Overview

Grades

K+ (Ages 4+)

Time

40 minutes per lab

Unit Essential Question(s)

How can I code my 123 Robot using the Coder and Coder cards?

Unit Understandings

The following concepts will be covered throughout this Unit:

How to use the Coder and Coder cards to control the behavior of the 123 Robot.
How changing the Coder cards in a Coder project changes the 123 Robot's behavior.
That one Coder card corresponds to one robot behavior, just as one Touch button press does.
How to create a plan that correctly orders Coder cards in a sequence to solve a challenge.

Lab Summary

Click on the following tabs for a summary of what the students will do and learn in each lab.

Lab 1 - Go See the Lions

Students will use what they know about coding with Touch buttons, to code a sequence to move the 123 Robot from the start to the lion.
Students will then be introduced to the Coder and Coder cards, and will learn how to turn on, connect, and begin to build a project with Coder cards. As a whole group, they will begin to code their robots to ‘Drive 1’ step using the Coder. In their groups, they will continue to build on their projects to drive the 123 Robot all the way to the lion on the Field.
Students will share how they used the Coder and Coder cards in their group to accomplish the task, and will talk about what was similar or different about coding the 123 Robot with the Coder rather than the Touch buttons.

Lab 2 - Visit the Tigers and Bears

Students will build on what they did in Lab 1, to continue to build a project with the Coder and Coder cards to drive their 123 Robots to other animals in the zoo.
Students will first add to their project to drive the 123 Robot to both the lions and the tigers as a whole group. They will then be introduced to new Coder cards, like ‘Drive 2’ and ‘Turn around’ that enable the 123 Robot to do different things than it could with just the Touch buttons. In their groups, students will then apply these Coder cards to build a project to visit all three animals in the zoo.
Students will share how they were able to code their 123 Robots to drive to the lions, tigers, and bears. They will show their projects to the class to highlight the different ways that students went about achieving the same goal.

Unit Standards

Unit Standards will be addressed in every Lab within the Unit.

Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA)

CSTA 1A-AP-08: Model daily processes by creating and following algorithms (step-by-step instructions) to complete tasks.

How Standard is Achieved: In Lab 1, students are introduced to the Coder and Coder cards as a tool to code their 123 Robots. They will follow a step-by-step process for coding using the Coder by first decomposing a project into individual steps, then identifying each desired robot behavior and connecting it to its corresponding Coder card. During Play Part 1, they will complete the first step, as a whole class, to code their robots to ‘Drive 1’ using the Coder. In Play Part 2, they will apply this procedure to finish coding their project to reach the lions in their groups.

In Lab 2, students use the Coder and Coder cards to create a project to drive to all three animals on the Field. During the Engage section, students recall the process for using the Coder with the 123 Robot, then apply the process to pair their Coders and robots. Then, in Play, they continue to build and test projects with the Coder and Coder cards to drive to each animal on the Field.

Computer Science Teachers Association ((CSTA))

CSTA 1A-AP-12: Develop plans that describe a program's sequence of events, goals, and expected outcomes.

How Standard is Achieved: In Lab 1, students will use a project planning worksheet to fill in the Touch button sequence they use to drive to the first animal on the Field during the Engage section. They will then complete the worksheet to add in the Coder cards that correspond to each behavior, to plan and build their Coder project to drive the 123 Robot to the lion on the Field.

In Lab 2, students use a project planning worksheet during the Play sections to plan their 123 Robot’s path and the Coder card sequence they will need to use in order to drive the 123 Robot to visit all three animals on the Field. During Share, students will share their plans and describe how they were able to use the Coder and Coder cards to accomplish their goal.

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