The Foundation has written and published a wonderful resource that uses the SenseHAT and camera module to carry out scientific experiments. These experiments are an ideal cross-curriculum resource for schools that want to introduce computing into science lessons (or vice versa). Assuming people will be able to get hold of the necessary materials, I can also imagine that home users will get an immense amount of enjoyment from the resource.
Directly quoting the introduction to the resource, here is what students will learn:
- How to collect reaction times to calculate rates of reactions
- How concentration and temperature affect the rate of chemical reaction
- That heat can be transfered by hot objects emitting IR radiation
- That different materials emit IR radiation at different rates
- How to create cooling curves from CSV data
- That absorption of IR causes objects to become hot
- That different materials absorb different amounts of IR radiation
- That the transfer of heat can be stopped by an insulator
- That some materials are better at insulating than others
- That fermentation is the process of converting sugar and water into alcohol
- That the rate of fermentation is dependent on factors such as the temperature of the yeast
- That investigations using insects have to be carried out with consideration for the health of the insect
- How to plan an investigation to find out what colour habitats are preferred by different insects
- How to interpret results from choice chamber experiments
- How to measure temperature and humidity data using the Sense HAT
- What the products of aerobic respiration are
- How humidity and temperature are affected by aerobic respiration
- That the stopping distance of a car is affected by both the thinking distance and braking distance
- What factors affect both the thinking distance and braking distance
That’s quite an educational shopping list if you ask me!
The resource contains lesson plans, student worksheets and a list of material you will need to carry out the full set of lessons.
It’s a brilliant idea to use the SenseHAT in schools, and the resource is exactly what I’d like to see more of – easy-to-use lesson plans that take the hard work out of planning lessons and just let teachers get on with teaching the Raspberry Pi way!