Teamwork Challenge with Marty

45 Minutes

Lesson Overview

This is the third of five lessons that focus on literacy, numeracy, and social and emotional learning in the context of THRIVING in challenging circumstances.

In this lesson, students take on different roles within a team to design and use MartyBlocks to code a routine for Marty to perform to an audience. Students will swap roles to carry out each part of the task and use a variety of skills including creative thinking, communication, programming, careful observation and working together as a team. Students will reflect on their strengths, achievements and confidence when carrying out the activity and identify areas for future development.

Key vocabulary:

Programming, Block coding, Roles, Teamwork, Designer, Coder, Audience, Strengths, Achievements, Confidence,

Content Sections

Learning Objectives

Extensions & Challenges

Additional Reading

Teamwork Challenge with Marty

45 Minutes

Lesson Overview

This is the third of five lessons that focus on literacy, numeracy, and social and emotional learning in the context of THRIVING in challenging circumstances.

Key vocabulary:

Programming, Block coding, Roles, Teamwork, Designer, Coder, Audience, Strengths, Achievements, Confidence,

Prerequisite Knowledge: Strong knowledge of Marty's movement blocks; experience writing sequences
Device Compatibility: Tablet
Cross-curricular links: Health and Wellbeing across learning
Necessary resources & equipment:

Learning Objectives

Students work as a team to design, code and perform a Marty movement routine of their choice by taking on different roles.
Swap roles to carry out different activities within the team.
Use blocks of code to make Marty move as needed.
Use creative thinking, programming, observation and communication skills.
Reflect upon strengths, achievements and confidence in these roles to identify areas for future development.

Start by sharing ideas about skills needed to work well in a team.
Explain that students will work in teams to carry out a coding challenge. In each team, they will take on three roles in turn. The first two questions in the Student Workbook will guide students through watching and coding a simple Marty routine to practice their observation and coding skills.
Students need access to MartyBlocks to put motion code blocks together to make a routine for Marty. Start by showing students the first video clip of a Marty routine, ask them to write down the moves and code Marty to carry out the routine.
Students could try acting out the routine to familiarise themselves with possible Marty moves.
Next students should watch the second video clip, spot the two extra moves and insert them into their code.
In teams, students need to decide upon the possible moves that Marty could make during their teamwork challenge routine.
Within teams, students then take on the roles of designer, coder or audience. Explain the rules of the teamwork challenge as given in the Student Workbook.
The challenge should be repeated with students swapping roles to use different skills.
Finally, students should be encouraged to reflect on their strengths, achievements and confidence when carrying out the roles in their team and then identify areas for future development.

Extensions & Support

Team members could be swapped between teams when roles change to give students more experience working with others.
The number and type of Marty actions could be increased in each routine.
Students could research careers involving design and coding and find out what skills are useful (Developing the Young Workforce).