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 Code Base and extension. |
1 per group |
|
Code Base Build Instructions (PDF) or Code Base Build Instructions (3D) |
For students to build the Code Base. |
1 per group |
|
Lab 1 Image Slideshow Google Doc / .pptx / .pdf |
For teachers and students to reference throughout the Lab. |
1 for teacher facilitation |
|
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 |
|
Engineering Design Process Organizer Google Doc / .docx / .pdf |
Editable Google Doc for students to plan and record the design process for their extension arm. |
1 per group |
|
Pencils |
For students to fill out the Robotics Roles & Routines Worksheet and EDP Organizer. |
1 per group |
|
To help remove pins or pry beams apart. |
1 per group |
Engage
Begin the lab by engaging with the students.
-
Hook
Ask students to raise their hands if they have ever seen a piece of trash on the side of the road. What do they think happens to that bottle or bag? Introduce the word pollution to the students. A pollution crisis is here. We are going to try our best to solve this crisis in our design challenge today.
-
Leading Question
How can we help clean up this trash? What can we do to help clean up pollution in the ocean?
-
Build
Students will build an extension arm to gather trash in the ocean.
Play
Allow students to explore the concepts introduced.
Part 1
Students will continue to edit their build for the extension arm. The extension is for the Code Base robot to collect trash in the ocean. Students will use an iterative process to get their invention to solve the authentic problem.
Mid-Play Break
Students will reflect on Play Part 1. What worked and what didn’t work during the building process? What concerns do you have about your extension arm?
Part 2
Students will now start crafting their speech consisting of their extension arm prototype in less than 30 seconds. If more time is needed, students will continue to build and work on their creation. Students will share their speech with the teacher or with the class if time allows.
Share
Allow students to discuss and display their learning.
Discussion Prompts
- What is the purpose of your extension?
- What materials do you need for your extension?
- What were some ideas from other groups that you liked? Why or why not?