Arcade Classroom

Bringing the Arcade to the Classroom: A Hands-On STEM Unit for 6th Grade

This year, I launched a new 6th-grade unit that blends digital fabrication, electronics, and playful design into an unforgettable learning experience: building custom arcade controllers!

Over the course of 12 weeks, students dove into the world of arcade games—not just to play them, but to understand how they work and create their own interface. We started by introducing measurement, basic circuitry, and digital design tools like TinkerCAD and Adobe Illustrator in the first 6 weeks. Each student designed and built a functional arcade controller using our Makerspace's laser cutter and simple electronics like buttons and microcontrollers. The real magic happened when students saw their designs come to life—controllers they built with their own hands, ready to be plugged in and played. This project not only reinforced STEM concepts like precision measurement and prototyping but also fostered collaboration, creative problem-solving, and a strong sense of ownership.

Then, students worked on programming arcade games in MakeCode Arcade. Students did their programming in Python. They started by learning the basics and progressed to creating their very own. Here is a video explaining this process: