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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 building a Mars Buggy.

 1 per group

Robotics Roles & Routines

Google Doc / .docx / .pdf

Editable Google Doc for organizing group work and best practices for using the VEX GO Kit.

 1 per group

Lab 5 Image Slideshow

Google Doc / .pptx / .pdf

For teacher and student context and inspiration during the Lab.

 1 for teacher facilitation

Pencils

For students to record their data and fill out the Robotics Roles & Routines worksheet.

 1 per student

Paper or Data Collection Sheet

Google Doc / .docx / .pdf

Editable Google Doc for students to document how the wheels are moving on their buggy.

 1 per student

Pre-built Mars Buggy Demo Illustration in the Lab 5 Slideshow

Google Doc / .pptx / .pdf

Used in  Engage section to demonstrate how wheels and axle function in the Mars Buggy Build

 1 for teacher facilitation

Pin Tool

To help remove pins or pry beams apart.

 1 per group

Engage

Begin the lab by engaging with the students.

  1. Hook

    Ask the students what they have built previously with the kits. What will the Astronaut travel in once they reach Mars? The Astronaut needs a buggy to ride around Mars. Ask the students to list some features that a car/buggy needs to have.

  2. Leading Question

    How can we use the pieces in the kit to create a buggy for our Astronaut?

  3. Build The teacher will demonstrate and explain wheels and axles to students including how they attach, detach, and interact with one another using an image from the Lab 5 Slideshow and pieces from the VEX GO Kit.

    Students will first be building a buggy with functional wheels and then expanding their design to incorporate gears.

Play

Allow students to explore the concepts introduced.

Part 1

Students will design and build a buggy using wheels and axles to create a moving wheel. As students finish construction, they will test their buggies to ensure they are able to move. Students will document their testing by recording which parts they used and the outcome on their Data Collection Sheet. They will need to redesign and edit their build if the buggy is unable to successfully move.

Mid-Play Break

Introduce gears to the students using a demonstration buggy with gears and a video of gears meshing from the Lab 5 Slideshow. How do they connect to one another? What happens to the second gear when I turn the first?

Part 2

Using their initial buggy build, students will be asked to incorporate at least two gears into their buggy design.

Share

Allow students to discuss and display their learning.

Discussion Prompts

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