Final Interactive Projects

Overview

Today is Lesson 12 of the 6th grade Micro:bit mini-unit. Students present their final interactive projects and explain the math and programming reasoning behind their user experience, with a focus on interpreting division of fractions and using coordinate ideas to describe locations.

Learning intentions

Students will be able to:

• present an interactive Micro:bit project clearly, describing inputs, outputs, and logic
• explain how fraction division can model sharing, grouping, or scaling in a real context
• connect sign and quadrant ideas to their project’s behavior (e.g., directions, above/below thresholds, or left/right movement)
• interpret and compute the meaning of quotients of fractions in their explanations and test results

Success criteria

• I can explain what my Micro:bit does in response to a sensor/button input.
• I can connect at least one part of my project to a real-world situation involving division of fractions.
• I can use a visual fraction model or an equation to justify a quotient I mention.
• I can describe how positive/negative values (or quadrant locations) relate to what my project shows.

Curriculum links

• The Number System: interpreting and computing quotients of fractions and solving word problems using visual fraction models and equations
• The Number System: using positive and negative numbers to describe opposite directions/values and explaining the meaning of 0
• The Number System: understanding signs in ordered pairs as indicating locations in quadrants and reflections across axes
• The Number System: solving real-world problems by graphing points in all four quadrants (including distance between points with the same coordinate)

Lesson structure (45 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Warm-up and setup. Teacher displays a “Presentation Rubric Snapshot” (clarity, math explanation, logic/programming explanation, questions answered) and hands out index cards with one prompt: “What did you build, and what math idea helped you decide how it works?” Students write a 2–3 sentence response and set up their Micro:bit and project materials.

2. 5–10 min · Quick demo: how to explain math + code. Teacher models a 40-second “good explanation” using a sample scenario (e.g., splitting a fraction of a resource among people) and shows how to say: “I used fraction division to find how much each person gets,” then connects it to a program rule (e.g., how many LED steps to light). Students practice with a partner using their own project in the same sentence frames.

3. 10–31 min · Student presentations (round-robin). Teacher sets up stations or a semicircle and runs timed mini-presentations: about 2 minutes per student plus quick transitions.

• Teacher action: calls students in a sequence; after each presentation, asks a single follow-up question tied to math (one of three choices: fraction division, opposite directions/signs, or quadrants/distance).
• Student task: present their project (what input triggers, what output happens, what logic/variables are used), then answer the follow-up by using a clear math sentence such as “I divided fractions because I needed to find the size per share,” using either a visual fraction model (drawn in a sketchbook/handout) or an equation.

Follow-up question examples teacher may choose:

• Fraction division: “How did you use division to figure out the ‘per-person’ or ‘per-step’ amount in your project?”
• Visual support: “Show or describe the fraction model you used to justify the quotient.”
• Signs/quadrants: “What does a positive or negative value mean in your project? What does 0 represent?”
• Ordered pairs/distance: “If your project uses left/right and up/down, how would you describe one state using signs, and how does distance relate to the visual change?”

4. 31–40 min · Whole-class math connections gallery walk. Teacher posts 3 anchor charts around the room: “Quotients of Fractions,” “Positive/Negative Meanings,” and “Quadrants & Distance.” Students rotate in small groups (or teacher selects 6–8 students to share their best math connection). Students add one short “math claim” and one “evidence” line to sticky notes or the anchor charts:

• claim: the math idea used
• evidence: the equation, model sketch, or explanation of signs/quadrants tied to a project outcome

5. 40–45 min · Exit ticket: justify one quotient or relationship. Students complete a quick prompt individually:

• Choose one: “In my project, I used fraction division to find ___.” Then either (a) write an equation for the quotient, or (b) describe the visual fraction model (how many parts in the whole, and what that means for the share/amount).
• Plus one short sign/quadrant sentence: “In my project, 0 means ___, and positive/negative indicates ___.”

Resources

• Micro:bits with batteries and USB cables (or pre-connected devices)
• Student project boards/notebooks (for sketches and fraction models)
• Presentation rubric snapshot (paper copy)
• Sticky notes or chart paper for the gallery walk
• Fraction model handout (simple area bars or circles, enough for quick sketches)
• “Prompt cards” for follow-up questions
• Timers (teacher phone or classroom timer)

Assessment

• Formative during presentations: teacher listens for correct math vocabulary (quotient, numerator/denominator meaning, opposite directions, 0 meaning) and evidence (visual model or equation).
• Formative gallery walk: sticky notes must include both a math claim and evidence.
• Exit ticket: check for at least one correct fraction-division equation or an accurate description of a quotient model, plus a clear sign/0 relationship tied to project behavior.

Differentiation

• Support: provide sentence starters for presentations:
• “My input was ____, and my output was ____.”
• “I used division of fractions because I needed to find ____ per ____.”
• “In my project, 0 means ____, and negative means ____.”
• Support for math: offer a partially completed fraction model template (bars/circles labeled) and a word bank (share, per, quotient, above/below, left/right).
• Extension: students who finish early can answer an extra challenge: “If your project used a scaling factor, how would the quotient change if the ‘whole’ fraction doubled?”
• EAL/SEN considerations: allow students to draw their fraction model instead of only writing equations; permit brief partner rehearsal before presenting; emphasize speaking clarity over long code explanation.

Success tip for engagement

Before calling each presenter, teacher reminds the class: “Ask one math question, not a code question.” This keeps the focus on Common Core-aligned reasoning, while still celebrating programming creativity.