OVERVIEW

Activity Overview:

Students will program a Micro:bit and as a species counter, and to log the data that is collected. Then they will analyze the data collected and work to identify factors that may affect the data - eg time of day, time of year, weather conditions.

Meta description

• Subject Area: Computer Science, Science
• Grade Level : 6-8
• Computer Science Domains:
  • Data Analysis, Algorithms and Programming
• Computer Science Principles:
  • Collaborating Around Computing, Recognizing and Defining Computational Problems, Creating Computational Artifacts, Testing and Refining Computational Artifacts
• Materials:
  • Micro:bit
• Considerations:
  • It will be necessary to have a place to observe birds. Schedule a timeframe when you know that birds are in the area (eg Winter may not yield too many observations).

Lesson Plan

Overview

Students will program a Micro:bit and as a species counter, and to log the data that is collected. Then they will analyze the data collected and work to identify factors that may affect the data - eg time of day, time of year, weather conditions.

ASSESSMENT PRE/POST-TEST

What is the most prevalent bird species in Douglas during the month of ___________. What factors affect observation of birds in the area?

OBJECTIVES

Program the Micro:bit to collect data. Access the data stored on the device. Analyze the data and make inferences that can be supported by the data collected.

CATCH/HOOK

Play the song of the Yellow Warbler, a common bird near the school.

ACTIVITY INSTRUCTIONS

See attached document for detailed activity plans.

Supplements

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REVIEW

Students will share their data to a shared spreadsheet where the class will work in groups to note larger trends, as well as similarities and differences.

STANDARDS