Check-In Anytime

In this beginner project, students write a short Python program that lets them tell you how they are feeling, or how a lesson is going, without saying a word. On a CodeX, each button press fills the screen with a color for a mood. On a CodeBot, each press steps the LEDs through patterns, from "I'm doing great!" to "Overwhelmed, help!" No CodeX or CodeBot? Students run the CodeBot version on the free virtual CodeBot in CodeSpace, right in a web browser.

Along the way, students practice reading button presses, keeping a program running with a while loop, and using if statements to decide what to show. The CodeBot version also uses a counter variable to move through the moods. The project takes about 45 minutes, and it works well as a first project before you start a Firia Labs mission.

Once it is built, the program doubles as a quick, quiet check-in your class can use any day of the year.

When to use it

• The first day of class, or the first day back after a break
• The start of a new unit, or right before a test
• In the middle of a tough lesson, to see who needs help
• The last five minutes of class, as an exit ticket

No CodeX or CodeBot? Use the free virtual CodeBot

Every student can do this project with a computer and a web browser. The virtual CodeBot in CodeSpace is free, and students can try it without an account. Use Chrome or Microsoft Edge, then follow the Virtual CodeBot Directions in the Virtual CodeBot downloads below. The virtual CodeX can't run code yet, so classes without devices use the CodeBot version of the project.

Join the conversation in the Firia Labs Code Collective to share how your students did!