Example units · Design

Makey Makey Arcade Machines

IB MYPDesignGrades 6–8

Explore the unit · illustrative introduction

Makey Makey arcade

Makey Makey arcadeHold the earth strip and touch a foil input. Predict which part of the game will change. Illustration by April Zhu and Tolga Cohce. MIT licensed.ARCADE
Explore Makey Makey arcade

Hold the earth strip and touch a foil input. Predict which part of the game will change.

In this unit, students for Grades 6–8 design and build their own arcade games using Makey Makey and Scratch. They begin by exploring circuits, switches, and how Makey Makey works, then use mind mapping to develop their ideas. Students create ideation sketches, use a decision matrix to select their best design, and prototype a small part of their arcade machine with foil and cardboard before building the full version. Throughout, they document their thinking and test their prototypes to solve the design challenge of creating a working arcade game.

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What students do

  • Think21%
  • Design chain19%
  • Read17%
  • Check understanding15%
  • Make & document14%
  • Explore & simulate5%
  • Watch3%
  • Hand in3%
  • Write3%

IB MYP criteria

  • AInquiring and Analysing
  • BDeveloping Ideas
  • CCreating the Solution
  • DEvaluating

Tools students use

The green ones are free to try now — no account.

The lessons

  1. A paper cut-out man looking through a magnifying glass at sticky notes of questions

    Discover

    Find out what's really going on.

  2. 1. Unit Introduction

    3 activities

    1. VideoWatch
    2. Read the Design Brief for this unit.Open up the brief in the toolbar on the right hand side.Read
    3. Example sortRead each brief fragment below.Check understanding

  3. 2. Circuits

    7 activities

    1. Key wordsRead
    2. Mind mapLook at the central topic: Electricity & Circuits.Think
    3. Circuit explorer — switches and parallel branchesWork through these three steps in the simulation: Toggle the switch on Branch 1.Explore & simulate
    4. Makey Makey: Three Key Ideas Before You BuildWatch this before you start.Watch
    5. Makey Makey piano pageapps.makeymakey.comRead
    6. Process logLog a step each time you complete a stage: (1) when you connect the wires to the Makey Makey board, (2) when you attach your conductive material, and (3) when …Make & document
    7. Circuit check — what do you know?Answer each question on your own.Check understanding
  4. A paper cut-out man leaning on an empty square frame

    Define

    Say exactly what you're solving.

  5. 3. Design Your Version

    1 activity

    1. Thinking tool: Mind MapCreate a mind map titled "My Operation Game" at the center.Try the Mind Map free ↗Think
  6. A paper cut-out man with a rainbow moustache holding a giant pencil

    Ideate

    Lots of ideas first. Pick one after.

  7. 4. Ideation Sketches

    Assessment

    4 activities

    1. Your taskWhat you're making You are developing and documenting your ideation — a set of at least three distinct design ideas for your operation game — presented as …Read
    2. Image annotatePhotograph your hand-drawn sketch from a clear angle and upload it.Make & document
    3. How this is markedRead
    4. Hand it inHand in
  8. A paper cut-out man leaning on an empty square frame

    Define

    Say exactly what you're solving.

  9. 5. Decide

    2 activities

    1. Example sortRead each decision-making move below.Check understanding
    2. Decision matrixUse the decision matrix below to compare your concepts.Think
  10. A paper cut-out girl holding a clear phone mock-up over a sketchbook

    Prototype

    Make it real, roughly, then properly.

  11. 6. Prototype a small part of your arcade machine

    5 activities

    1. Key wordsRead
    2. Example sortRead each action card.Check understanding
    3. Written answerWrite three short explanations (one sentence or a few bullet points each): How the circuit closes through touch — Explain what happens when your tweezers touch …Write
    4. PrototypesBuild your prototype tweezers and the single-hole test rig.Design chain
    5. TestsRun the hole-removal test three times with a timer.Design chain

Teach this with StudioLoom

Students work through each lesson with the thinking tools built in, and build a portfolio as they go.

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