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Game type: Chaser
Game title: Luke in Outer Space
Curriculum area and objective: SESE (Science) – Space. Learning objective: Pupils will explore basic concepts of space environments and hazards through gameplay, understanding the idea of navigating and avoiding danger in an unfamiliar setting.The setting is outer space, where the player controls an astronaut character (Luke) moving through the space background. An alien enemy sprite continuously chases the player across the screen, while a meteor projectile bounces around that the player must dodge. The player must use the directional controls to outmanoeuvre the alien and avoid the projectile, surviving for as long as possible. A score counter increases by 1 every second the player survives, and reaching a score of 50 means the player has won the game. Contact with either the alien or a projectile ends the game before this target is reached.
I used iteration while building this game. Getting the alien’s chasing speed, the projectile’s firing rate, and the win threshold to feel challenging but fair took several rounds of testing and adjusting — too fast and it felt impossible, too slow and there was no real challenge. Each small tweak and retest helped me refine the game logic until the chase, dodging and scoring felt balanced and achievable for the player.
https://makecode.com/_3163PyhpvCYK
Hey! I liked Rock Paper Scissors too — it builds computational thinking and logic to compare choices and decide a winner in a fun and engaging way.
To strengthen the STEM link, perhaps by adding a data angle: have pupils play several rounds, log outcomes, and graph win/lose/draw results — tying the coding directly into the data strand.
As an extension, stronger pupils could add a score tracker using variables to show running totals. For assessment, ask pupils to explain how the micro:bit “decides” a winner — a quick check of their understanding!
Tutorial completed: Dice
Using an on-screen button, the micro:bit detects when it is shaken and responds by generating and displaying a random number on the LED display, simulating the roll of a dice. The code combines a “shake” input event with a random number generator block, so each shake produces a new result between 1 and 6.
https://makecode.microbit.org/_5HgeXaMuKg3z
This tutorial could form the basis of an integrated STEM lesson linking coding, maths and design and technology. In coding, pupils explore chance, randomness and conditional logic in a hands-on way rather than on a screen alone. In maths, pupils could roll their micro:bit dice repeatedly, record and tally the results, and use this data to explore probability and create bar charts, linking data and chance from the PMC. For design and technology, pupils could invent their own dice-based games with rules they write themselves. Working in pairs would also encourage collaboration. Differentiation occurs with stronger pupils extending the code to sum two dice rolls or add sound effects.
Hi! Thanks for your response, I really enjoyed it. Your use of Kahoot! to check understanding and then cross-reference it with pupils’ classwork is a real strength. I love using Kahoot! in my class but never really thought of it deeply like that before! I suppose you’re not just collecting data, you’re using it to spot gaps in their learning.
It’s cool because you are using something fun, engaging, easy to use and redirecting an existing habit toward formative assessment rather than adding something new to your workload. Perhaps you could keep a simple termly log of the gaps Kahoot! reveals and some planning adjustments you make in response. That would give you evidence of impact for both your own reflection and whole-school SSE.
For this reflection I’m focusing on the Digital Learning Framework’s teaching and learning domain, specifically the statement of practice around using digital technologies to support assessment and feedback.
One area I feel confident in is using Google Slides for project-based work — pupils regularly build shared or individual slides for topic work (e.g. history or science projects), which gives them an audience for their work and lets me see their thinking develop draft by draft through the version history, rather than just marking a finished product.
Where I’m weaker is using digital tools to give the pupil and the learner ownership of their own progress — self-assessment, peer feedback, or tracking their own targets digitally rather than everything being teacher-led. To improve this side of my teaching practice, I could;
Introduce a simple digital learning log for one subject area where pupils record and reflect on their own progress weekly.
Trial one peer-feedback digital tool (e.g. Padlet comments) with a simple success criteria checklist.
Review pupil digital reflections every three weeks against agreed targets, and use this as evidence for our SSE focus on Learner Experiences — giving us actual pupil voice data rather than just teacher observation.
Compose a forum response emphasizing the significance of introducing coding and computer science in primary schools.
Reflect on your personal experiences with coding education and highlight its benefits for young students.
Address potential challenges that may arise and propose solutions to overcome them.I can’t emphasize enough the importance of coding and computer science in primary schools. In today’s modern world, we live through technology (whether we like it or not!) and jobs have become so reliant on technology it is essential that we are able to navigate phones, tablets, applications and websites to get through day to day life. In primary schools, it is our responsibility to prepare students for their future in tech. Not only will children be equipped in being able to use online tools but through coding it embeds many skills that are essential in a variety of ways. Coding enforces critical thinking skills, instils creativity and innovation, problem solving and the ability to think in abstract ways. By introducing coding in classrooms, these skills can be beneficial across the whole curriculum, integrating with a variety of subjects.
Personally, I have minimal experience in coding. I am familiar with Scratch and have introduced it into the classroom with, admittedly, little effect as I wasn’t very motivated by it myself. After completing DreamSpace Minecraft Education course, I have finally found an exciting and valuable source of coding that I can triumphantly introduce to the classroom in September. I have played Minecraft since I was the same age as my students and I love the opportunities and fun that can be had whilst subconsciously learning valuable life skills. I was unaware of the coding aspect of Minecraft Education and I believe it will be a powerful tool for my teaching in the future. I can act as a facilitator for the children whilst they problem solve and create with coding – however I will be secretly wishing I could be playing myself!
A challenge for schools around the country is a lack of resources and hardware for the students. One Chromebook trolley, for example, can be tricky for 4 senior classes all vying to use them. Something that I will be introducing to my school in September is a DL team, where we can come together to create collaborative timetables, meet up to discuss any technological issues or problems and lift the burden off teachers who feel under pressure using technology in the classroom. This will involve staff-led workshops and collaboration on useful resources, tips, tricks that will give teachers more confidence in the classroom.
Curriculum Areas Explored:
History Education, Geography Education, Literacy, Mathematics.Learning Outcomes:
- Students will be enabled to recreate their locality (city/town/village) in the past through a Minecraft world.
- Students will be enabled to compare and contrast their local area from the past to the present day.
- Students will be enabled to use research skills to find out more about their area in the past.
- Students will be enabled to identify geographical areas, topography and the location of buildings using mapping skills.
- Students will be enabled to collaborate and present their findings to the class through Minecraft portfolio tool.
(To promote diversity, students may choose a global city where a group member may originate from or perhaps where they go on holiday in Ireland or abroad.)
Student Roles:
Describe the different roles that students will take on during the project. This could involve assigning specific responsibilities, such as project leader, builder, researcher, or presenter.- Project Leader – assigns targets, delegates building, ensures project stays on task in game.
- Researcher – responsible in finding old maps, articles, imagery that can aid the team in creating an old world.
- Planner – responsible for planning the world and ensuring that tasks in game and aligned with the pre-made plan.
- Timekeeper – ensures that the team abide by time constraints set by class teacher.
Supporting Work:
- Mapping lesson – class teacher introduces students to maps and how to access old maps online. Go over key terminology such as coordinates, legends and symbols of significance.
- Class based discussion on what our locality looked like in the past. Before research, ask the children what would have changed and/or stayed the same. Is it for the better? Or worse?
- Parental involvement – interview parents, family and relatives about their life as a child and growing up in an ever changing environment.
- Local sources of information – class visits to museums, information centers and old buildings such as libraries and churches.
- Research and planning – access websites, tools and resources to help us create an idea and image of what we want to build in game.
Build Challenge or Project Prompt:
The children are to create a portfolio online on Minecraft using the book and quill tool as a showcase for their creations. The children are asked to recreate a village/town/city they are familiar with and transport themselves back into the past in game. The build requires homes, services, places of historical significance, education and places of work. Geographical features are also required such as rivers and lakes. Signage and a guided tour in-game as a ‘blast from the past’ type walkthrough. How has your town changed?Using and applying a SSE enables educators to have clear and concise goals with pathways and a roadmap for success. It provides a structure with a step by step guide to achieving a goal for a class, a year group or perhaps as a whole school. In terms of digital tools, multimedia content has become more and more prevalent in classrooms. Videos, imagery and simulations allow children to engage and explore different scenarios easily and create a deeper understanding in a risk-free environment of the classroom. Gamification of points, leaderboards and challenges motivate students in a fun and visual manner. In my opinion, online collaboration through various learning platforms provides us with a huge opportunity for children to interact, share and review work efficiently. Online platforms such as Google Classroom and Microsoft Teams create a social experience with ample diverse opportunities.
In my experience teaching in a school with a large access to resources such as iPads, Chromebooks and Macbooks, our team have made a big effort to integrate digital technology into the school. Technology is an essential tool in the modern classroom where children are now proficient and capable of using hardware (more than most teachers!). However, I think embedding a SSE will help our school refine standards set for tech in the classroom. For example, teachers fall into the trap of letting children play, for example, Minecraft freely for one hour while they busy themselves with something else. Technology is there to compliment a lesson and it is there for us to use it for the benefit of the class, not as a ‘filler’. I believe a focus on collaborative learning through projectwork where children can build up a body of work together as a team whilst the teacher can facilitate the learning and provide assessment online easily and efficiently. As staff, fortnightly meetings regarding digital technology would be useful to upskill and keep informed about the ever-changing environment online. Staff can too collaborate on useful resources, applications and websites that worked effectively in their classrooms.