Festival Maker · Lesson 3
Lesson 3: Playlists & Loot
Students continue gameplay in Symphonia, using tempo and loudness data to activate creatures, build evidence-based playlists, and collect loot for festival design.
Student Objectives
I can…
- ✓ I can use tempo and loudness data to decide which songs activate creatures.
- ✓ I can record accurate data during gameplay.
- ✓ I can build and revise playlists based on evidence.
- ✓ I can collect loot to use in festival design.
- ✓ I can reflect on how data informs decisions.
At a Glance
Total: about 47 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, have students reflect silently on Day 2, and invite volunteers to share. |
| Connector | 5 min | Display album art 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 the visual agenda and classroom agreements, reinforcing expectations for teamwork and responsible data use. |
| Team Play & Data Tracking | 30 min | Review gameplay steps as needed and confirm access to materials. Teams continue gameplay, analyzing tempo and loudness using graph evidence to determine whether creatures are activated. Students record accurate data entries, build and revise playlists based on their findings, and collect loot as rounds are completed (to be used later in festival design). |
| Reflection & Closing Ritual | 5 min | Make a connection to one Data Habit of Mind and record it in the Data Habits of Mind Tracker. Guide students through a brief "Creature Reset" — a short calming/reset routine. |
Materials & Prep
- Creature cards
- Song sheets
- Challenge sheets
- Team role cards
- Data Habits of Mind Tracker
Gather
- Graphing mat
- Translucent range windows
- Markers
- Projector
- Headphones1 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 3
- Computer with sound
- dataadventures.orgAccess required for gameplay.
Before You Teach
- ☐Set up game materials at each table — creature cards, song sheets, graphing mat, challenge sheets, and headphones.
- ☐Ensure team roles are assigned or reviewed.
- ☐Cue music for arrival.
- ☐Display the visual agenda and sensory guide.
- ☐Prepare color-coded materials for loot collection.
A note on this lesson
Lesson 3 keeps students inside the world of Symphonia, deepening the work they began on Day 2. The heart of the lesson is the 30-minute Team Play & Data Tracking block, where teams use tempo and loudness data — read from graph evidence — to decide which songs activate creatures, then build and revise playlists from what they find. As rounds are completed, teams collect loot that will feed directly into the festival design in the next session.
Throughout, hold the connection explicit: data drives the playlist decisions, and the playlist decisions drive what loot the team earns. Offer multiple ways to participate — analyzing, discussing, and recording — so every student has a meaningful role within their team.
What to watch for
- Pacing across gameplay rounds. The Team Play block is long; keep teams moving so every group reaches the loot-collection payoff.
- Use of graph evidence. Reinforce that creature-activation decisions should come from the graphs, not guesses. Monitor for misconceptions in how students interpret tempo and loudness data.
- Playlist revision. Encourage teams to revise their playlists as new evidence comes in, rather than locking in an early choice.
- Flexible roles and access. Allow flexible roles within team tasks, keep sensory tools available, and pair visuals and gestures with key vocabulary (tempo, loudness). Sentence frames support discussion and reasoning, and students may use their home language.
After class
Collect and organize the gameplay materials. Reflect on pacing, engagement, and data accuracy, and note any misconceptions about tempo, loudness, or playlist decisions to share with the project team. Prepare materials for the festival design work in the next session.