Implementing VEX GO STEM Labs

STEM Labs are designed to be the online teacher’s manual for VEX GO. Like a printed teacher’s manual, the teacher-facing content of the STEM Labs provides all of the resources, materials, and information needed to be able to plan, teach, and assess with VEX GO. The Lab Image Slideshows are the student-facing companion to this material. For more detailed information about how to implement a STEM Lab in your classroom, see the Implementing VEX GO STEM Labs article.

Goals and Standards

Goals

Students will apply

Using the [Wait until] block with the <Found object> block together in a VEXcode GO project that will continually check a condition and will not move to the next block until the condition is met.

Students will make meaning of

How to code the Code Base robot to solve a challenge, such as driving until an object is detected.

Students will be skilled at

Using build instructions to build the Code Base 2.0 - Eye Forward.
Connecting a Brain to a tablet or computer in VEXcode GO.
Saving and naming projects in VEXcode GO.
Adding VEXcode GO blocks to a project.
Sequencing blocks in a project.
Using Drivetrain blocks in a project to have the Code Base drive to a specific location.
Changing parameters in VEXcode blocks.
Starting and stopping a project in VEXcode GO.

Students will know

How the Eye Sensor on the Code Base can be used to detect objects.
That the <Found object> block in VEXcode GO works with the Eye Sensor to detect an object in its field of view.
How to use the [Wait until] block with the <Found object> block in a project to have the Code Base drive until it detects an object.

Objective(s)

Objective

Students will develop a VEXcode GO project using the [Wait until] and <Found object> blocks together with Drivetrain blocks to complete a challenge.
Students will identify that the Eye Sensor on the front of the Code Base 2.0 - Eye Forward can detect objects in its field of view.
Students will communicate behaviors, through words and gestures, that the Code Base will need to complete in order to accomplish a task.

Activity

In Play Part 1, students will create a project using the [Wait until] and <Found object> block together to have the Code Base drive until the Eye Sensor detects an object.
In Engage, students will build the Code Base 2.0 - Eye Forward and identify the Eye Sensor on the front of the Code Base. In Play Part 1, students will see how this sensor is used to detect when an object is present by using the <Found object> block in a project and testing it on a Field.
In Play Part 1, students will describe how the Code Base moves when the [Wait until] and <Found object> blocks are used with Drivetrain blocks in a project.

Assessment

In Play Part 2, students will add an LED Bumper to their build and add to their projects so the LED glows a color after an object is detected by the Eye Sensor. Students build and test a project that successfully has the Code Base drive until an object is detected, then it will stop and the LED Bumper will glow for 3 seconds.
In the Play section, the students will identify the location of the Eye Sensor on the front of the Code Base and place the robot so the obstacle is in the field of view of the Eye Sensor.
In Play Part 2, students will describe how the additional blocks added affect the behaviors of the Code Base.

Connections to Standards

Showcase Standards

Computer Science Teaching Association (CSTA)

CSTA 1A-AP-10: Develop programs with sequences and simple loops, to express ideas or address a problem.

How Standard is Achieved: Students will build a VEXcode GO project to drive the Code Base until the Eye Sensor detects an object during Play Part 1. During the Mid-Play Break, students will observe the highlight feature in VEXcode GO and describe the project flow with the [Wait until] and <Found object> blocks. Students will then add onto their projects in Play Part 2 to have the Code Base signal after it has detected an obstacle by having the LED Bumper on the Code Base glow green for 3 seconds. They will need to sequence the project so that the Code Base first drives until it detects an object, then glows to represent that the Eye Sensor has detected something. The LED Bumper will glow for 3 seconds, then turn off.

Showcase Standards

Common Core State Standards (CCSS)

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.3.6: Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate conversational, general academic, and domain-specific words and phrases, including those that signal spatial and temporal relationships.

How Standard is Achieved: Students will describe the movement of the Code Base using words and gestures as they build and test their project during the Play sections. After building and testing a project during Play, students will recount how the Code Base moved in relation to the “obstacle” on the Mars landing area (the GO Field) in the Mid-Play Break and Share sections.

Additional Standards

Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA)

CSTA 1B-IC-20: Seek diverse perspectives for the purpose of improving computational artifacts.

How Standard is Achieved: Students brainstorm and plan the path the robot needs to take in order to complete the task. They discuss their plan with other groups and share ideas on how to complete the activity. The teacher facilitates these discussions so students have guidance on how to seek those differing perspectives from other groups in order to improve their VEXcode GO projects.

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