Beatbox Machine
Experience: 1st year, 2nd quarter
Practice: Creating computational artifacts, Testing and refining computational artifacts, and Communicating about computing
Concept: Algorithms and Control
Length: 40+
Overview and Purpose
Coders create a project that allows them to make music with their faces when certain keys on a keyboard are pressed. The purpose of this project is to introduce triggering algorithms with specific keyboard events.
Project Extensions
Suggested extensions
Fix a bug (8+ minutes)
3 minute demonstration
Demonstrate what happens when you quickly press several keys in a row. Ask the class “did you notice it switches to a blank backdrop in the middle of my finger drumming?” Explain to the class this occurs because each algorithm occurs in parallel (at the same time). “If I press a key and then press another key halfway through the first algorithm, our backdrop switches to blank very quickly and I don’t see the photo from the second algorithm.”
Walk through how to fix this using the “stop other scripts in stage” block at the start of each algorithm.
5+ minutes to code their buttons and 1-on-1 facilitating
Give coders time to create add this block to the start of each algorithm in their code. Encourage peer-to-peer assistance and facilitate 1-on-1 as needed.
Resources, suggestions, and connections
Standards reinforced:
- 1B-AP-10 Create programs that include sequences, events, loops, and conditionals
Practices reinforced:
- Communicating about computing
- Testing and refining computational artifacts
- Creating computational artifacts
Concepts reinforced:
- Algorithms
- Control
Video: Fix a bug (2:22)
Quick reference guide: Click here
Create a beat (or melody) (30+ minutes)
5+ minute demonstrations
Demonstrate how to use several pairs of look and sound blocks to create a beat or melody (see the example in the video (3:37) or quick reference guide). Encourage coders to use repeats to make their beats or melodies last longer.
Note: This can lead to a discussion on intellectual property rights and when you can and cannot use music created by other people. Click here for a blog post with resources on the topic, and click here for videos on the topic.
25+ minutes to code their beat (or melody) and 1-on-1 facilitating
Give coders time to code their beats or melodies. Encourage peer-to-peer assistance and facilitate 1-on-1 as needed.
Standards reinforced:
- 1B-AP-10 Create programs that include sequences, events, loops, and conditionals
- 1B-AP-14 Observe intellectual property rights and give appropriate attribution when creating or remixing programs
Practices reinforced:
- Testing and refining computational artifacts
- Creating computational artifacts
Concepts reinforced:
- Algorithms
- Control
Video: Create a beat (or melody) (3:37)
Quick Reference Guide: Click here
Note: Coders could spend several classes creating complicated beats and melodies. Determine the amount of time spent on this extension by the general level of interest of the class. I have spent several days on this one project because young coders were having a lot of fun creating new beats and melodies.
Suggested questions:
- Could you create a repeating melody that you can drum to using your keyboard?
- Could you create a repeating beat that you can add a melody to using your keyboard?
- Could you create a repeating melody and beat that play at the same time?
a. How would your pictures match having a melody and beat at the same time?
Customize sounds (30+ minutes):
5+ minute demonstration
Demonstrate how to record a custom sound in Scratch. Point out coders can highlight their recording when finished and either edit the recording or add different effects to the recording.
25+ minutes to customize their sounds and 1-on-1 facilitating
Give coders time to code their beats or melodies. Encourage peer-to-peer assistance and facilitate 1-on-1 as needed.
Practices reinforced:
- Testing and refining computational artifacts
- Creating computational artifacts
Video: Customize sounds (3:21)
Quick Reference Guide: Click here
Important: Coders tend to turn up the volume all the way when listening to recorded sounds. This can damage someone’s hearing. Take a moment to explain the expectations when sharing custom sounds with others (e.g., coders will sit out the remainder of class if they turn up the volume up too loud).
Add even more (30+ minutes, or at least one class):
If time permits and coders are interested in this project, encourage coders to explore what else they can create in Scratch by trying out new blocks and reviewing previous projects to get ideas for this project. When changes are made, encourage them to alter their comments to reflect the changes (either in the moment or at the end of class).
While facilitating this process, monitor to make sure coders don’t stick with one feature for too long. In particular, coders like to edit their sprites/backgrounds by painting on them or taking photos, or listen to the built-in sounds in Scratch. It may help to set a timer for creation processes outside of using blocks so coders focus their efforts on coding.
Standards reinforced:
- 1B-AP-10 Create programs that include sequences, events, loops, and conditionals
Practices reinforced:
- Testing and refining computational artifacts
- Creating computational artifacts
Concepts reinforced:
- Algorithms
- Control
Resource: Click here for even more ideas by CS-First
Facilitation Suggestion: Some coders may not thrive in inquiry based approaches to learning, so we can encourage them to use the Tutorials to get more ideas for their projects; however, we may need to remind coders the suggestions provided by Scratch are not specific to our projects, so it may create some unwanted results unless the code is modified to match our own intentions.
Suggested questions:
- What else can you do with Scratch?
- What do you think the other blocks do?
- Can you make your project do ____?
- What other sprites can you add to your project?
- What have you learned in other projects that you could use in this project?
- Could you add more than one musical instrument that you can play at a time?
- How would you show more than one instrument with your pictures?
- Could you create buttons for even more options?
- How else might you use messages in your project?
Similar projects:
Have coders explore the code of other peers in their class, or on a project studio dedicated to this project. Encourage coders to ask questions about each other’s code. When changes are made, encourage coders to alter their comments to reflect the changes (either in the moment or at the end of class).
Watch this video (3:20) if you are unsure how to use a project studio.
Standards reinforced:
- 1B-AP-10 Create programs that include sequences, events, loops, and conditionals
- 1B-AP-12 Modify, remix, or incorporate portions of an existing program into one's own work, to develop something new or add more advanced features
Practices reinforced:
- Testing and refining computational artifacts
Concepts reinforced:
- Algorithms
Note: Coders may need a gentle reminder we are looking at other projects to get ideas for our own project, not to simply play around. For example, “look for five minutes,” “look at no more than five other projects,” “find three projects that each do one thing you would like to add to your project,” or “find X number of projects that are similar to the project we are creating.”
Generic questions:
- What are some ways you can expand this project beyond what it can already do?
- How is this project similar (or different) to something you worked on today?
- What blocks did they use that you didn’t use?
- What do you think those blocks do?
- What’s something you like about their project that you could add to your project?
- How might we add in more custom sounds or music?
- What other sound or looks blocks might we use in this project?
- Can you add a way to speed up or slow down the music?
micro:bit extensions:
Note: the micro:bit requires installation of Scratch Link and a HEX file before it will work with a computer. Watch this video (2:22) and use this guide to learn how to get started with a micro:bit before encouraging coders to use the micro:bit blocks.
Much like the generic Scratch Tips folder linked in each Coder Resources document, the micro:bit Tips folder contains video and visual walkthroughs for project extensions applicable to a wide range of projects. Although not required, the micro:bit Tips folder uses numbers to indicate a suggested order for learning about using a micro:bit in Scratch; however, coders who are comfortable with experimentation can skip around to topics relevant to their project.
Standards reinforced:
- 1B-AP-09 Create programs that use variables to store and modify data
- 1B-AP-10 Create programs that include sequences, events, loops, and conditionals
- 1B-AP-11 Decompose (break down) problems into smaller, manageable subproblems to facilitate the program development process
- 1B-AP-15 Test and debug (identify and fix errors) a program or algorithm to ensure it runs as intended
Practices reinforced:
- Recognizing and defining computational problems
- Creating computational artifacts
- Developing and using abstractions
- Fostering an inclusive computing culture
- Testing and refining computational artifacts
Concepts reinforced:
- Algorithms
- Control
- Modularity
- Program Development
- Variables
Folder with all micro:bit quick reference guides: Click here
Additional Resources:
- Printable micro:bit cards
- Micro:bit’s Scratch account with example projects
Generic questions:
- How can you use a micro:bit to add news forms of user interaction?
- What do the different micro:bit event blocks do and how could you use them in a project?
- How could you use the LED display for your project?
- What do the tilt blocks do and how could you use them in your project?
- How could you use the buttons to add user/player controls?
- How might you use a micro:bit to make your project more accessible?
Differentiation
Less experienced coders
Demonstrate the example remix project or your own version, and walk through how to experiment changing various parameters or blocks to see what they do. Give some time for them to change the blocks around. When it appears a coder might need some guidance or has completed an idea, encourage them to add more to the project or begin following the steps for creating the project on their own (or with BootUp resources). Continue to facilitate one-on-one using questioning techniques to encourage tinkering and trying new combinations of code.
If you are working with other coders and want to get less experienced coders started with remixing, have those who are interested in remixing a project watch this video (2:42) to learn how to remix a project.
More experienced coders
Demonstrate the project without showing the code used to create the project. Challenge coders to figure out how to recreate a similar project without looking at the code of the original project. If coders get stuck reverse engineering, use guiding questions to encourage them to uncover various pieces of the project. Alternatively, if you are unable to work with someone one-on-one at a time of need, they can access the quick reference guides and video walkthroughs above to learn how each part of this project works.
If you are working with other coders and want to get more experienced coders started with reverse engineering, have those who are interested watch this video (2:30) to learn how to reverse engineer a project.
Debugging Exercises (1-5+ minutes each)
Debugging exercises
Resources and suggestions
Standards reinforced:
- 1B-AP-15 Test and debug (identify and fix errors) a program or algorithm to ensure it runs as intended
Practices reinforced:
- Testing and refining computational artifacts
Concepts reinforced:
- Algorithms
- Control
Suggested guiding questions:
- What should have happened but didn’t?
- Which sprite(s) do you think the problem is located in?
- What code is working and what code has the bug?
- Can you walk me through the algorithm (steps) and point out where it’s not working?
- Are there any blocks missing or out of place?
- How would you code this if you were coding this algorithm from Scratch?
- Another approach would be to read the question out loud and give hints as to what types of blocks (e.g., motion, looks, event, etc.) might be missing.
Reflective questions when solved:
- What was wrong with this code and how did you fix it?
- Is there another way to fix this bug using different code or tools?
- If this is not the first time they’ve coded: How was this exercise similar or different from other times you’ve debugged code in your own projects or in other exercises?
Unplugged Lessons and Resources
Although each project lesson includes suggestions for the amount of class time to spend on a project, BootUp encourages coding facilitators to supplement our project lessons with resources created by others. In particular, reinforcing a variety of standards, practices, and concepts through the use of unplugged lessons. Unplugged lessons are coding lessons that teach core computational concepts without computers or tablets. You could start a lesson with a short, unplugged lesson relevant to a project, or use unplugged lessons when coders appear to be struggling with a concept or practice.
List of 100+ unplugged lessons and resources
Incorporating unplugged lessons in the middle of a multi-day project situates understandings within an actual project; however, unplugged lessons can occur before or after projects with the same concepts. An example for incorporating unplugged lessons:
Lesson 1. Getting started sequence and beginning project work
Lesson 2. Continuing project work
Lesson 3. Debugging exercises and unplugged lesson that reinforces concepts from a project
Lesson 4. Project extensions and sharing
Reflection and Sharing
Reflection suggestions
Coders can either discuss some of the following prompts with a neighbor, in a small group, as a class, or respond in a physical or digital journal. If reflecting in smaller groups or individually, walk around and ask questions to encourage deeper responses and assess for understanding. Here is a sample of a digital journal designed for Scratch (source) and here is an example of a printable journal useful for younger coders.
Sample reflection questions or journal prompts:
- How did you use computational thinking when creating your project?
- What’s something we learned while working on this project today?
- What are you proud of in your project?
- How did you work through a bug or difficult challenge today?
- What other projects could we do using the same concepts/blocks we used today?
- What’s something you had to debug today, and what strategy did you use to debug the error?
- What mistakes did you make and how did you learn from those mistakes?
- How did you help other coders with their projects?
- What did you learn from other coders today?
- What questions do you have about coding?
- What was challenging today?
- Why are comments helpful in our projects?
- How is this project similar to other projects you’ve worked on?
- How is it different?
- How might we use buttons to create a musical instrument?
- What other instruments might we create with code?
- How might you use recorded sound in your previous or future projects?
- More sample prompts
Sharing suggestions
Standards reinforced:
- 1B-AP-17 Describe choices made during program development using code comments, presentations, and demonstrations
Practices reinforced:
- Communicating about computing
- Fostering an inclusive culture
Concepts reinforced:
- Algorithms
- Control
- Modularity
- Program development
Peer sharing and learning video: Click here (1:33)
At the end of class, coders can share with each other something they learned today. Encourage coders to ask questions about each other’s code or share their journals with each other. When sharing code, encourage coders to discuss something they like about their code as well as a suggestion for something else they might add.
Publicly sharing Scratch projects: If coders would like to publicly share their Scratch projects, they can follow these steps:
- Video: Share your project (2:22)
a. Quick reference guide - Video (Advanced): Create a thumbnail (4:17)
a. Quick reference guide