Festival Maker · Lesson 2
Lesson 2: How Music Moves Creatures
Students enter the world of Symphonia to explore how tempo and loudness affect creatures, collecting and analyzing data through gameplay while gathering loot for their future festival.
Student Objectives
I can…
- ✓ I can use tempo and loudness data to activate creatures.
- ✓ I can practice gameplay steps.
- ✓ I can reflect on how data informs decisions.
- ✓ I can use graph evidence to match songs and creatures.
- ✓ I can collect loot for future festival design.
At a Glance
Total: about 37 minutes| Section | Time | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Welcome & Grounding | 5 min | Play music as students enter and invite them to notice how it makes them feel. Display the "Think" slide and have students reflect silently on Day 1. |
| Connector | 5 min | Display creature images and have each student choose one that matches how they feel. Students share with a partner or small group, or reflect silently. |
| Review Visual Agenda & Agreements | 2 min | Review "Today's Adventure" and the classroom agreements, reinforcing expectations for teamwork and participation. |
| Game Materials & Set Up | 10 min | Revisit the Symphonia Festival story and ask, "Why might matching music to creatures matter?" Show and name the materials — creature cards, song sheets, challenge sheets, and graphing mat. Review or assign team roles (Summoner, Data DJ, Tracker) and clarify the one-per-group headphone rule. Introduce the gameplay steps: set team roles, move to the first region, select a song, graph data, match creatures, and gather loot, repeating for all regions. Practice the steps only — do NOT record playlists or complete challenge sheets yet. |
| Team Play & Data Tracking | 10 min | Choose a setup. Option A (materials not at tables): model gameplay first, distribute materials, then let students explore. Option B (materials at tables): assign roles and have students follow along during modeling. Either way, do NOT record playlists on the website or complete challenge sheets today. Students practice gameplay focused on the Chorus of Commons introductory region. Circulate and support with prompts like "Where does this tempo fall?" and "What do you notice?" Reinforce one match per song, using graph evidence, and team discussion. |
| Reflection & Closing Ritual | 5 min | Connect to one Data Habit of Mind and record it in the Data Habits of Mind Tracker. Guide students through a brief "Creature Reset" calming routine. |
Materials & Prep
- Creature CardsOrganize by group into blue, red, and yellow decks.
- Song SheetsOrganize by region.
- Challenge Sheets
- Graphing Mat
- Translucent Range Windows
- Team Role Cards
- Data Habits of Mind Tracker
Gather
- Markers
- Projector
- Computer with sound
- HeadphonesOne per group.
- Optional supportsNoise-reducing headphones, pause cards, sentence frames, multilingual vocabulary cards, visual reference posters, and a sensory guide.
Digital
- Facilitation Slide Deck — Day 2
- dataadventures.orgUsed for gameplay (do not record playlists today).
Before You Teach
- ☐Organize materials by group — creature decks (blue, red, yellow), song sheets by region, role cards, graphing mat, markers, and headphones.
- ☐Assign or prepare team roles.
- ☐Cue music for arrival.
- ☐Display the visual agenda and sensory guide.
A note on this lesson
In Lesson 2 students enter the world of Symphonia to explore how tempo and loudness affect creatures. They collect and analyze data through gameplay and begin building toward playlists, gathering loot that will later be used to design their festival. The heart of the day is hands-on gameplay practice — this session is deliberately a practice run, so students should not record playlists on the website or complete challenge sheets yet. That recording work comes in a later session.
Teams work in defined roles — Summoner, Data DJ, and Tracker — and share one set of headphones per group. Focus the practice on the Chorus of Commons as the introductory region so everyone builds confidence with the gameplay loop before moving across regions.
What to watch for
- Pacing during gameplay rounds. The two ten-minute blocks carry the most weight. Keep teams moving and protect time for the closing reset.
- Graph evidence over guessing. Reinforce that every creature match should be backed by graph evidence — one match per song. Use circulating prompts like “Where does this tempo fall?” and “What do you notice?”
- Multiple ways to participate. Offer students the choice to analyze, discuss, or record so everyone can engage with the data work.
- Misconceptions about tempo, loudness, or data interpretation. Note these as they surface so you can address them in the next session.
After class
Collect and organize student data materials. Reflect on pacing, engagement, and data accuracy, and note any misconceptions about tempo, loudness, or data interpretation to revisit. Prepare materials for continued gameplay in the next session.