Engage

Launch the Engage Section

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

ACTS	ASKS
Write the word “Mars” on the board, and note students' answers as they offer information. Invite students to share ideas about how scientists work. Guide students to the idea of the Mars rovers. Show images from the Background Information, or other classroom resources to help. Note students’ responses on the board, as they pertain to what the students will be doing in the Lab (driving, collecting things, etc). Guide students to thinking about the way that they control their Code Base robots, and suggest things like coding and computers if students need help to make the connection. Show students Field setup where they will test their projects. Show them VEXcode GO open on a tablet or computer, and the Code Base.	What are some things that we know about Mars? How do you think scientists figured those things out so that we could learn about them? Guess what? Scientists are learning about Mars right now, from here, on Earth. How do you think they’re doing that? What kinds of things do you think the Mars rovers do to help scientists? How do you think the rovers are able to drive around Mars to do those things? There aren’t any astronauts on Mars to drive them, so how do you think that happens? We are going to pretend our Code Base robots are rovers on Mars! How do you think we could code them to pretend to collect samples as the real rovers do?

ACTS

ASKS

Write the word “Mars” on the board, and note students' answers as they offer information.
Invite students to share ideas about how scientists work.
Guide students to the idea of the Mars rovers. Show images from the Background Information, or other classroom resources to help.
Note students’ responses on the board, as they pertain to what the students will be doing in the Lab (driving, collecting things, etc).
Guide students to thinking about the way that they control their Code Base robots, and suggest things like coding and computers if students need help to make the connection.
Show students Field setup where they will test their projects. Show them VEXcode GO open on a tablet or computer, and the Code Base.

What are some things that we know about Mars?
How do you think scientists figured those things out so that we could learn about them?
Guess what? Scientists are learning about Mars right now, from here, on Earth. How do you think they’re doing that?
What kinds of things do you think the Mars rovers do to help scientists?
How do you think the rovers are able to drive around Mars to do those things? There aren’t any astronauts on Mars to drive them, so how do you think that happens?
We are going to pretend our Code Base robots are rovers on Mars! How do you think we could code them to pretend to collect samples as the real rovers do?

Getting the Students Ready to Build

Before we can start coding our Code Bases, we need to build the Code Base 2.0!

Facilitate the Build

InstructInstruct students to join their group, and have them complete the Robotics Roles & Routines sheet. Use the Suggested Role Responsibilities slide in the Lab 1 Image Slideshow as a guide for students to complete this sheet.
DistributeDistribute build instructions to each team. Journalists should gather the materials on the checklist.

Code Base 2.0 - LED Bumper Top build
FacilitateFacilitate the building process.
- Builders and Journalists should begin building based on their roles and responsibilities, like those shown in the Lab 1 Image Slideshow.
- Circulate around the room to help students with building or reading instructions where needed. Ask questions about how the build is being constructed to keep all students engaged in the buildings process, and remind students to follow their Role Responsibilities if they need help taking turns.
OfferOffer suggestions and note positive team building and problem solving strategies as groups build together.

Teacher Troubleshooting

If the wires seem to be getting in the way for students, use a rubber band to pull them together, and you can tuck the bundle into the build if needed, to keep the wires from impeding the movement of the Code Base during the Lab.
Throughout this Unit, students will be adding “sample” items to the top of their robots. To ensure that these additions do not interfere with the movement of the Code Base, make sure the additions are lightweight and do not touch the ground when the robot is placed on a surface.

Facilitation Strategies

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.
Gather the materials each group needs before class. For this Lab, each group of two students will need a GO Kit, Build instructions, a computer or tablet to access VEXcode GO, a small classroom item to act as a sample, and access to a GO Field for testing.
Set up your Fields ahead of time, as shown in the image below, to serve as a testing area for the Code Base robots. Mark the start and sample locations, as shown, using a dry erase marker, or classroom items. Have these spread out around the classroom to allow students ample space to test their projects. Both Labs in this Unit will use the same Field setup, so you can leave your fields together from Lab 1 to Lab 2.

A top-down view of a GO field with two symbols marking a start position and an object's position. The object is directly above the starting position, and the goal is to reach the object from the starting position. — Field Setup

Try another project - If students successfully reach the sample location right away, encourage them to try navigating to a different sample location. Use a dry erase marker to mark a sample location that is closer or further from the base, and have students adjust the parameters of their project to reach this new sample location.
Try a Turn - For groups who finish early, and need additional challenges, have them add a [Turn for] block to the end of their project in Play Part 1, and test it to see what the Code Base will do. Ask them to experiment, and think of ways that this block could be useful in collecting samples on the Field.
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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