Year 6 Virtual Reality
Pupil Activity Code: RV2V – What is it?
Progression of skills in this pack:
1. Understand what virtual reality is and how it can be used to help people.
2. Add, move and resize objects in a virtual reality environment
3. Animate objects for realism.
4. Use code blocks to add movement (with grouping) and interactions (conditions).
5. Create multiple scenes of VR environments
National Curriculum Content
Design and create digital content to accomplish goals.
Use sequence, selection, and repetition in programs; work with variables and various forms of input and output.
5-8 hours
Introduction
The definition of virtual reality comes, naturally, from the definitions for both ‘virtual’ and ‘reality’. The definition of ‘virtual’ is near and reality is what we experience as human beings. So the term ‘virtual reality’ basically means ‘near-reality’. This could, of course, mean anything but it usually refers to a specific type of reality emulation. People can use virtual reality headsets to see virtual environments in full 360 degrees. This has slowly grown over the last few decades to be used to help with learning, navigation, sport, exploration and more.
Virtual reality has been used for many years but has only recently come into education. As the first video in the Pupil Activity Pack (also below) explains, more and more virtual reality is being used in different industries to help people learn, work, train and explore. The pupils of today will very likely use virtual reality in their job. The skills covered in this activity pack also help develop key computing skills such as graphical and 3D design plus coding elements.
🛠 What do pupils and teachers need?
For the activities in the pupil pack (see code above) pupils will need access to the Co-spaces website or iPad app or Android App. It is free for teachers to use the Co-spaces website with a class of pupils but there is an additional cost for extra pupils, premium items and to save multiple environments (Spaces).
You can create a teacher account, then a class which has a code. Pupils could sign up by joining the class with the code, which gives you (as teacher) access to the virtual reality environments. There is a full guide to setting up Co-spaces with your class here. You can add assignments to a class for the pupils to attached their spaces to, this helps with assessment. There are details using assignments here. You could use the assignments to gives details of our Pupil Activity Pack below. When pupils are creating spaces in ‘Free Play’ then click the 3 dots next to the space’s name and ‘Give Teacher Access.’ This means that, from the teacher login, you can see their spaces by going to ‘Manage Users.’
If you are teaching CoSpaces for the second time then you may exceed the number of users allowed with a free account. You can delete previous users (pupils) by logging in as a teacher and going to Users down the left hand side. This shows the number of seats occupied.
Optional
In order for pupils to see the environments in virtual reality, then the pupils will need access to a headset of some kind. This page goes through all the different VR headsets Cospaces is compatible with but one of the cheapest options is Google Cardboard. You could then use a smartphone with the Cospaces Apple or Android app to show pupils their environments. To use this, make sure pupils have given you access to their spaces (see above) and then login into the app, go to the class, then pupil and open their space. Tap on the play icon and put the phone into the Google Cardboard glasses.
✅ Assessment
As mentioned above, pupils can give access to their VR spaces in Co-spaces. This means as a teacher, you can see the pupil’s work from your own login. Please use our assessment grid below, which can be adapted to your class.
Cross curriculum ideas
This virtual reality activity pack can be used to support a wide range of subjects. Build story settings to inspire descriptive writing. Use the code blocks to add dialogue between characters. Use the upload feature (last task of Pupil Activity Pack) to create a virtual art gallery of the pupil’s artwork or museum. The pupil activities below also includes a solar system activity, where pupils can recreate a solar system and add facts when each planet is clicked or tapped.
Pupil Activity Pack – teacher view
You may want to watch the videos below together as a class before pupils try the tools and watch the videos from their activity pack (see code above) independently.
1. What is virtual reality?
The video above describes what virtual reality is and how it is used to help people.
Can you think of any other ways virtual reality could be used?
2. Spaces and environments
Use either the free play or assignments and choose from the selection of environments. For this activity pack, we are using the underwater environment.
3. The Camera
The Camera is your eyes in VR. Watch the video to adjust the place of the camera and how it can be used to walk around.
4. Objects
Add objects to your environment and resize, rotate and move them. Note, the controls on a tablet as you use one or two fingers. Can you fill your environment with objects make it entertaining?
Challenge: Right-click on the objects and see if you can change the colour of an object.
5. Animation
Animate objects to add more realism to your environment.
6. Write code
Use the coding tools (turn code on for each object) to move your objects. Can you use the loops to have your objects (Fish in this video) moving continuously?
7. Use Groups
Group your objects so that you can apply the same code to multiple objects, such as moving fish. You will need the Shift key on your keyboard to do this (shown below). Unfortunately this does on work on a tablet unless you have a bluetooth keyboard.
8. Text, Conditions and Inputs
Use the code blocks to add conditions that when the objects (starfish in this example) are clicked or tapped, they disappear. This then creates an interactive game. You could use the groups tool (above) to add multiple interactive objects quickly.
Challenge
Can you program the fish or characters to speak instructions using the code blocks?
9. Scenes, Shapes and Conditions
Watch the video tutorial to learn how to add another scene to your Cospace, create planet shapes and add conditions that when a planet is clicked/tapped, it shows facts.
10. Upload Files
Use the Upload tool in bottom left corner to add your own files. This could be used to add images you have on your computer, such as pictures of your artwork for a virtual art gallery.