Computer Science

Engineering Eco-friendly Slippers: Step Counters

Middle School Impacts of Computing Algorithms & Programming In Classrooms

Students use a micro:bit's accelerometer and concepts such as loops, conditionals, and variables to develop a step counting algorithm in MakeCode.

unit Overview

This computer science module can be taught independently but is intended to be taught after the YES Middle School Engineering Eco-friendly Slippers unit. Students consider how the durability of a product factors into its eco-friendliness and explore how a step counter could be a helpful computational tool for evaluating a slipper's durability. They develop and build a step counting algorithm using MakeCode and iterate the algorithm to optimize it for different users.

  • 3 lessons
  • 45 minutes per lesson
  • Student materials available in Spanish
  • Computational tools used: micro:bits; MakeCode (free and web-based)
  • Materials needed: Materials kits are not available for purchase for computer science modules

Standards Alignment

YES units align with state and national science standards, integrating seamlessly with popular elementary science curricula.

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unit Resources

Digital Resources (FREE)

YES provides these materials free of charge! Use the link below to download resources from our Google Drive.

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Module Map

Students are introduced to the micro:bit and its built-in accelerometer as a computational tool to detect motion.

Students relate their experience of manually counting a peer’s steps to the components of a step counting algorithm, including loops and variables.

Teams test, modify, and re-test their step counters on each team member. This lesson invites teams to improve their algorithm so that it works well for different users and contexts.

Our funders

Major support for this project has been provided by MathWorks.