Close menu

Resources


PIPER COMPUTER

Everything you need to teach STEAM effectivly using the Piper Computer Kit.

Educator Guides StoryMode Project Guides PiperCode Project Guides
PIPER MAKE

Teach fundamental STEM skills while providing a bridge to career connected learning.

Educator Guides
Best Practices Standards Glossary FAQ Educator Forum

EDUCATOR PORTAL

Close menu

ALL GUIDES


  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

PIPER COMPUTER

EDUCATOR GUIDES

All Guides
YOU ARE HERE

Phase 5

Lesson 5.1

Phase 5: Lesson 5.1

Take Apart and Reflection


45 - 60 mins

Grades 3 - 8
INTRODUCTION

Throughout the Piper learning experience, students have explored the basic concepts of electronics and coding as well as extended their understanding and applied it to engineering design.

To conclude the Piper learning experience, students can work together to disassemble their Piper Computers using the blueprint and inventory checklist, reflect on their learning, and understand the context of computers in the world around them.

Their final lesson in the Piper Curriculum is to redesign the kit based on what they have learned in the prior phases as well as the environmental impacts, daily use, and design thinking principles they have just learned.

In this lesson, students will collaborate to deconstruct their Piper Computer Kits, take inventory, and reflect on their experiences learning with Piper. Students will revisit concepts from Phase 1 to evaluate how much they now know about computing systems and their components.

  Print Educator Guide    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
Back to Top
GETTING STARTED

Lesson Materials


Piper Computer Kit
Piper Computer Kit Blueprint
Download Blueprint

Learning Objectives

Students have now explored and learned many basic concepts of computers, electronics and coding. In this lesson, students learn to take apart their Piper Computers, evaluate their efforts, collaborate and reflect on their learning.
Students will:
  1. Reflect on a good maker mindset, including recycling, reusing, and conserving resources.
  2. Practice and reflect upon techniques for IT troubleshooting.
  3. Design and implement organizational systems.
  4. Classify parts by shape and function for reuse.
  5. Learn to think like an engineer who prototypes ideas, tests, then reflects on challenges and opportunities.
  6. Practice communication and teamwork skills in constructive critique, iterative feedback loops for better designs, and personal reflection.

Lesson Preperation

  • Suggested student-to-Piper Computer ratio is 2:1 up to 3:1. Assign students into groups of 2 or 3.
  • Share the Graphic Organizer with students.
  • Project or share slides
PIPER 5E INSTRUCTIONAL MODEL

Engage

Introduction (10-20 minutes)
  • Have students draw on a sheet of paper what they think the components of a computer are after building and playing with Piper.Pair share with a partner.Then call on a few teams to share out.
  • Unless there is something else planned for your class, give students free time or have students share some of their reflection points.
  • Address misconceptions from the previous lesson and announce that today they will be taking apart the kits and evaluating their work on the unit.
*These checks for understanding help reinforce AGAIN all the learning of computer science skills from the earlier phases, but add a new layer of teamwork and troubleshooting, especially if you give the learners time constraints and make them work in teams to put the deconstructed Kits away using a plan and organizational scheme they devise themselves!

Explore

Main Activity (45-60 minutes) Instruct the students to disassemble the Piper Computer Kit by following the steps on the Blueprint in reverse order. If they are using a Piper Computer v4 with Blueprint version 2.1.0 or later, they can find a dedicated page in the Blueprint for taking inventory of wooden parts. Ensure they use the Electronic and Mechanical inventory lists to verify all components. The teacher will inspect each group’s work before the parts are returned to the box or storage container.

Make it Better (5 minutes) How would you build a computer differently? Explore the different areas of improvement like process, design, manufacturing, marketing and sales.

Explain

Taking Inventory (5 minutes) Review 5.1 SLIDES - Piper Computer Disassembly. Ask students to look at their Blueprint. They can review and reflect on their own. Have them document best practices as a group.

Elaborate

Storage (5 Minutes) Ask students to brainstorm ways in which the parts can be put back into the storage boxes.

Evaluate

Closing/Reflection Activity (10-15 Minutes)

Reflection Questions:

  1. How did this experience compare to when you were putting it together?
  2. How did you deconstruct a system in taking apart the computer?


During the final reflections, make sure to have them articulate how:
  • Computing devices connect to other components to form a system.
  • Computer hardware and software work together as a system to accomplish tasks.
  • Potential solutions to solve simple hardware and software problems.
  • Performed different roles when collaborating with peers during the design, implementation, and review stages of program development.
PHASE RESOURCES

Career Connections

Economist: Salary $115,730/yr
Pilot: Salary $219,140/yr
Healthcare Professional: Salary $224,640/yr
Database Architect: Salary $134,700/yr

Graphic Organizer

Phase 5 DOWNLOAD

Term Glossary


Deconstruct To take something apart to understand how it works or to see how it’s built.

Breadboard A plastic board with many holes electrically connected by inner metal strips. Components and wires can be electrically connected by plugging them into the holes on the breadboard.

Button A basic electronic component used to momentarily close (connect) a circuit.

View Full Glossary

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)

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 a project that combines 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:

Program Development

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

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.18 Distribute tasks and maintain a project timeline when collaboratively developing computational artifacts. (P2.2, P5.1)

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

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


Concept Standard

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)

Waves and their Applications in Technologies for Information Transfer

Connection to the Nature of Science: Science knowledge is based upon logical and conceptual connections between evidence and explanations.

(MS-PS4-1)

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.

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.



TEACH
Computer Kit Guides
Piper Make Guides
Piper Make Mission Control
Glossary
SUPPORT
Product Support
Contact Us
FAQ
COMPANY
playpiper.com
About Us
Educator Forum