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 |
To build the Pantograph build. |
1 per group |
|
To build the Pantograph build. |
1 per group | |
|
Pre-built Pantograph |
To model the build for students. |
1 for teacher |
|
For teachers and students to reference throughout the Lab. |
1 for teacher facilitation | |
|
For students to trace pieces in the Play sections. |
1 per student | |
|
Editable Google Doc for organizing group work and best practices for using the VEX GO Kit. |
1 per group | |
|
For use in building and adapting models. |
1 per group | |
|
Pencils or Pens |
For completing Play Parts 1 and 2. |
1 per student |
Engage
Begin the lab by engaging with the students.
-
Hook
Ask students if they know how a house is built. You need plans to know how to build a house, but they can’t be as big as a house — that would take a lot of paper! Plans, or blueprints, have to be smaller to work with.
-
Leading Question
How can we use the Pantograph to make our drawings bigger or smaller?
-
Build
Pantograph
Play
Allow students to explore the concepts introduced.
Part 1
Students will choose VEX GO pieces to trace the outline, then use the Pantograph to create smaller scaled drawings of those pieces. Students will compare the drawing sizes to the original VEX GO pieces.
Mid-Play Break
Students will discuss the design of the Pantograph, and how that helps it create smaller drawings.
Part 2
Students will change the Pantograph build and trace the small drawings in order to create large drawings. Students will compare the large drawings to the original VEX GO pieces.
Share
Allow students to discuss and display their learning.
Discussion Prompts
- Which parts of the Pantograph build are important for it to create scaled drawings?
- Were your larger and smaller drawings equally accurate, or was one better than the other?
- What other things could you create scaled drawings of using the Pantograph?