Before You Begin
Essential Question: How do precise movements relate to our ability to solve problems effectively?
Unit Understandings:
- The robot’s task determines the path it must follow and the orientation it needs.
- The robot can make absolute and relative movements.
- How to calculate the robot’s heading and determine which headings to turn to.
Standards Alignment
Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA)
- 1B-CS-02: Model how computer hardware and software work together as a system to accomplish tasks.
- 1B-DA-07: Use data to highlight or propose cause-and-effect relationships, predict outcomes, or communicate an idea.
- 1B-AP-08: Compare and refine multiple algorithms for the same task and determine which is the most appropriate.
- 1B-AP-10: Create programs that include sequences, events, loops, and conditionals.
- 1B-AP-11: Decompose (break down) problems into smaller, manageable subproblems to facilitate the program development process.
- 1B-AP-15: Test and debug (identify and fix errors) a program or algorithm to ensure it runs as intended.
- 2-AP-15: Seek and incorporate feedback from team members and users to refine a solution that meets user needs.
- 2-AP-19: Document programs in order to make them easier to follow, test, and debug.
- 3A-AP-22: Design and develop computational artifacts working in team roles using collaborative tools.
Materials Needed (per group):
- VEX AIM Coding Robot
- One Stick Controller
- 3 orange barrels
- 3 blue barrels
- AprilTag ID 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4
- AIM Field (4 tiles and 8 walls)
- VEXcode AIM
- A computer
- Robot Protractor (per student)
- Journal (per student)
Suggested Time for this Unit: 6-9 Sessions
While pacing will vary classroom to classroom, suggested timing can help you plan effectively. A ‘session’ is considered approximately 45-50 minutes. You know your students best, so adjust timing as needed to best meet the needs of your students in your setting.
- Introduction: 1 session
- Lesson 1: 1-2 sessions
- Lesson 2: 1 session
- Lesson 3: 1-2 sessions
- Unit Challenge: 2-3 sessions
In this unit, you will put your precision to the test as you code the VEX AIM Coding Robot to pick up and deliver cargo. You'll learn to turn to specific headings, enabling your robot to move precisely and face specific directions on the field. By the end of the unit, you will be able to code your robot to collect barrels from various locations around the field and deliver them to their final destination.
Watch the video below to learn about your unit challenge: coding your robot to quickly collect and move barrels! You'll need to collect each of the four barrels and bring them back to AprilTag ID 0 for delivery as fast as possible.
After you have watched the video, you will have a class discussion about it. Record your answers to the following questions in your journal, so you are ready to share during the discussion:
- Compare the movements in this video to the movements of the robot in previous lessons. When does the direction the robot is facing matter? When does that direction not matter? How is the robot picking up and placing the barrels?
- Does precision matter for this challenge? Explain your thinking.
- What are some questions you have about coding the robot to face specific directions with VEXcode AIM?
- What skills and understandings will you need to develop to complete the challenge?
After you have watched the video, you will have a class discussion about it. Record your answers to the following questions in your journal, so you are ready to share during the discussion:
- Compare the movements in this video to the movements of the robot in previous lessons. When does the direction the robot is facing matter? When does that direction not matter? How is the robot picking up and placing the barrels?
- Does precision matter for this challenge? Explain your thinking.
- What are some questions you have about coding the robot to face specific directions with VEXcode AIM?
- What skills and understandings will you need to develop to complete the challenge?
After students have watched the video, facilitate a whole-class discussion to elicit students' observations and prepare them for co-creating learning targets for the unit.
- Ask students to share their observations and ideas based on the video, encouraging them to back them up with reasoning. Remind students to apply what they learned previously about the way the robot interacts with objects, including the magnet and the kicker, to add details to their explanations.
- As students share their questions and ideas, help students frame their wonderings as productive scientific questions, ensuring each of the Unit Understandings for this unit are included.
- Guide students to consider the skills and understandings they might need to complete the challenge, as they will use these as they co-create learning targets.
Next, help students to make a real-world connection to the content in this unit and to engage prior knowledge using the following prompt: What are some examples of industries that might use robots for precise navigation?
- In a busier city, students might recognize autonomous delivery robots.
- In communities with hospitals, they might be familiar with the idea of robotic surgical assistants.
- In a farming region, they might be aware of GPS-guided tractors, or crop monitoring drones.
Students may relate back to the earlier unit where precision was discussed. Those examples and connections should also be used to create a thread back to students' prior learning.
Co-Creating Learning Targets
Now that you have watched the video, you know that you will be coding the robot to transport barrels using VEXcode AIM. Think about what you will need to know and learn to do this. You will co-create learning targets with your group and your teacher so that you have a shared understanding of your learning goals for this unit.
Record your learning targets in your journal. You will return to these learning targets later in the unit to reflect on your progress and plan for future learning.
Now that you have watched the video, you know that you will be coding the robot to transport barrels using VEXcode AIM. Think about what you will need to know and learn to do this. You will co-create learning targets with your group and your teacher so that you have a shared understanding of your learning goals for this unit.
Record your learning targets in your journal. You will return to these learning targets later in the unit to reflect on your progress and plan for future learning.
Guide students as a whole-class through the process of co-creating learning targets.
- Brainstorm with students what they will need to know to complete the activities shown in the video above. Frame these as “I can” statements.
- Example “I can” statements for this unit include:
- I can use VEXcode AIM to code my robot to turn in a specific direction.
- I can plan a path for my robot to collect and place barrels.
- Example “I can” statements for this unit include:
- Co-create learning targets based on that list.
For more guidance on co-creating learning targets with your students, see this VEX Library Article.