Unlock your students potential with these 6 free Lesson Plans for ZIP Halo for the BBC microbit. Written by a Teacher for Teachers. These resources are classroom ready and designed specifically to help you deliver the curriculum at Key Stage 3, but they can also be used by anyone who wants to learn how to use the addressable LEDs of the ZIP Halo.
Devising quality resources for Teachers has always been a key part of the Kitronik product development cycle. Because the curriculum can be a complicated animal, it has also been our policy to regularly seek advice from Teachers.
This time we’ve gone a step further, we worked directly with a Teacher to deliver lesson plans that are ready to take straight to the classroom. All of the lessons were written by Lorraine Underwood (@LMcUnderwood ) and formatted by Kitronik. We think this is a fantastic set of resources.
For Each Lesson, Pairs Of Students Will Need:
- A computer/laptop with a USB port and Internet access
- MakeCode Editor; App, or online.
- ZIP Halo for BBC micro:bit.
- 3 x AAA batteries.
- A micro USB cable.
- Pen & Paper.
6 Lesson Plans For ZIP Halo For BBC microbit:
We have provided these lesson plans as a free resource. The download is a .zip file that contains the 6 lesson plans. The lessons include curriculum mapping, practical challenges, and also linked PowerPoint presentations. There is a brief overview of each lesson plan below, for more details please download the attachment and refer to the lesson plans themselves.
Lesson 1 - Getting Started With The Halo:
This is an introductory lesson for students in Key Stage 3 to the ZIP Halo. The lesson involves a discussion about colours through light and how we make different colours. Students will create their own animations using RGB codes. They will code the microbit mounted onto the ZIP Halo, learning how to use two different types of loops. The recommended ratio of students to Halo: 2:1.
Lesson 2 - Creating a compass:
This is the second lesson in a series of lessons for students in Key Stage 3 to the ZIP Halo. The lesson involves creating algorithms to display the direction on the microbit screen the in lights on the Halo. Students will learn how to make their code more efficient and how to use a “For Loop” in a real program. The recommended ratio of students to Halo: 2:1.
Lesson 3 - Coding A Spirit Level:
This lesson is the third lesson in a series of lessons for students in key stage 3 to the Zip Halo. The lesson involves the students creating a spirit level using the microbits accelerometer. They will create a yes/no system at first then evolve into a moving circle of lights that changes as you tilt towards the light. The students will create algorithms, spot patterns, improve their algorithms, create code and bug spot the code. They use if/else statement, variables and for loops. The recommended ratio of students to Halo: 2:1.
Lesson 4 - Coding A Temperature Sensor:
This lesson is the fourth lesson in a series of lessons for students in key stage 3 to the ZIP Halo. The lesson involves the students creating a temperature sensor using the microbit and the Halo. They will create a simple temperature sensor to detect if the room is too hot, too cold or just right using all of the lights on the Halo. Then they will create a more sophisticated 24-hour temperature sensor. The students will create algorithms, spot patterns, improve their algorithms, create code and bug spot the code. They use if/else statement, variables, for loops and arrays. The recommended ratio of students to Halo: 2:1.
Lesson 5 - Coding A Game:
This lesson is the fifth lesson in a series of lessons for students in key stage 3 to the ZIP Halo. The lesson involves the students creating a game using the microbit and the Halo. This lesson gives them (reminds them of!) the tools they need to create the game. They go through for loops, if/else statements and new for this lesson: random blocks and functions. They will start to plan their game in an algorithm. The recommended ratio of students to Halo: 2:1.
Lesson 6 - Coding A Game (Part 2):
This lesson is the sixth and final lesson in a series of lessons for students in key stage 3 to the Zip Halo for BBC micro:bit. The lesson involves the students creating a game using the microbit and the Halo. This lesson gives them the opportunity to ask questions as they create the game. It can be a very hands-off lesson, letting the students use their skills/notes to create the game. The recommended ratio of students to Halo: 2:1.
In conclusion, we would like to thank Lorraine Underwood for working with us to produce these lesson plans. In addition, we would also like to mention that we have other sets of lesson plans completed that were also produced with Lorraine, so keep an eye out for those and we hope that you find them a useful addition to your KS3 classroom activities for the year.
- You can keep up to date with Lorraine’s activities on Twitter @LMcUnderwood.
- For more classroom coding inspiration, check out these Kitronik University microbit resources.