Engage

Launch the Engage Section

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

ACTS	ASKS
Demonstrate to students how a swing operates back and forth with motion and force. Demonstrate how the swinging motion is also found in the tool called a pendulum by showing the pre-build Pendulum. Write down ideas for what to use a pendulum for in the classroom on a whiteboard or a piece of poster paper. Show students the Pre-Built Pendulum and illustrate vocabulary words such as pin, connectors and standoff as a way to talk about the VEX pieces in the kit.	Have you been on a swing? How does that make you feel? How does it stop? How does it use motion and force? What do you think this swinging motion could be used for in an invention? Today we are going to engineer one and see what we can discover. What types of materials do you think we need to create a pendulum? We are going to use the VEX GO Kit to create a pendulum.

ACTS

ASKS

Demonstrate to students how a swing operates back and forth with motion and force.
Demonstrate how the swinging motion is also found in the tool called a pendulum by showing the pre-build Pendulum.
Write down ideas for what to use a pendulum for in the classroom on a whiteboard or a piece of poster paper.
Show students the Pre-Built Pendulum and illustrate vocabulary words such as pin, connectors and standoff as a way to talk about the VEX pieces in the kit.

Have you been on a swing? How does that make you feel? How does it stop? How does it use motion and force?
What do you think this swinging motion could be used for in an invention? Today we are going to engineer one and see what we can discover.
What types of materials do you think we need to create a pendulum?
We are going to use the VEX GO Kit to create a pendulum.

Getting the Students Ready to Build

Today, your team will get to investigate how the pendulum works using the iterative process of failing, and trying again, until you find a solution - but first you need to build the pendulum using directions. Let’s get building, VEX makers!

Facilitate the Build

InstructInstruct students to join their team, and have them complete the Robotics Roles & Routines sheet. Use the Suggested Role Responsibilities slide in the Lab 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.

Pendulum Build
FacilitateFacilitate building process.
- Builders can begin building. If there are multiple builders, they should alternate steps to complete the build.
- Journalists should assist with build instructions as needed.
OfferOffer suggestions and note positive team building and problem solving strategies as teams build together.

Teacher Troubleshooting

If students are having trouble with the pins, offer the Pin Tool as a support.
Tell students to take a 3 minute break and chat together about what it means to be a group, your group goals and how can you solve this problem.

Facilitation Strategies

Instruct students to “Ask three before me.” Students should ask three other students any questions relating to the build before coming to the teacher to ask a question.
Offer in the moment observation as teams work well, and invite them to share teamwork strategies with the class.
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 Doc/.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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