Engage

Launch the Engage Section

ACTS is what the teacher will do and ASKS is how the teacher will facilitate.

ACTS	ASKS
Ask students about the sky during different times of the day. Have students recall what was learned in Lab 1 about how the Earth rotates to create day and night. Ask students to make a connection between what they have learned and introduce the idea that the rotation of the Earth causes the apparent movement of the Sun in the sky. Draw a circle on the whiteboard or ask students to focus on one item in the classroom. Have them stand up, stare at that circle, and slowly turn in a circle. It should look like the circle is moving across their eyes! Ask students to sit back down and reflect on what they just observed.	Where is the Sun in the sky when you wake up and come to school in the morning? What about during recess? What rotates to create day and night? The Earth or the Sun? Why do you think it looks like the Sun moves in the sky when we know it is the Earth that is rotating? Follow along with me as we model the Sun appearing to move in the sky while we rotate. What did you notice about the circle while you were rotating? It should have looked like the circle was moving across your eyes because of your perspective. We are going to look from another perspective at how the rotation of the Earth makes it seem like the Sun is moving across the sky using a VEX GO build.

ACTS

ASKS

Ask students about the sky during different times of the day.
Have students recall what was learned in Lab 1 about how the Earth rotates to create day and night.
Ask students to make a connection between what they have learned and introduce the idea that the rotation of the Earth causes the apparent movement of the Sun in the sky.
Draw a circle on the whiteboard or ask students to focus on one item in the classroom. Have them stand up, stare at that circle, and slowly turn in a circle. It should look like the circle is moving across their eyes!
Ask students to sit back down and reflect on what they just observed.

Where is the Sun in the sky when you wake up and come to school in the morning? What about during recess?
What rotates to create day and night? The Earth or the Sun?
Why do you think it looks like the Sun moves in the sky when we know it is the Earth that is rotating?
Follow along with me as we model the Sun appearing to move in the sky while we rotate.
What did you notice about the circle while you were rotating? It should have looked like the circle was moving across your eyes because of your perspective. We are going to look from another perspective at how the rotation of the Earth makes it seem like the Sun is moving across the sky using a VEX GO build.

Getting the Students Ready to Build

Now, it's time to adapt our Day/Night with Switch build to use the Eye Sensor and the Brain. We will be building the Code Day/Night VEX GO build.

Facilitate the Build

InstructInstruct students to join their group, and prepare to build the Code Day/Night build. Have them complete the Robotics Roles & Routines sheet. Use the Suggested Role Responsibilities slide in the Lab Image Slideshow as a guide for students to complete this sheet.

Code Day/Night Build
DistributeDistribute build instructions to each team. Journalists should gather the materials.
FacilitateFacilitate the building process.
- Builders and Journalists should begin building based on their responsibilities in the Lab 2 Image Slideshow.
- Remind students that they will need to begin with their Day/Night with Switch build and remove some pieces (according to the build instructions) as they convert the build to the Code Day/Night build. Encourage them to use the Pin Tool to pry, pull, or push pieces out as needed.
- Circulate around the room to help students with building or reading instructions where needed. Remind students that they can orient the pieces they are holding and building with the same way they are shown in the build instructions, in order to help them be successful in their build.
OfferOffer positive reinforcement for teams that are working well together, taking turns, and using respectful language as they are building. If there are particular teams or students that excel at building, offer them the opportunity to help teams that may be struggling with the build.

Teacher Troubleshooting

Adding the Earth - The same Earth can be used for both Labs 1 and 2. In this Lab, students will be shining a light from the Eye Sensor on the Earth. It is recommended to ensure that the surface of the ball that is being modeled as the Earth is dark. A light surface will absorb the light from the Eye Sensor and make it harder to see.
- To help students better see the light from the Eye Sensor on their Earth, turn off any classroom lights to help darken the environment.
- Or to make the entire setup darker, place the model inside a box. This will help remove light from the environment so the effect of the light on the Earth is easier to observe.
Charging Batteries - Because students will be using the Batteries and Brains during this Lab, ensure that you have charged them before beginning the Lab. For information about the Battery, including battery life, see this article.

Facilitation Strategies

Allow time for building - If students do not have their Day/Night with Switch build from the previous Lab, allow time for building prior to beginning the Lab activities.
Think about how your students will access VEXcode GO. Ensure that the computers or tablets that students will use have access to VEXcode GO. For more information about setting up VEXcode GO, see this VEX Library article.
Use the Get Ready...Get VEX...GO! PDF Book and Teacher’s Guide - If students are new to VEX GO, read the PDF book and use the prompts in the Teacher’s Guide (Google / .pptx / .pdf) to facilitate an introduction to building and using VEX GO before beginning the Lab activities. Students can join their groups and gather their VEX GO Kits, and follow along with the building activity within the book as you read.
- Use the Teacher’s Guide to facilitate student engagement. To focus on VEX GO connections in a more concrete or tangible way, use the Share, Show, or Find prompts on each page to give students an opportunity to get to know their kits in more depth.
- To focus on the habits of mind that support building and learning with VEX GO, like persistence, patience, and teamwork, use the Think prompts on each page to engage students in conversations about mindset and strategies to support successful group work and creative thinking.
- To learn more about using the PDF book and accompanying Teacher’s Guide as a teaching tool any time you are using VEX GO in your classroom, see this VEX Library article.

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