Mood Radio Inputs

Overview

Lesson 5 of 15 focuses on adding button-based mood inputs and LED icon outputs to the receiving Micro:bit. Students design for user experience by making mood selections clear and outcomes meaningful to another person, then test their Mood Radios with a partner.

Learning intentions

• Students will be able to interpret signed values as meaningful quantities for mood scaling.
• Students will be able to model and compute sums/products of rational numbers using number-line reasoning when mapping moods to scores.
• Students will be able to program a Micro:bit so that specific inputs trigger specific outputs.
• Students will be able to explain how additive inverses and sign rules support consistent mood behavior (e.g., opposite moods).

Success criteria

• I can explain how a negative mood value represents moving in the opposite direction from a neutral baseline.
• I can compute a mood score using addition/subtraction of rational numbers and justify it using a number line.
• I can predict and test what LED icon appears for each mood button.
• I can describe one improvement to make the device more intuitive for another user.

Curriculum links

• The Number System: add and subtract rational numbers; represent with number lines.
• The Number System: understand p + q as distance from p using sign and show additive inverses sum to 0.
• The Number System: understand multiplication and signed rules extended to rational numbers (e.g., negative times negative).
• The Number System: understand division of integers and that quotients are rational; use this in interpreting mood mappings.
• The Number System: understand subtraction as adding the additive inverse and interpret distance as absolute value.

Lesson structure (45 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Warm-up (Mood-to-Score prompt). Teacher displays a simple mapping: Neutral = 0, “Good” = 2, “Bad” = -2 (example only). Students pair-share: “What does -2 mean compared to 0?” (Quick check: they should mention “opposite direction” or “distance from neutral.”)

2. 5–14 min · Mini direct teach (Signed rational reasoning for mood). Teacher models two short tasks on a vertical or horizontal number line:

• Additive inverse: “If Good is +2, what value added to +2 gives 0?” (Students answer -2.)
• Distance: “What is the distance between +2 and -1?” (Absolute value of the difference.) Students record one sentence: “A negative number shows the opposite direction from neutral.”

3. 14–24 min · Build inputs (Micro:bit button-to-mood). Teacher demonstrates how to assign button A and B to two moods (and optionally a menu using existing project structure). Students (in pairs) implement:

• Button press changes a stored mood value (signed integer representing mood score).
• They test by printing the mood value to the Micro:bit screen/log (or a temporary display). Teacher circulates with a checklist: Are the signs consistent with the mapping?

4. 24–34 min · Program outputs (LED icons based on mood). Teacher shows a simple icon set:

• Positive mood score → smiling face icon (or a specific LED pattern)
• Negative mood score → frowning face icon
• Zero mood → straight/neutral icon Students connect their mood values to icon selection using if/else logic. Built-in reasoning prompt: “If you flip the mood sign (m to -m), does your icon choice flip too? Why?” Students explain using additive inverse/sign ideas.

5. 34–41 min · Partner test (User experience check). Students swap Mood Radios (or switch roles within their pair). One user presses buttons without seeing the code; the other explains expected icons. Each pair records:

• One button that confused the user (if any)
• One improvement (labeling, icon clarity, or simplifying the mood menu)

6. 41–45 min · Exit ticket (Standards-aligned quick check). Individually answer two items:

• If a mood mapping says Good = +3 and Bad = -3, what is (+3) + (-3)?
• A student’s mood score changes from -1 to +2. What is the distance between the two values (absolute difference)?

Resources

• Micro:bit devices (one per student/pair) and battery packs/USB as needed
• Button-capable Mood Radio project files from lessons 1–4
• Code environment with block or text options teachers have been using
• Printed mood icon card (smiley/neutral/frown patterns) for quick reference
• Number-line worksheet or mini whiteboards (for fast additive inverse and distance checks)
• Checklist for pair build/test (inputs working, signs correct, icons match rules)

Assessment

• Formative during building: teacher checks that mood scores use correct signs and that icons match the selected mood.
• Formative during partner test: observation of whether another user can predict the icon outcome.
• Exit ticket: verifies understanding of additive inverses and distance as absolute value, aligned to rational number reasoning.

Differentiation

• Support (beginners):
• Provide a simplified mood menu with only three options: Button A = +1, Button B = -1, and a “reset” button = 0 (if available in your setup).
• Sentence starters for reasoning: “A negative mood is the opposite of…” “Distance means…”
• Advanced learners:
• Add a scaling step where the mood score is multiplied by a factor (e.g., score × 2) to choose between “small” vs “big” icon patterns. Students must justify sign behavior with the rule for multiplying signed numbers.
• Challenge: include a mapping that uses a rational quotient (e.g., average of two mood inputs) to decide the icon.
• EAL/SEN considerations:
• Use visuals: icon cards and a labeled number line showing neutral at 0, positives to the right, negatives to the left.
• Offer a small word bank: neutral, positive, negative, distance, opposite, inverse.