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  1. What is a Computer?
  2. Executing a Plan
  3. Practicing Flexibility
  4. Completing a System

  1. Buttons & Breadboards
  2. Basic Inputs & Outputs
  3. Polarity & Audio Output
  4. Parallel Circuits

  1. Intro to Computational Thinking
  2. Loops & Sequences
  3. Events
  4. Programming with Lights & Sounds
  5. Completing Additional PiperCode Projects

  1. Extend in Storymode
  2. Design a Bot & Make Music
  3. Redesign a Stoplight
  4. Engineering Design with Piper

  1. Take Apart and Reflection
  2. Computers in Everyday Life
  3. The Environmental Impact of Computers
  4. Final Design Challenge

  1. What is Color?
  2. How Do We See Color?
  3. How Does the Color Sensor Detect Color?
  4. RGB in Computing

  1. The Water Cycle
  2. What is Temperature?
  3. What Are the States of Matter?
  4. Phase Changes

  1. Motion Introduction
  2. How Do Waves Help Us Understand Patterns?
  3. Creating Devices That Use Data
  4. Graphing Motion

  1. What is Energy?
  2. The Energy Behind Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

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Phase 4

Lesson 4.4

Phase 4: Lesson 4.4

Engineering Design with Piper


45 - 60 mins

Grades 3 - 8
INTRODUCTION
The goal of this lesson is to empower students to begin elaborating on their first stages of learning in engineering, computer literacy, design, coding, and programming. Students are challenged to design and create their own solution to a real-world challenge and explore making.

  Print Educator Guide   Lesson Slides    Assessments    Support
GETTING STARTED Lesson Materials Learning Objectives Lesson Preperation
5E INSTRUCTIONS Engage Explore Explain Elaborate Evaluate
Phase Resources Career Connections Graphic Organizer Term Glossary Standards Alignment
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GETTING STARTED

Lesson Materials


Piper Computer Kit

Learning Objectives

The goal of this phase is to empower students to begin elaborating on their first stages of learning in engineering, computer literacy, design, coding, and programming. Students are challenged to design and create their own solution to a real-world challenge and explore making.
Students will:
  1. Explore and then explain the role of empathy in user-centered engineering and game design.
  2. Use Creative Mode to design and test games and controllers.
  3. Describe a maker and/or growth mindset and how it is essential to DIY projects like a Piper Computer Kit.
  4. Generate and compare multiple solutions to solve a real-world problem using Piper.
  5. Understand and explore the engineering design cycle.
  6. Generate and compare multiple possible solutions to a problem based on how well each is likely to meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.
  7. Build games and controllers in PiperCode to (a) create games and other physical computing projects, and (b) practice computational and design thinking.
  8. Bring awareness of coding in other languages, such as Python.

Lesson Preperation

  • Suggested student-to-Piper Computer Kit ratio is 2:1 up to 3:1. Students form new teams or are in the same teams as before.
  • Make sure Piper Computers are built, functioning, and batteries are charged for the Raspberry Pi.
  • Retrieve student team storage boxes with Piper build components.
  • Provide storage devices to teams to hold electronics - such as paper plate, paper cup, or plastic box.
  • Plan how much time is left for students to work on their project.
  • Need help getting started facilitating open-ended project-based learning through making? Check out the resources through Maker: Ed.
PIPER 5E INSTRUCTIONAL MODEL

Engage

Teacher Led Discussion (5 Minutes)
  1. What does it take to be an engineer? Engineers are problem solvers. Are you a problem solver? How do you know?
  2. Have you heard of the Maker movement? What do you know about it? Did you know that a lot of Makers use a Raspberry Pi to control what they make? What do we have in our Piper Computers? (a Raspberry Pi microcomputer).
  3. We have built a Piper Computer and we know how to create Blockly code and how to create circuits with buttons, sounds, and lights. Could we use this knowledge to solve a real problem? What kinds of problems could we solve? Write suggestions on the board. Students can record their responses on the Phase 4 Graphic Organizer.
Examples:
  • Solve a problem in the classroom
  • Solve a problem for the school or another class
  • Solve a problem for an elderly person
  • Solve a problem for a disabled person
  • (Optional) Have the students re-write the Maker Movement Manifesto (Mark Hatch) in their own words and post on the wall.

Explore

Activity (90% of class time)

This activity is student led project based learning!

  1. Need help setting up your learners to go deeper with facilitating open-ended project-based learning through design thinking and challenge-based learning? Check out the resources through Digital Promise’s Maker Promise Leadership initiative: Digital Promise Maker Promise Leadership.
  2. Split students into teams based on student interest or form teams with one who is good at coding, one who is good at electronics, and one who is good at art and design.
  3. Go through the engineering design process. Students can record the process in the Phase 4 Visual Organizer.
  4. Use 4.4 SLIDES to guide students.
  5. Have students create a new project portfolio or maker journal to document their progress through the engineering design process.
  6. Describe the brainstorming process. (Post-it notes are a good tool to use for brainstorming.) Guide students to brainstorm a project to create where the parts in the Piper Computer Kit can be used to solve a real-world problem.
  7. Remind the learners of the best practices of an engineer, especially around being safe, creative, persistent, etc.
  8. Emphasize constraints of time and materials and have students create a plan which demonstrates they understand these. Each day they need to review the constraints and explain where they are in the completion of their project.

Explain

Sharing Out Ideas (10 Minutes)

Before the learners dive into creating prototypes, have them pause and share out their initial designs to the whole group.

*Facilitating and guiding learners through documentation and reflection of these personal projects helps reinforce computer science learning around determining potential solutions to solve simple hardware and software problems using common troubleshooting strategies, as well as the practices of creating, testing, and refining computational artifacts, after developing and using abstractions (CA CS 3-5.CS.3 P6.2; P4 through 6)

Elaborate

Creating a Professional Portfolio (10 Minutes)
  • Have the students create a new project portfolio or provide a maker journal project template to track progress of their project. Use a grading rubric to evaluate the projects.
  • (Optional) Bring in a panel of 3 to 5 people to evaluate and provide feedback on the projects.

Evaluate

Reflection (5 Minutes)

Learners can visit the Piper Community page and review examples of project-based learning experiences they can explore in the above lesson. This may be a useful resources if students need help brainstorming what else can be done with their Piper. The projects listed are more advanced projects which use Python Code instead of Blockly. Students should be encouraged to go back to previous simple PiperCode projects to compare Python and Blockly. Also note that some of the projects in the website require purchasing arts & crafts or other Raspberry Pi additions or other digital fabrication tools.

PHASE RESOURCES

Career Connections

Civil Engineer: Salary $88,050/yr
Fashion Designer: Salary $76,700/yr
Advertising Executive: Salary $131,870/yr
Sound Engineer: Salary $59,430/yr

Graphic Organizer

Phase 4 DOWNLOAD

Term Glossary


Prototype A model you build to test and improve your ideas before making the final version. It helps you see if your design works as expected and make changes if needed.

Feedback The information or opinions you get about how well something is working or how it can be improved.

Portfolio A collection of your work and projects that shows what you’ve done and what you can do.

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Standards Alignment


We are excited to be aligned with the following standards.


Concepts Standards

Computing Systems: Devices

CA 3-5.CS.1 Describe how computing devices connect to other components to form a system. (P7.2)

6-8.CS.1 Design modifications to computing devices in order to improve the ways users interact with the devices. (P1.2, P3.3)

6-8.CS.2 Design a project that combines hardware and software components to collect and exchange data. (P5.1)

Computing Systems: Hardware & Software

CA 3-5.CS.2 Demonstrate how computer hardware and software work together as a system to accomplish tasks. (P4.4)

6-8.CS.2 Design projects that combine hardware and software components to collect and exchange data. (P5.1)

Computing Systems: Troubleshooting

3-5.CS.3 Determine potential solutions to solve simple hardware and software problems using common troubleshooting strategies. (P6.2)

6-8.CS.3 Systematically apply troubleshooting strategies to identify and resolve hardware and software problems in computing systems. (P6.2)

Algorithms & Programming:

Algorithms

Variables

Control

Modularity

Program Development

3-5.AP.10 Compare and refine multiple algorithms for the same task and determine which is the most appropriate. (P3.3, P6.3) (Sensor Explorer lessons)
3-5.AP.11 Create programs that use variables to store and modify data. (P5.2)

3-5.AP.12 Create programs that include events, loops, and conditionals.

3-5.AP.13 Decompose problems into smaller, manageable tasks which may themselves be decomposed. (P3.2)

3-5.AP.14 Create programs by incorporating smaller portions of existing programs, to develop something new or add more advanced features. (P4.2, P5.3)

3-5.AP.17 Test and debug a program or algorithm to ensure it accomplishes the intended task. (P6.2)

3-5.AP.18 Perform different roles when collaborating with peers during the design, implementation, and review stages of program development.

6-8.AP.10 Use flowcharts and/or pseudocode to design and illustrate algorithms that solve complex problems. (P4.1, P4.4)

6-8.AP.11 Create clearly named variables that store data, and perform operations on their contents. (P5.1, P5.2)

6-8.AP.13 Decompose problems and subproblems into parts to facilitate the design, implementation, and review of programs. (P3.2)

6-8.AP.14 Create procedures with parameters to organize code and make it easier to reuse. (P4.1, P4.3)

6-8.AP.15 Seek and incorporate feedback from team members and users to refine a solution that meets user needs. (P1.1, P2.3)

6-8.AP.17 Systematically test and refine programs using a range of test cases. (P6.1)

6-8.AP.19 Document programs in order to make them easier to use, read, test, and debug. (P7.2)

Impacts of Computing Culture

3-5.IC.20 Discuss computing technologies that have changed the world, and express how those technologies influence, and are influenced by, cultural practices. (P3.1)

6-8.IC.20 Compare tradeoffs associated with computing technologies that affect people's everyday activities and career options. (P7.2)

6-8.IC.21 Discuss issues of bias and accessibility in the design of existing technologies. (P1.2)

Practices

P1. Fostering an Inclusive Computing Culture

P2. Collaborating Around Computing

P4. Developing and Using Abstractions

P5. Creating Computational Artifacts

P6. Testing and Refining Computational Artifacts

Data and Analysis

3-5.AP.10 Compare and refine multiple algorithms for the same task and determine which is the most appropriate. (P3.3, P6.3) (Sensor Explorer)


Concept Standard

Make observations to provide evidence that energy can be transferred from place to place by sound, light, heat, and electric currents.

(4-PS3-2) &(4-PS4-2)

Apply scientific ideas to design, test, and refine a device that converts energy from one form to another.

(4-PS3-4)

Generate and compare multiple solutions that use patterns to transfer information.

(4-PS4-3)

Generate and compare multiple possible solutions to a problem based on how well each is likely to meet the criteria and constraints of the problem (Performance Expectation).

3–5-ETS1-2

Plan and carry out fair tests in which variables are controlled and failure points are considered to identify aspects of a model or prototype that can be improved. (P.E.3.4.7)

3–5-ETS1-3

Integrate qualitative scientific and technical information to support the claim that digitized signals are a more reliable way to encode and transmit information than analog signals.

(MS-PS4-3)

Digitized signals (sent as wave pulses) are a more reliable way to encode and transmit information (inputs and outputs).

(MS-PS4-3)

Evaluate competing design solutions using a systematic process to determine how well they meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.

MS-ETS1-2

Optimizing the Design Solution Different solutions need to be tested in order to determine which of them best solves the problem, given the criteria and the constraints.

MS-ETS1.C.



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