Pacing Guide

This unit should be implemented to supplement student learning on the concepts of dentifying and practicing strategies for managing strong emotions and developing self-regulation..

STEM Labs can be adapted in various ways to fit into any classroom or learning environment. Each STEM Lab includes the following 3 sections: Engage, Play, and Share (optional).

Each STEM Lab in this unit can be completed in as little as 40 minutes

Section Summary

The Engage and Play sections, which contain the primary learning activities, can be completed within 40 minutes. The Share section, which enables students to express their learning is optional, but estimated at around 3-5 minutes per group.

Click on the tabs below to view descriptions of the Engage, Play and Share sections of the STEM Lab.

Engage (20 minutes)

The Engage section is the introductory section designed to capture the student’s attention. This section is intended to be a whole-class activity. It includes a hook, a leading question that personalizes the learning for students, and the build that will be utilized to create a hands-on, exploratory learning experience that places STEM into the hands of young learners.

Play (20 minutes)

The Play section is split into 3 parts in order to structure learning while maintaining student interest: Part 1, Mid-Play Break, and Part 2. In Play Part 1, students will run an investigation, test, and/or make predictions about scientific phenomena using their build as it relates to the key concepts of the unit. The Mid-Play Break includes a discussion of Part 1 and transition to Part 2. In Play Part 2, students will continue to explore their builds and deepen their understanding of key concepts by applying their knowledge in new ways.

The Pacing Guide

The pacing guide for each Lab provides step-by-step instructions on What, How, and When to teach. The STEM Lab Pacing Guide previews the concepts that are taught in each section (Engage, Play, and Share (optional)), explains how the section is delivered, and identifies all the materials that are needed.

The pacing guide contains the following information:

Lab

Provides the approximate time duration of each section of the Lab.

Description

Provides an overview of what students will do in each Lab.

Materials

Lists the materials that are essential to completing the Lab.

Lab 1 - Rowdy Robots

Total Time: 40 minutes

Engage	Play	Share
20 mins	20 mins	Optional 3-5 mins per group

Engage

Students will engage in a story about a class of 123 Robots who are too out of control to make it to afternoon story time in the school library. Students will describe the robot behaviors they see, and how they might code their 123 Robots to behave similarly.

Play

Students create their own projects in their groups to make their 123 Robot behave as if it is out of control. All groups will place their robots on the Field, start their projects at the same time, and describe what happens when the whole class full of robots seems unable to control their actions. Students will then discuss the behaviors that children would need in order to successfully go to the library and enjoy afternoon story time. They will then sequence Coder cards that could represent these behaviors using the 123 Robot.

Share

Students will share their projects with their classmates and talk about how those robot behaviors correspond to human behaviors.

Materials Needed

123 Robot
Coder
Coder cards
Lab 1 Image Slideshow
123 Field
PDF Printables (optional)
Pencils or drawing materials (optional)

Lab 2 - Calm Down Codes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Engage	Play	Share
20 mins	20 mins	Optional 3-5 mins per group

Engage

Students will discuss what it looks like, feels like, and sounds like when humans are calm, and explore the idea that people use strategies to calm themselves down when they are feeling strong emotions.
Students will then list strategies for calming down.

Play

Students will work together with the teacher to choose and sequence Coder cards to represent one calm-down strategy with their 123 Robot.
Students will engage in a discussion about how sometimes more than one calm-down strategy is needed for humans to manage the behavior associated with an emotion. The class will choose more Coder cards representing an additional calm-down strategy to add to their group project, creating a “Calm Down Code”.
Students will create their own “Calm Down Codes” in small groups.

Share

Students will share their “Calm Down Codes” and explain their reasoning, modeling how they would use them to help themselves calm down when needed.

Materials Needed

123 Robot
Coder
Coder cards
Lab 2 Image Slideshow
123 Field
PDF Printables (optional)
Pencils or drawing materials (optional)

Adapting this Unit to Your Classroom

Not every classroom is the same, and teachers face a variety of implementation challenges throughout the year. While each VEX 123 STEM Lab follows a predictable format, there are things that you can do in this Unit to help make it easier to meet those challenges when they arise.

Implementing in less time:
- Skip the Active Share in each Lab to condense the Unit. Document the behavior codes each group creates in Lab 1, so students can reference these later if they want to see the projects their classmates built.
- In Labs 1 and 2, do Play Part 1 as a whole class guided demonstration, rather than having students work in individual groups.
- To expedite student decision making during Lab 2, limit choices of Coder cards that students have access to when building a project, or give students a limited choice of calm down strategies to use to create their code.
Activities to support reteaching: For students who need more practice with project planning and matching intended behaviors to Coder cards, use these 123 Activities in your learning center or with the whole class.
- Act It Out — Students will create a story with different feelings in it, and code their 123 Robot to ‘act out’ the feelings in the story. Connect this activity to the idea of calming down by having students create a story about a character that uses a calm down strategy effectively..
- Coder Monster — Students will create a monster using their 123 Robot and the Art Ring. They will identify what behaviors they want their monster to complete and create a project in the Coder to match those behaviors. Ask students to code 2 sequences for their monster, one that is calming and one that is the opposite.
Extending this Unit: To give students more practice with calming down strategies, have them share some things that they do at home, or in their family, when someone needs to calm down. Can they show the class? How might they code that strategy with the 123 Robot? For an emphasis on coding, challenge students to create multiple “Calm Down Codes” for the same strategies — how can they represent the same human strategy using different robot behaviors?

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