Build a Game Prototype
Computer Science Fundamentals Grades 9–12 3-day lesson 26 deliverables In this micro:bit lesson, students design, build and playtest an original game. They plan the goal, the rules, the player's input, the outputs, the score and the screens, then build the game from their plan.
● Instant download · Lifetime access · Editable & print-ready
Print + digitalPDF, PowerPoint, Word & Google
Answer keysA key for every page
Built-in assessmentExit tickets + lesson quiz
45-minute daysEvery day planned and timed
What does this lesson cover?
Students often think a game needs great graphics to be fun, or that changing a game's name or pictures makes it their own. This lesson has every student plan an original game first, with its goal, rules and program plan written down. A partner's playtest then shows what to change to make the game better for the player.
The lab on Day 2 has an online version that uses MakeCode, Microsoft's free editor. Students build in MakeCode, a free website with a micro:bit simulator, on a computer or tablet, with no account and no micro:bit. They build their own game from their plan, a partner playtests it, and they write the playtest record and one change. Every online version comes with a paper version, so no internet is needed.
Build Your Game
Students build their own game from their plan, a partner playtests it, and they write the playtest record and one change, on paper or in MakeCode.
Everything that's included
00 Start Here
- READ FIRST: every file in the lesson and when you use it
- Teacher guide and pacing: the plan for each day, what to print and how to grade
- Skills map: which standards each day teaches
01 Present
- One editable PowerPoint deck for all three days, 25 slides, with speaker notes
- Slide script: the speaker notes, printed
- Bell ringers: a short warm-up for each day
02 Student Handouts
- Guided notes for all three days, in PDF and editable Word, with the word bank on the page
- Vocab slip: the lesson's words and what they mean, on one page
03 Labs
- Build Your Game: build their own game from their plan, a partner playtests it, and write the playtest record and one change, on paper or in MakeCode
04 Activities
- Game Plan: plan an original micro:bit game on the Game Plan sheet: its goal, rules, input, outputs, score, screens and program plan
- Playtest Fix: write the blocks before and after their one change and why it helps the player
05 Assessment
- Exit tickets, one per day: quick questions that show who needs more help
- Lesson quiz: 10 multiple-choice questions and 2 written answers about all three days
06 Answer Keys
- 5 answer key files: a key for each day (its bell ringer, notes and exit ticket) and the activity and lab keys, plus the quiz key
Digital: Google Forms™ + Google Slides™
- 4 Google Forms™ of the exit tickets and the quiz, ready to copy into your Drive
- The multiple choice grades itself, and you grade the written answers
- A Google Slides™ copy of the deck, with the same slides and speaker notes, for Google Classroom™
Online: MakeCode
- MakeCode, Microsoft's free editor: the online version of the Day 2 lab, with a micro:bit simulator
- No account and no micro:bit needed
- Every online version has a paper version, so no internet is needed
Why teachers love this lesson
Every game is the student's ownStudents invent the goal, the rules and how the score or the win works, so each project is different.
Students plan the program in words firstThey write a program plan in plain words before they build, so they know what each part of the game needs to do.
Print and digitalEvery page is a print-ready PDF, and the Google Forms™ and Google Slides™ let you teach the same lesson in Google Classroom™.
Real online activitiesStudents can use MakeCode on a computer or tablet, and every online version has a paper version that works with no internet.
A key for every pageEvery day has its own answer key, and every written question has a sample answer and what to look for.
Every day fits a 45-minute classEach day's plan is timed activity by activity against real reading and writing speeds.
What Teachers Say
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How do I get the files after I buy?
Instant download right after checkout: PowerPoint and Word files you can edit, print-ready PDFs, and links that copy the Google Forms™ and Google Slides™ into your Drive.
Can I buy the whole unit or course instead?
Yes. This lesson is part of the Unit 8 bundle and the complete Computer Science Fundamentals course. Both cost less than buying the lessons one at a time.
Is this AP Computer Science?
No. It is a full-year, non-AP intro course for grades 9 to 12. For AP, see AP Computer Science Principles and AP Computer Science A.
What formats are the files in?
Every page is a print-ready PDF. The slides are an editable PowerPoint and the guided notes an editable Word file. The exit tickets and the quiz also come as Google Forms™, and the deck as Google Slides™.
Which standards does it cover?
Written for Florida's Advanced Information Technology course (9007610). The skills map in the lesson shows which standards each day teaches.
Do I need micro:bits or robots?
No. MakeCode is a free website with a micro:bit simulator, and every online version comes with a paper version.