Try Code198x
Make a small program do something you chose. You can change a greeting or send an instruction to a processor and change a screen border. Then follow the idea that interests you into the wider curriculum.
You can begin without programming experience. If you already program, use the optional questions to look more closely at how this machine works. You can work alone, with someone at home or in a group.
Choose your first activity
Choose one. You can try the other later; neither is a prerequisite for the other.
| Activity | What you will change | What you will explore |
|---|---|---|
| Make a greeting with BASIC | The words a program displays | Instructions, their order and running a stored program |
| Change the border with assembly | A Spectrum’s border colour | Translating instructions into processor bytes and sending a value to hardware |
Both activities use a ZX Spectrum recreated in the lesson page. You need an internet connection and a browser that can run the embedded tools. You do not need an original Spectrum or a local installation for this session. A computer with a keyboard gives you room to read, edit and compare; the BASIC lesson also provides an editable listing for a phone or tablet.
The first activity you choose is an experiment, not a commitment to a language or machine. You do not need to finish Foundations before starting.
Predict and try
Open the chosen activity and its linked lesson. Read the opening explanation, look at the starting program and say what you expect before running it. Follow the activity’s small change, then compare the result with your prediction.
Use the session sheet, a notebook or a conversation to keep track. If the machine disagrees with you, keep both the prediction and the result. That difference gives you something to investigate.
You can stop at the activity’s first working result. There is no time limit or score. Save work you want to keep before resetting a program or closing its page.
If the tools will not run, use the activity’s paper alternative. You can predict and explain a program on paper; return to the machine later to test that account.
Download a classroom workbook
For the BASIC greeting activity, the first classroom pack has a learner booklet (PDF, 4 pages) and separate teacher notes (PDF, 3 pages; contains answers). Both use A4 pages and work in black and white. The booklet adds space for predictions and observations, pair activities and a save-and-reopen check.
Read the learner booklet as HTML or read the teacher notes as HTML. This initial pack adapts one BASIC activity; the assembly activity remains an independent starting point. You can still use the existing session sheet with either.
Learning with someone else
Take turns making a prediction and operating the keyboard. Give each person a chance to explain a result in their own words. You can ask for help or read an answer whenever you need it.
A parent, teacher or other helper can use the companion guide for preparation, hints and expected results. You do not need someone with you to use the lesson’s explanations.
Choose where to go next
Each activity links to the next lesson in its own route. You can also return to Start Here to explore another machine, a shared programming idea, game-making or computing history.
If you want to help improve the material, share the optional feedback. Tell us where you needed help and what you wanted to try next. You can keep learning without sending anything.