TOPIC 4 LESSON PLAN

Project 4: Robo-car Drives Around Concepts: Mechanical Design; Sequential Logic;

Complexity:

RW Visual Based Programming: Action, Connection, Loop

Story of Robo: Robo is a very curious creature who likes to discover the world around! Robo wants to travel, but first Robo needs to learn how to drive. As we know, robots can do many things but only if we program them!

Lesson Goal: To help Robo to drive around, we will build and program a Robo-car.

19

Project 4: Robo-car Drives Around

Modules:

Focus: • Robotics: Output – DC Motors and their function; • Computer Science: User input – parameters of Actions. x2

Main Block

DC Motors

Objectives: x2

x2 Wheels

Small Wheel

Connectors

• To create a simple sequential logic program that includes some of the Movement: Drive and Turn actions and Connections between them; then modify it to form a loop.

Learning Outcomes: • I can combine modules to build the Robo-car which can drive; • I can create a simple sequential logic program that includes some of the Movement: Drive and Turn actions; • I can change settings for Drive and Turn actions;

Program:

• I can modify a code to form a loop.

Movement

Drive

Turn

Key Vocabulary: • Actions Dock, Action, Connection; Movement: Drive and Turn actions, Loop; Design.

Additional Materials: • Challenge card #4; • Printable images: Main Block, DC Motors, Movement: Drive and Turn actions; • Optional: Lego™ bricks, colored paper or other materials.

20

Project 4: Robo-car Drives Around 7 – 10 min

1

Ask: Which modules did we already use? What is our Robo capable of? How can we use this in our everyday life? Recall the terminology: robotics, programming, code, wireless communication, design.

2

Analyze: Tell Robo’s Story, identify the problem situation and come up with a theoretical solution.

3

Connect the Main Block to the tablet and recall the Robo Code App interface: My Robo menu, Coding lab, Programming screen, Action Dock.

4

Build and program: Teach your Robo to drive around! Use the challenge card #4.

• Find and attach DC Motors to the Main Block. Discuss their mechanical details: the rotating part without Pogo-Pins, compare it to the Connector. Let students attach the DC Motors differently and see if they appear in the App or not. Ask: What is the right way to attach the DC Motors and why? Conclude: DC Motors should be attached with the help of the Connectors in order to work properly. The rotating part should be attached to the Wheels.

• Find Movement in the Action Dock: discuss the color of the Actions in relation to DC Motors; • Program the Drive action; try different settings: distance and speed; reverse button; • Program the Turn action; try different settings: angle and speed; • Play around: program Drive and Turn actions with different settings and Connections between them. Discuss: Action’s settings and how they influence Robo’s performance.

15 – 20 min

Guided Activity

Lead-in

Activity Stages:

5

Sum up: how to attach the DC Motors and why; types of Movement; their settings; which other robots in real life have motors and what their functions are.

15 – 20 min 5 – 7 min

Reflexion & Feedback

Independent Activity

Additional activity: Learn about technical design. Ask students to build some variations of Robo-car with DC Motors attached differently and try the same code for them. Discuss: How does the build – technical design of Robo influence its performance? What does it mean to make Robo’s design more efficient?

6

Make an own project: think about how Robo with DC Motors can help you in your life; build any variation of Robo and program Movement for this particular situation. Use some materials to customize your Robo.

7

Sum up: Technical details of DC Motors; Drive and Turn actions and their settings; sequential code, Loop; the projects students have created using them. Receive feedback about the complexity of tasks and activities.

8

Clean up: Teach students to take care of the devices they use: RW Modules and the tablets.

21