Implementing VEX GO STEM Labs

STEM Labs are designed to be the online teacher’s manual for VEX GO. Like a printed teacher’s manual, the teacher-facing content of the STEM Labs provides all of the resources, materials, and information needed to be able to plan, teach, and assess with VEX GO. The Lab Image Slideshows are the student-facing companion to this material. For more detailed information about how to implement a STEM Lab in your classroom, see the Implementing VEX GO STEM Labs article.

Goals and Standards

Goals

Students will apply

How increasing the velocity of the car means it drives farther in the same amount of time.
How the car’s velocity determines the amount of force it has.

Students will make meaning of

How changing the velocity of the Code Super Car changes its force.

Students will be skilled at

Identifying the purpose of the investigation and how to observe and record data.
Predicting the behavior of objects under the influence of known forces.

Students will know

The higher the velocity of the car, the greater the force in driving it forward is - as observed in the distance it travels in a set time.

Objective(s)

Objective

Recognize how different velocities affect the movement of the Code Super Car.

Activity

Students will build and test their car at four different velocities. They will use their Data Collection Sheet to record how far the Code Super Car travels in three seconds at four different velocities.

Assessment

Each group will record using a Data Collection Sheet, and discuss their test results during the Share discussion.

Connections to Standards

Showcase Standards

Next Generation Science Standard (NGSS)

NGSS 3-PS2-1: Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence of the effects of balanced and unbalanced forces on the motion of an object.

How Standard is Achieved: In Play Part 2, students will investigate the effects of velocity on the distance traveled by the Code Super Car. They will use that information to predict the car’s continued motion, change in motion, or stability based on the balanced or unbalanced forces and discuss during the Share discussion.

Showcase Standards

Next Generation Science Standard (NGSS)

NGSS 3-PS2-2: Make observations and/or measurements of an object’s motion to provide evidence that a pattern can be used to predict future motion.

How Standard is Achieved: Students will test and observe how different velocity settings affect the movement of the Code Super Car in Play Part 2. The data collected in Play Part 2 will be used to inform the groups’ predictions in Share discussions about the motion of the car.

Additional Standards

International Society for Technical Education (ISTE)

ISTE - (7) Global Collaborator - 7c: Students contribute constructively to project teams, assuming various roles and responsibilities to work effectively toward a common goal.

How Standard is Achieved: Throughout the Lab, students will be working in pairs or small groups to construct, program, and test their Code Super Car. Students will choose within their groups who will be the Builder and who will be the Journalist during the Engage section, each role having its own set of duties and responsibilities to be met through the course of the Lab.

Additional Standards

Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA)

CSTA 1B-IC-20: Seek diverse perspectives for the purpose of improving computational artifacts.

How Standard is Achieved: Students brainstorm and plan the path the robot needs to take in order to complete the task. They discuss their plan with other groups and share ideas on how to complete the activity. The teacher facilitates these discussions so students have guidance on how to seek those differing perspectives from other groups in order to improve their VEXcode GO projects.

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