Summary
Materials Needed
The following is a list of all the materials that are needed to complete the VEX GO Lab. These materials include student facing materials as well as teacher facilitation materials. It is recommended that you assign two students to each VEX GO Kit.
In some Labs, links to teaching resources in a slideshow format have been included. These slides can help provide context and inspiration for your students. Teachers will be guided in how to implement the slides with suggestions throughout the lab. All slides are editable, and can be projected for students or used as a teacher resource. To edit the Google Slides, make a copy into your personal Drive and edit as needed.
Other editable documents have been included to assist in implementing the Labs in a small group format. Print the worksheets as is or copy and edit those documents to suit the needs of your classroom. Example Data Collection sheet setups have been included for certain experiments as well as the original blank copy. While they offer suggestions for setup, these documents are all editable to best suit your classroom and the needs of your students.
Materials | Purpose | Recommendation |
---|---|---|
VEX GO Kit |
For students to build the Code Base 2.0 - Eye Forward, and the color disk maze |
1 per group |
VEX GO Tiles and Walls (or other classroom materials) |
To build a 2x2 Field with Walls to use as the space for the color disk maze |
4 Tiles and 8 Walls per 2x2 Field |
Code Base 2.0 Build Instructions (3D) or Code Base 2.0 Build Instructions (PDF) |
For students to build the Code Base 2.0, if they haven’t already done so. |
1 per group |
Code Base 2.0 - Eye Forward Build Instructions (3D) or Code Base 2.0 - Eye Forward Build Instructions (PDF) |
For students to add the Eye Sensor to the Code Base 2.0. |
1 per group |
For demo in Engage, and for students to use VEXcode GO. |
1 for teacher and 1 per group | |
For students to code the Code Base. |
1 per group | |
For teachers and students to reference throughout the Lab. |
1 for teacher facilitation | |
To help remove pins or pry beams apart. |
1 per group | |
Editable Google Doc for organizing group work and best practices for using the VEX GO Kit. |
1 per group | |
Pencils |
For students to fill out the Robotics Roles & Routines Checklist. |
1 per group |
Pre-Built Code Base - Eye Forward |
For demo in Engage. |
1 for teacher |
Get Ready...Get VEX...GO! PDF Book (optional) |
To read with students to introduce them to VEX GO through a story and introductory build. | 1 for demonstration purposes |
Get Ready...Get VEX...GO! Teacher's Guide (optional) Google / .pptx / .pdf |
For additional prompts when introducing students to VEX GO with the PDF Book. | 1 for teacher use |
Engage
Begin the lab by engaging with the students.
-
Hook
We know that sensors give our robot information. The Eye Sensor can detect if an object is present, and what color it is. How can we see that information in a project? There is a place in VEXcode GO that will show it to us —the Monitor Console! What do you think will happen on the Monitor Console when I hold something in front of the Eye Sensor?
Note: If students are new to VEX GO, use the Get Ready...Get VEX...GO! PDF book and Teacher’s Guide (Google / .pptx / .pdf) to introduce them to learning and building with VEX GO. Add an additional 10-15 minutes to your lesson time to accommodate this additional activity.
-
Leading Question
Why is object or color detecting helpful to our Code Base? How might we use this in a project?
- Build Code Base 2.0 - Eye Forward
Play
Allow students to explore the concepts introduced.
Part 1
Students will use the “Avoiding Obstacles” example project to prevent the Code Base from bumping an object.
Mid-Play Break
Students will discuss how the Eye Sensor can also detect color, and possible uses for color detection, including color coding as cause and effect (detect green - turn right).
Part 2
Students code the Code Base to navigate a disk maze based on the colors it detects. Students will add three colored Disks to their Field (from Play Part 1), and use the color sensing to navigate the maze from start to finish.
Share
Allow students to discuss and display their learning.
Discussion Prompts
- What are the two functions of the Eye Sensor? How did you use each function in this Lab?
- Why might you want to control a robot with an Eye Sensor in a real world situation?
- What other ways could you use an Eye Sensor to help the Code Base accomplish a task?