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 Hero Robot. | 1 per group |
VEX GO Competition Kit |
To create Stage 4 of the Mars Math Expedition Field. | 1 per class |
To build Stage 4 of the competition field before beginning the Lab activities. | 1 per class | |
Competition Base 2.0 Build Instructions (PDF) or Competition Base 2.0 Build Instructions (3D) |
For students to build the Competition Base 2.0 Hero Robot. | 1 per group |
Competition Advanced 2.0 Build Instructions (PDF) or Competition Advanced 2.0 Build Instructions (3D) |
For students to add onto the Competition Base 2.0 to build the Competition Advanced 2.0 Hero Robot. | 1 per group |
For students to use VEXcode GO. | 1 per group | |
For students to drive the Hero Robot using the Drive Tab. | 1 per group | |
Lab 4 Image Slideshow Google Doc / .pptx / .pdf |
For teachers and students to reference throughout the Lab. | 1 for teacher facilitation |
To use to introduce the Competition your students | 1 for classroom use | |
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 |
Pencils |
For students to fill out the Robotics Roles & Routines sheet. | 1 per group |
To help remove pins or pry beams apart. | 1 per group | |
Blueprint Worksheet (optional) Google Doc / .docx / .pdf
Data Collection Sheet (optional) Google Doc / .docx / .pdf |
For students to document their learning throughout the Lab. | 1 per group |
Match Order Sheet Template (optional) Google Doc / .docx / .pdf |
To show students the order they will compete during the classroom competition. | 1 per class |
VEX GO Leaderboard (optional) |
To keep track of teams' scores during the competition. | 1 per class |
Engineering Design Process Organizer Google Doc / .docx / .pdf |
For students to document the iterative process of design or strategy throughout the Lab. | 1 per group |
Engage
Begin the lab by engaging with the students.
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Hook
Introduce students to the new goal of releasing and delivering Fuel Cells in the Fuel Cell Frenzy competition. Using what you learned about raising and lowering game elements in Lab 3, how do you think you might get the Fuel Cells out of the cradles? Where do you think the Fuel Cells need to go once they are released? What do you remember about working as a team in the previous Labs, that could help you be a good teammate in this competition?
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Leading Question
How do you think you will need to move your Hero Robot to score points in this competition?
- Build Competition Advanced 2.0 Hero Robot
Play
Allow students to explore the concepts introduced.
Part 1
Introduce the goal of the Fuel Cell Frenzy competition, and how Fuel Cells can be released from the cradles, then delivered to the Rocket Ship and Landing Site on the Field. Then model how to connect a Brain to VEXcode GO, and use the Drive tab to drive the Hero Robot to release the Fuel Cells and deliver them to the Rocket Ship or Landing Site. Students will take turns driving the Hero Robot to release and deliver Fuel Cells on the Field.
Mid-Play Break
Students will talk about how they worked as a team to figure out their driving strategy to release the Fuel Cells from the cradle, and how and where they tried to deliver them. They will compare and contrast strategies between teams, to help them learn more about how to be successful with these tasks in the competition.
Part 2
Students will apply what they practiced in Play Part 1 to participate in the Fuel Cell Frenzy competition! Each team will try to score as many points as they can in a one minute match, by releasing the Fuel Cells and delivering them on the Field with the Hero Robot.
Share
Allow students to discuss and display their learning.
Discussion Prompts
- What went well for your team in the competition? What would you do differently next time?
- What is one thing that you did to help your team develop a strategy for the competition? What is one thing your teammate did that was helpful to your strategy development for the competition?
- What have you learned about driving the Hero Robot to score Fuel Cells that might be useful in future competitions?