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Engage

Launch the Engage Section

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

ACTS ASKS
  1. Show students the Fuel Cell Tile from the Stage 4 Field, or the image of the Fuel Cells and cradles on the Field in the Image Slideshow (Google Doc / .pptx / .pdf), to help prompt ideas. Point out the Fuel Cells, and how they can roll along the cradle.
  2. Have students share their ideas about how they think the cradles might move, based on the way they and the Fuel Cells are constructed. Guide them to connect tilting the Solar Panel from Lab 3 to tilting the cradles in this Lab.
  3. Guide students to notice the vehicles on the Field – the Rocket Ship and helicopter at the Landing Site. You can use the image of the Stage 4 Field in the Image Slideshow (Google Doc / .pptx / .pdf) to help students recall what else is on the Field.
  4. Note student responses on the board. You may want to leave them visible to reference throughout the Lab.
  5. Have students brainstorm ideas for how to release and deliver the Fuel Cells using the Hero Robot. You may want to have a robot and a Fuel Cell available for a visual aid, as students share ideas about how to accomplish the competition tasks.
  1. The new element on the Field for this Lab has Fuel Cells that are in cradles. How do you think the Fuel Cells get out of the cradles? 
  2. What do you notice about how the cradles move, that is similar or different to the Solar Panel or Rocket Ship in Lab 3?
  3. What is on the Field that might need fuel in order to move? What do you think we are going to do with the Fuel Cells once we get them out of the cradles? 
  4. What is something you remember about how your team worked together in the last Lab, that could help you be successful in this one? 
  5. How do you think you will need to drive your Hero Robot to score points in this competition?

Getting the Students Ready to Build

Before we can drive our Hero Robots to release and deliver Fuel Cells on the Field, we first need to build our competition Hero Robot.

Note: If you have already built your Competition Advanced 2.0 Hero Robots, you can skip this section. 

Facilitate the Build

  1. InstructInstruct students to join their group, and have them complete the Robotics Roles & Routines sheet. Use the Suggested Role Responsibilities slide in the Lab 4 Image Slideshow as a guide for students to complete this sheet.

    Instruct students that the competition Hero Robot is built in two stages. First, they will build the Competition Base 2.0, then they will add onto that to build the Competition Advanced 2.0 Hero Robot.

  2. DistributeDistribute build instructions for the Competition Base 2.0 to each team. Journalists should gather the materials on the checklist for the Competition Base 2.0 to begin.

    Front view of a completed VEX GO Competition Base build.
    Competition Base 2.0

    As students complete the Competition Base 2.0, have them check in with you. Then, distribute build instructions for the Competition Advanced 2.0 Hero Robot. Students will add onto the Competition Base 2.0 to build the Competition Advanced 2.0 Hero Robot. Journalists should gather the materials on the checklist.

    Competition Advanced 2.0 Hero Robot.
    Competition Advanced 2.0 Hero Robot

     

  3. FacilitateFacilitate the building process.
    • Builders and Journalists should begin building based on their responsibilities in the Lab 4 Image Slideshow. 
    • Depending on the amount of time you have, you may want to have students build the Competition Base 2.0, then stop, and resume building during the next class time. 
    • 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.
    • Engage students' prior knowledge by asking questions about how this build is similar or different to other VEX GO builds that they have used before, like the Code Base. Why do they think that is? What might the competition robot be able to do that is new or different?
  4. OfferOffer Offer 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

Facilitation Strategies

  • Introduce the Mars Math Expedition Competition to your students using the Mars Math Expedition PDF Storybook! The book gives a diary account of Col. Jo as part of the Mars Math Expedition crew, and contextualizes competition tasks for students through Col. Jo's experiences in a fun and engaging story.
    • Read the story to students, print a copy for your classroom library, and return to the story throughout your competition cycle.
    • You may want to have students create their own Expedition Logs to track their progress through competition tasks alongside Col. Jo. 
  • Allow extra time in the Engage section if you choose to have students build Stage 4 of the Mars Math Expedition Field together with you. This stage builds the Lab to add to the Field. All elements from Stage 1 stay intact, and are part of this stage as well. To help students stay organized, divide up build instructions by team. Suggestions for how to do this include: 
    • Team A completes steps 1-7 of the Fuel Depot build instructions
    • Team B completes steps 8-15 of the Fuel Depot build instructions 
    • Team C completes steps 16-25 of the Fuel Depot build instructions
    • Team D completes steps 26-33 of the Fuel Depot build instructions
    • Team E completes steps 34-42 of the Fuel Depot build instructions 
    • Team F completes steps 43-50 of the Fuel Depot build instructions
    • Team G completes steps 51-55 of the Fuel Depot build instructions
    • Team H completes the Fuel Cell build instructions and attaches the tiles and walls together.
  • Allow time during Play Part 1 for all students to take a turn driving the Hero Robot on the Field. Remind students that they can change the controls to find a Drive Mode that works best for them.
    • You may want to have students practice just tilting the cradles, releasing the Fuel cells and watching how they move to help them figure out strategy options for delivering the Fuel Cells. Depending on how quickly the Fuel Cells are released from the cradles, they may roll unpredictably on the Field. This is something students may want to consider as they practice delivery.
  • You may want to allow extra time and VEX GO Kit pieces for students to design and build an iteration of the forks on the Hero Robot, to help them manipulate the Fuel Cells more easily. You can use the Engineering Design Process Organizer (Google Doc/.docx/.pdf) to help students document the problem they are trying to solve, their design idea, and how successfully it accomplished their goal.
    • To help students stay focused and organized, you may want to have them check in with you to share their design ideas before they begin building. This way, you can help them evaluate the feasibility of the iteration in the time and constraints of your setting. Ask questions like: 
      • How will this change help your robot move the Fuel Cells more easily? What problem are you having now that this iteration will solve? 
      • How much time do you think this will take you to build? Can you build it in the time we have in class? 
      • How will you test your iteration to know if it is successful? What will you look for in your next practice drive to know if it is working?
    • You can offer constraints like the number of pieces, or the area of the robot that they can adapt, to help students focus on a small and specific iteration, rather than trying to redesign the entire arm.
  • The speed of the Hero Robot depends on how slow or quickly the controls are moved in the Drive tab. The slower the joystick is pushed, the slower the robot will move. For more information about remote control driving in VEXcode GO, read the Using the Drive Tab in VEXcode GO article.
  • Think ahead about how you want to structure the Fuel Cell Frenzy competition. It is recommended for each team to have at least two matches to compete in, so that as many students as possible get to have the chance to be a driver in the competition. To learn more about running VEX GO classroom competitions, see this article. 
  • Encourage students to document their learning by drawing or writing about their robot, driving practice, and competition strategy. Use the Blueprint Worksheet (Google Doc / .docx / .pdf) or the Data Collection Sheet (Google Doc / .docx / .pdf) as a basic template for students to take notes. These artifacts can then be used to share student learning and progress with others in the classroom and school community on a bulletin board or student portfolio.