Print

Activity

Finch Tales

Bring a story or character to life through movement, light, and sound.

Free Teacher Materials

Get Access

BEGINNER: Level 1

Include the Finch as a character in a play or skit you put on. Move the Finch on stage at the appropriate time, and have it move, light up, and make sound based on how the character should behave in the story.

INTERMEDIATE: Level 2

Use the instructions from level 1, but with level 2 blocks to make the Finch’s behavior more complex. 

ADVANCED: Level 3

Use the instructions from level 1, but with level 3 blocks. Use the when dark trigger block in level 3 to allow the other actors in the play to trigger behaviors on the Finch at the right time by covering the Finch’s light sensors.  Use repeat loops and other control blocks to make your Finch’s behavior more complex.

MATERIALS

  • Design and build some Finch-sized sets and backdrops for your story.
  • Give Finch a costume made of paper, felt, or something else to help tell the story. Attach costumes to Finch with masking tape or use the plastic brick adapter or pen mount hole to attach costumes.

INTEGRATION

  • Writing: Students can tell a story from their lives. This is a great activity to teach story sequencing!
  • Literature: Program Finch to reenact a scene from a book or play.
  • Encourage students to think about HOW the Finch character would move through each part of the story. Fast, slow, choppy? What colors would the LEDs be and how could the lights reflect how the characters feel? What ways can students program the Finch to convey emotion?
  • Consider having multiple teams of students put on an all-Finch play, with each team controlling one Finch character.