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 students to build the Motorized Super Car. |
1 per group |
|
For teacher and student reference: gear configuration |
1 for teacher facilitation | |
|
Pre-built Motorized Super Car |
For teacher demonstration during the Engage and Play sections. |
1 for teacher demonstration |
|
For students to build the Motorized Super Car. |
1 per group | |
|
Editable Google Doc for organizing group work and best practices for using the VEX GO Kit. |
1 per group | |
|
Data Collection Sheet (Google / .docx / .pdf ) or Lab 3 Data Collection Example (Google / .docx / .pdf ) |
Editable Google Doc for students to record data during the Play section. |
1 per group |
|
Ruler/ Measuring Tape |
For students to create their track for trials. |
1 per group |
|
Timer |
For students to time each trial of the Motorized Super Car. |
1 per group |
|
Pencils |
For students to record data, document design ideas and fill out the Robotics Roles & Routines worksheets. |
1 per student |
|
Masking tape |
Optional for creating the test track. |
Classroom material to share |
|
To help remove pins or pry beams apart. |
1 per group | |
|
Get Ready...Get VEX...GO! PDF Book (optional) |
To read with students to introduce them to VEX GO through a story and introductory build. | 1 for demonstration purposes |
|
Get Ready...Get VEX...GO! Teacher's Guide (optional) Google Doc / .pptx / .pdf |
For additional prompts when introducing students to VEX GO with the PDF Book. | 1 for teacher use |
Engage
Begin the lab by engaging with the students.
-
Hook
Create a personal connection by asking, “What is the difference between a motorcycle and a bicycle?” Follow up with, “What other objects use motors? Why would using a motor be helpful?” Show Super Car from the last build. How did we power our Super Car? (turning the Orange Knob on the rubber band)
-
Leading Question
How will adding a motor to our Super Car affect its speed?
-
Build
Students will work in groups to build the Motorized Super Car using build instructions (see materials).
Play
Allow students to explore the concepts introduced.
Part 1
Students will experiment with the Motorized Super Cars in timed trials and record those trials on a Data Collection Sheet. How long does it take for the car to get from one point to another? Students will measure out a track and run different trials to see how the motor affects the movement of the car.
Mid-Play Break
How did the Motorized Super Car get the energy to move forward? How is the force transferred to the wheels? How do the gears affect the car’s performance?
Part 2
Students will experiment with a gear configuration on the outside of the Motorized Super Car to see how the arrangement affects the car’s speed. The teacher can use the Lab 3 Image slideshow (see materials) as well as the pre-built car to demonstrate how to change the gear configuration, and what the configurations look like. Students will run test trials for the following gear configurations and determine which increases speed the most: same size pair (from Play Part 1), small to big, and big to small. Animations in the Lab 3 Slideshow (see link in materials table) can help demonstrate the 3 different gear configurations. The slides can be projected or shown on a tablet.
Share
Allow students to discuss and display their learning.
Discussion Prompts
- Where does the energy come from in the Motorized Super Car?
- How do the gears affect the car’s performance?
- What ideas were shared in your group when predicting which gear configuration would make your car faster?
- What arrangement of gears made your Motorized Super Car the fastest?