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Summary

Materials Needed

The following is a list of all the materials and teaching resources that are needed to complete the VEX 123 Lab. First listed are the materials needed for the entire Lab, including the 123 Robot. In certain Labs, links to teaching resources in a slideshow format have been included. Not all Labs will include a slideshow. These slides can help provide context and inspiration for your students. All slides are editable, and can be projected for students or used as a teacher resource.

Materials Purpose Recommendation

123 Robot

For performing the behaviors in the project

 1 per group

Coder

For building a project to use with the 123 Robot

 1 per group

Coder cards

For inserting into the Coder to create a project

 5 Coder cards per group. See Environment Setup below for specifics

Lab 2 Image Slideshow

Google Doc / .pptx / .pdf

For teacher and student context during the Lab

 1 for teacher facilitation

123 Field

Area for testing projects with the 123 Robot

 2 tiles and 2 walls per group

123 Robot Art Ring with attached Little Red Robot decoration

For students to turn their 123 Robot into Little Red Robot. Use the same decoration and Art Ring from Lab 1 if possible

 1 per group

Little Red Robot printable (optional)

Google Doc / .docx / .pdf

To cut and attach to the field to create Grandmother’s house and the Wolf

 1 per group

Classroom art supplies (paper, markers, tape, pipe cleaners)

For creating Grandmother’s house and the Wolf (if not using printable)

 1 set for whole class to access

Small block

For attaching to the back of the Wolf so that it can stand up on the field

 1 per group

VEX 123 PDF Printables (optional) 

 To use as manipulatives to support student project planning and saving. 1 per group

Environment Setup

  • Gather the materials each group needs before class. For this Lab, each group of two students will need a 123 Robot with the Art Ring attached, a Coder, a 123 Field, and the following:
    • One "When start 123" Coder card
    • One "Drive until object" Coder card
    • One card from each of the following Coder card categories per group:
      • Sound Coder cards (Play honk, Play doorbell, Play crash)
      • Looks Coder cards (Glow purple, Glow green, Glow blue)
      • Action Coder cards (Act sad, Act crazy, Act happy)

11 coder cards used in the Lab organized into four sections. The first is unlabelled and has the drive until object card. The second is the sound category and contains the following cards: play honk, play doorbell, play crash, play random. The third is the looks category and contains the following cards: glow purple, glow green, glow blue. The final is the action category and contains the following cards: act sad, act happy, act crazy.
Coder Cards Needed
  • To keep your class organized and your students focused on only the necessary Coder cards, only give them access to the cards listed above as needed during the Lab.
  • Review the Facilitation Strategies in the Engage section for turn taking ideas to help students share responsibilities during the Lab. For groups larger than the recommended two students, provide students with more granular roles. Examples of responsibilities for students in this Lab:
    • Placing the 123 Robot on the Field in the correct location.
    • Inserting the Coder cards and pressing the "Start" button.
    • Setting up the field and adding/removing the Wolf.
    • Keeping track of the Coder cards and lining them up to plan the group's projects.

  • This Lab uses the same field set up as Lab 1 with the Grandmother’s house attached to a Wall. In Play Part 2, a Wolf is added to the scene.

    Side view of a field two tiles long. At the far end of the Field is a cutout of a blue house.
    123 Field Setup
    • To get the wolves ready for students ahead of time, print or make a paper Wolf and attach it to a small block, so that it can stand up. The Wolf will need to be upright in order for the Eye Sensor to detect it.
    • At least one Wolf will need to be created before beginning the Lab for use in a demonstration during the Mid-Play Break.
  • Students can use the same Art Ring with attached decoration from Lab 1, to turn their 123 Robots into Little Red Robots.

    • If these are not available or weren’t made in Lab 1, students can make Little Red Robot decorations and attach them to the Art Ring with tape or pipe cleaners. Once attached to the Art Ring, snap the Art Ring onto the top of the 123 Robot. Be sure to align the white arrow on the Art Ring with the one on the Robot, and make sure that the decoration is not blocking the Eye Sensor. For more information on using the Art Ring and to see examples of how it can be used to customize your robot, see the Using the 123 Art Ring STEM Library article. 

      Art ring above a 123 robot. The white arrow on the art ring is at the front, aligned with the white arrow on the robot. Arrows indicate this is how the art ring should be placed on the robot.
      Add the Art Ring to the 123 Robot

Engage

Begin the lab by engaging with the students.

  1. Hook

    In Lab 1, we found lots of ways to get our Little Red Robots to Grandmother’s house. Today, we’re going to learn another way - using only 1 Coder card! Which Coder card do you think could do that?

  2. Demonstrate

    Introduce the “Drive until object” Coder card, and show students how to use this card in a project.

  3. Leading Question

    What do you think the “Drive until object” Coder card will code the 123 Robot to do?

Play

Allow students to explore the concepts introduced.

Part 1

In Play Part 1, students will create and test projects using the “Drive until object” Coder card to have the 123 Robot drive until it reaches Grandmother’s house.

Mid-Play Break

Through discussion, students identify that the 123 Robot has an Eye Sensor that allows it to detect objects. When students use the “Drive until object” Coder card in a project, it is the Eye sensor that detects the object. Students identify where the Eye Sensor is on the 123 Robot.

Part 2

Students will add Coder cards to their projects in the correct sequence to have the 123 Robot drive until it detects the Wolf, then perform an action to scare it away.

Alternate Coding Methods 

While this Lab is written for use with the Coder, it can also be completed using VEXcode 123. Instead of giving each group a Coder and Coder cards, give students a tablet or computer and build the projects to drive to Grandmother's house, or scare away the Wolf using the blocks in VEXcode 123. For more information about how to code the Eye Sensor with VEXcode 123, see the Coding the VEX 123 Eye Sensor with VEXcode 123 STEM Library article.

Share

Allow students to discuss and display their learning.

Active Share

Have students share their projects, and explain how they chose to “scare away” the Wolf.

Discussion Prompts

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