box.

*Click on the Download button.

*Go to Files - Downloads on the PC.

*Drag the microbit hex file onto the microbit device on the left of the File Manager.

*The microbit attached to the PC will display 0 thru 8 on the screen.

Activity 2:

*Plug the included usb cable into the back of the microbit; the other end of the usb plugs into the USB port of the PC or Chromebook.

*On the PC or Chromebook type in the website https://makecode.microbit.org/v0.

*Click on Basic on the menu. Find the On Start icon and drag it to the box on the right. Find the Show String icon and drag it to the box on the right.

*Drag the Show String icon into the On Start Icon. Type “your name” in the box, next to Hello!.

*This will complete the programming and the name will be cycling in the display box.

*Click on the Download button.

• The Hello! My name is … will scroll on the microbit screen.

Supplements

Any items in this section are the property & under the license of their respective owners.

REVIEW

Discuss with the students what they learned about the microbit and the applications. What problems did they encounter programming the microbit and how did they over come those obstacles.

STANDARDS