If you are a teacher of students aged 11 to 16, use these projects, units of work, and professional development courses to help you teach them data literacy. You can use them in computing or other lessons.
About data literacy
Data literacy is the ability to gather, visualise, interpret, and communicate data as information, and understand the role of data in making decisions that impact society and the environment. It is fundamental to science, areas of mathematics, and AI literacy.
Using the micro:bit enables opportunities to experience first-hand how data collected by computer sensors becomes digital data. The resources on this page support learning about how data becomes information so it can be used in problem-solving, making decisions, and recommendations for change.
Science
Projects for use in science lessons
Make it: code it
Max-min thermometer
Track high and low temperatures with your micro:bit
Make it: code it
Environment data logger
Record and study data about the world around you
Make it: code it
Sound logger
Measure noise levels around you
Make it: code it
Sound volume experiment
Measure sound over distance.
Make it: code it
Energy light meter
Measure the strength of light in different places
Make it: code it
Energy light timer
Time how long your lights are on
Make it: code it
Light experiment
Investigate materials to see how much light they let through
Make it: code it
Solar panel experiment
Decide where to put a solar panel with your micro:bit.
Make it: code it
Energy cost calculator
Calculate your energy costs
Unit of work
Energy awareness
Gather data about energy use around you using the BBC micro:bit as a simple data logger, then process and analyse the data to make informed decisions about reducing energy usage
Make it: code it
Evaporation experiment
Discover evaporation rates in different locations.
Make it: code it
Insulating heat experiment
Investigate the thermal insulation properties of materials.
Make it: code it
Human circuit experiment
Complete an electrical circuit with your body!
Professional development
Science exploration with the micro:bit (35 mins)
Introduces how to use the BBC micro:bit as an effective tool to support hands-on science investigations in your classroom. It highlights four engaging, practical science investigations that you can take back to your classroom.
AI
Data is an integral part of machine learning and other kinds of AI
Unit of work
First lessons with micro:bit CreateAI
Seven lessons introducing AI in general and unpacking what students already know about sorting data, before getting hands-on, creating, testing and improving their own machine learning models to be used as new inputs in code on the micro:bit.
Make it: code it
Simple AI exercise timer
Make a smart exercise timer using AI
Make it: code it
AI activity timer
Use AI to detect and time specific activities
Professional development
Let's talk about ... AI literacy (30 mins)
Explores foundational AI concepts and vocabulary with a focus on understanding how it works, the human role in designing them, and considering their impact. Includes strategies for teaching AI literacy in your classroom.
Sport
Projects for use in sports lessons
Make a more accurate step-counter
Use data science to improve your sports skills
Log time spent running, walking and being still.