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 building the Pendulum. |
1 per group |
|
For building the Pendulum. |
1 per group | |
|
For student organization and reference throughout the Lab. |
1 per group | |
|
For measuring in Play Part 1 and 2. |
1 per group | |
|
Pre-Built Pendulum |
For use by teacher in Engage. |
1 for teacher facilitation |
|
For use by students in Play Part 1 and 2. |
1 per group | |
|
Pencils |
To fill out the Robotics Roles and Routines Sheet. |
1 per group |
|
For teachers and students to reference throughout the Lab. |
1 per group | |
|
For help with building. |
1 per group |
Engage
Begin the lab by engaging with the students.
-
Hook
Have you ever made up your own game? What did you have to do to make your game? Did you make up directions, goals and objectives? Today we are going to create a way to make a game with the Pendulum.
-
Leading Question
How can we design a game using the Pendulum?
-
Build
Students will build the Pendulum.
Play
Allow students to explore the concepts introduced.
Part 1
Students will be given directions to create 6 similar figures that stand up on their own and are no taller than 100mm. Students will use game directions to try to knock down as many of the figures as possible for the Kerplunk game.
Mid-Play Break
Students will present what successes and challenges they experienced.
Part 2
Students will have time to experiment creating their own game alternative directions, objectives and goals of the Pendulum Kerplunk Game.
Share
Allow students to discuss and display their learning.
Discussion Prompts
- How did your design make the game more interesting or challenging?
- What challenges did you have engineering and programming your game?
- How did you use the pendulum as a tool in the game?
- How did you debug to solve challenges throughout the process?