Introduction

Co-Create Learning Targets

Now that you have watched the video, you know that you will code the 6-Axis Arm to pick up and stack Cubes on the pallet. First, you will delve into the process of planning a project and breaking down a task into the smallest behaviors needed to complete it. You will learn how to build a project from your plan, by assigning blocks to each behavior. Then you will practice this process as you plan, build, and test a project to stack one Cube on top of another. You will learn about the offset on the z-axis that is necessary to stack successfully. Finally, you will pull all of this together to create a project that stacks all nine Cubes onto one pallet successfully.

You will co-create learning targets with your group and your teacher to capture these goals, so that you have a shared understanding of your learning goals for the Unit. You will write your learning targets in your engineering notebook so you can refer to them throughout the Unit. 

It is helpful to phrase learning targets in the form of "I can" statements. Example learning targets for this Unit could include: 

• I can identify the z-axis offset of a Cube on the pallet.
• I can build a project from a plan recorded in my engineering notebook.
• I can code the 6-Axis Arm to place a Cube on top of another successfully.
• I can document a plan for stacking multiple Cubes in my engineering notebook.

To create your learning targets, first brainstorm what you will need to know to complete the activities shown in the video above. Make a list in your engineering notebook of what you will need to know, learn, and do, like this: 

• Identify the z-axis offset of a Cube and pallet.
• Write down the individual behaviors needed to accomplish a task.
• Determine the blocks needed to execute each behavior in a plan with the 6-Axis Arm.
• Use relative movement to place one Cube on top of another.
• Work collaboratively to complete the activity with the 6-Axis Arm.

Next, co-create learning targets based on your list. Think about how each of the things you listed can be framed into a learning target, using "I can" statements. You can use this template to help you write your learning targets in your engineering notebook (Google Doc / .docx / .pdf).

For example, the list item "Use relative movement to place one Cube on top of another" can be shifted to a learning target of I can code the 6-Axis Arm to place a Cube on top of another successfully.

Share your learning targets with your teacher. Adjust them as needed so that you, your group, and your teacher are all in agreement.

Vocabulary

In this Unit, you will learn how to code the 6-Axis Arm to use the Magnet to stack Cubes. This vocabulary list is here to provide reference for any new terms you may come across. Record this vocabulary in your engineering notebook. Use this list as reference as you work through the Unit and encounter words you may not be familiar with. 

Comments

Blocks in VEXcode that are added to projects to explain what a programmer wants parts of the program to do.

Decompose

Breaking down a task into the smallest possible behaviors.

Offset

The distance between a robotic arm's current position and its target position, used in the precise placement of objects.

Sequence

The order in which blocks are executed one after the other. 

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