Introduction: Makey Makey Portable Keyboard for Picture Book Sounds

By www.toweringtechnology.com
About: I am a primary school teacher based in Sydney, Australia with a passion for integrating technology into student learning. I have been teaching in primary schools across Sydney for over 10 years across various …
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Making a portable keyboard with year 1 students in exploring sounds.

Supplies

Carboard

Fruit Playdough Foil Other Conductive Materials PC/Mas Makey Makey USB

Step 1: 1. Explore Sounds

Students explore different sounds and how different materials or environments can make different sounds, pitches or tones.

Step 2: 2. Exploring Makey Makey and Conductive Materials

Students sort different materials into conductive and non-conductive.

They also sort materials by different sounds they make unpluged and plugged

Step 3: 3. Makey Makey Circuits

The teacher puts together a Makey Makey circuit and talks to students about how to do this.

Step 4: 4. Students Explore

Students explore different sounds on different platforms using different materials with already made up Makey Makey Circuits.

Step 5: 6. Wordless Picture Book

Students explore different wordless picture books.

Students are Grouped

Each group picks one picture book

They will then make a Makey Makey keyboard and code it to play sounds or music from the book or to reflect the book.

Examples:

Journey - Aaron Baker

Bee and Me - Alison Jay

The Red Tree - Shaun Tan

Step 6: 7. Makey Makey Keyboard

Students make a portable Makey Makey keyboard using cardboard and wires.

Students connect their Keyboard to their PC/Mac and go to Scratch

Students code thier keyboard to make sounds or music for their picture books.