Get ready to move your robot in exciting new directions! In this lesson, you'll learn to drive your robot at any angle using the Move at angle for block. Test your precision by closely circling a barrel without touching it, and discover how accurate angles help your robot move faster and smarter!
Watch the video below to learn about:
- Using the Move at angle for block in a project.
- Determining the angle to move the robot.
Now that you have watched the video, capture your thoughts in your journal. Answer these questions to guide your thinking and help you prepare for a whole-class discussion:
- What do you notice about how the robot moves using this block compared to the last unit? Write at least two observations.
- List at least two questions you have about finding the angles.
- What is something you’ve learned about coding or VEXcode that will help you in this lesson?
Now that you have watched the video, capture your thoughts in your journal. Answer these questions to guide your thinking and help you prepare for a whole-class discussion:
- What do you notice about how the robot moves using this block compared to the last unit? Write at least two observations.
- List at least two questions you have about finding the angles.
- What is something you’ve learned about coding or VEXcode that will help you in this lesson?
After students watch the video and before practicing, come together for a whole-class discussion. Use student answers to the questions provided as the basis for discussion.
Note student contributions on the board so everyone can see and build upon each other's ideas. Remind them to refer to their journals or visuals from the video to help them express their ideas with clarity.
Guided Practice
Now that you have watched and discussed the video, it is your turn to practice!
Step 1: Set up the field as shown below.
Step 2: Use Drive mode to model the movements your robot needs to complete the task.
- Your task is to drive the robot around the orange barrel. Document your driving, then plan how to code that movement.
- Use this task card (Google / .docx / .pdf) to guide your practice.
- Pro Tip: Think back to the strategies for determining angles from the video. Pay close attention to each angle and distance, and document them in detail to plan the path. Use the Robot Protractor, shown in the video, to determine those angles when planning your path.
Step 3: Code the robot to complete the task.
- Your task is to use your path plan from Step 2 to code the robot to move around the orange barrel.
- Use this task card (Google / .docx / .pdf) to guide your practice.
- Pro Tip: Return to Drive mode to help you if your group is stuck when coding. You can drive slowly if you need to, to help you identify specifics about the angle or distance of the robot.
Step 4: Explore moving at angles! Now it's time to explore how to improve your robot's movement around the barrel. Use the following routine as you choose one thing to improve and iterate on at a time:
- Predict
- Start with the first location you want the robot to reach. At what angle do you think the robot will need to move to reach that location? Collaborate to make a group prediction using this sentence stem, and record it in your journal:
- We think the angle is about ____________ degrees.
- Start with the first location you want the robot to reach. At what angle do you think the robot will need to move to reach that location? Collaborate to make a group prediction using this sentence stem, and record it in your journal:
- Drive
- Test your prediction by driving your robot at your predicted angle. Does it move the way you expected? If it feels off, what can you change to make it more accurate? If not, what feels right about it?
- Measure
- Place your Robot Protractor under the robot. At what angle did you actually drive the robot?
- Code
- Use your new angle in your coding project! Adjust your project, then run it to test. Does the robot move the way you intended? If not, use your Robot Protractor to help you change the angle and try again. Be sure to record your angle measurements and observations in your journal as you go.
Resources for Practice:
The articles linked here is available if you need additional support while completing the activity.
Now that you have watched and discussed the video, it is your turn to practice!
Step 1: Set up the field as shown below.
Step 2: Use Drive mode to model the movements your robot needs to complete the task.
- Your task is to drive the robot around the orange barrel. Document your driving, then plan how to code that movement.
- Use this task card (Google / .docx / .pdf) to guide your practice.
- Pro Tip: Think back to the strategies for determining angles from the video. Pay close attention to each angle and distance, and document them in detail to plan the path. Use the Robot Protractor, shown in the video, to determine those angles when planning your path.
Step 3: Code the robot to complete the task.
- Your task is to use your path plan from Step 2 to code the robot to move around the orange barrel.
- Use this task card (Google / .docx / .pdf) to guide your practice.
- Pro Tip: Return to Drive mode to help you if your group is stuck when coding. You can drive slowly if you need to, to help you identify specifics about the angle or distance of the robot.
Step 4: Explore moving at angles! Now it's time to explore how to improve your robot's movement around the barrel. Use the following routine as you choose one thing to improve and iterate on at a time:
- Predict
- Start with the first location you want the robot to reach. At what angle do you think the robot will need to move to reach that location? Collaborate to make a group prediction using this sentence stem, and record it in your journal:
- We think the angle is about ____________ degrees.
- Start with the first location you want the robot to reach. At what angle do you think the robot will need to move to reach that location? Collaborate to make a group prediction using this sentence stem, and record it in your journal:
- Drive
- Test your prediction by driving your robot at your predicted angle. Does it move the way you expected? If it feels off, what can you change to make it more accurate? If not, what feels right about it?
- Measure
- Place your Robot Protractor under the robot. At what angle did you actually drive the robot?
- Code
- Use your new angle in your coding project! Adjust your project, then run it to test. Does the robot move the way you intended? If not, use your Robot Protractor to help you change the angle and try again. Be sure to record your angle measurements and observations in your journal as you go.
Resources for Practice:
The articles linked here is available if you need additional support while completing the activity.
Foreground group work expectations at the start. To learn more about roles for collaboration in coding, view this article about pair programming. Ask questions like:
- How is your group going to get started on this activity?
- How will you make sure everyone contributes to driving and coding?
Distribute the Step 2 task card to each student (Google / .docx / .pdf). Remember, the goal of driving the robot to complete the task is for students to develop a physical model of the task, from which they will build a computational model when they begin coding. Ensure that all students are taking the time necessary to drive, document, and plan during the driven portion of Guided Practice. Establishing good habits with simple tasks will help later on as the tasks get more complex. To learn more about facilitating students' moving between driving and coding, see this VEX Library article.
Students are encouraged to use the Robot Protractor printed out while planning their path. If students do not have access to a printer, print this for them.
As students complete their driving practice, circulate around the room and check in with students about their learning. Ask questions like:
- What is something you're paying attention to while driving that you think will help you to code? Why is that important to you?
- Did everyone drive and document the same way? What is similar or different? How can you combine your ideas into a shared path plan?
Distribute the Step 3 task card to each student after they have met the success criteria for driving, and shared their path plan with you (Google / .docx / .pdf). Students will then use their plan as the basis for building their VEXcode projects. Encourage students to add to their driving documentation as they build and test their projects, to help them identify what strategies and details are most helpful. Remind students that they can return to driving at any time to help them code their project successfully.
As students are coding the robot, circulate around the room and engage students in discussions to learn about their coding progress and understandings. Ask questions like:
- How are you making the robot navigate around the barrel using angles?
- How can you ensure the angles are correct and accurate?
- How did your group collaborate to complete this task together?
Step 4 is designed to promote student iteration and exploration by moving between driving and coding to improve their projects and find the best strategy for the task. Students should use the Predict-Drive-Measure-Code process to help them improve one thing about their robot's movement at a time. Then they should cycle through the process repeatedly to improve their project. To facilitate this process, ask questions like:
- Did the results of your testing match your prediction? What adjustments do you need to make?
- How does predicting the angle before you drive help you to code your robot accurately?
- How does coding help your driving? How does driving help your coding?
Wrap-Up
Now that you have practiced, it is time to share what you learned. Answer the following questions in your journal to help you reflect on your learning and prepare for a whole-class discussion:
- What is something you learned while driving that helped you in coding? How did you document that learning?
- What is something you learned about determining angles?
Now that you have practiced, it is time to share what you learned. Answer the following questions in your journal to help you reflect on your learning and prepare for a whole-class discussion:
- What is something you learned while driving that helped you in coding? How did you document that learning?
- What is something you learned about determining angles?
Guide students to share their learning in a whole-class discussion. Help students reflect on their learning to build shared understanding and learning targets.
Use the questions students answered in their journals as the starting point for the discussion. As you listen to students' contributions, ask follow up questions to guide their understanding:
- If someone asked you what an angle is, how can you explain it?
- How did you find your angles and distances? What are some of the different ways? Is there a method you can use in future lessons?
- What do you know about coding your robot now that you didn't know before practicing? What evidence do you have to support that?
Add to the shared list of coding practices in VEXcode based on student input, to help create artifacts that reflect the class' current understanding.
Select Next > to move on to the next lesson.