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 Super Car. |
1 per group |
|
Pre-built Super Car (optional) |
For demonstration. |
1 for teacher demonstration |
|
For teacher and student reference. |
1 for teacher facilitation | |
|
Super Car Build Instructions (PDF) or Super Car Build Instructions (3D) |
For students to build the Super Car. |
1 per group |
|
For students building the Powered Super Car from the Unpowered model built in the previous Lab |
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 2 Data Collection Example (Google / .docx / .pdf ) |
For students to record data during the Play section. |
1 per group |
|
Masking Tape |
For students to mark the distance traveled by their Super Car. |
1 roll per group |
|
Markers |
For students to mark the distance traveled by their Super Car. |
1 per group |
|
Ruler/ Measuring Tape |
For students to measure the distance traveled by their 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 |
|
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
Ask students if they have ever tried to shoot a basketball into a hoop. How did they know how hard to throw the ball? Relate their experiences to making predictions based on past data. For example, “The ball didn’t go far enough on the first try, so I threw it harder the next time.”
-
Leading Question
Demonstrate a trial with the Super Car and have students make a prediction on how far it will travel. Then ask the students, “if we were to repeat the experiment, would you make the same guess?”
-
Build
Student groups will build a Super Car of their own, using the build instructions and in the roles of Builder and Journalist.
Play
Allow students to explore the concepts introduced.
Part 1
Students will conduct 5 trials of their car, and measure the distances that it travels each time. On the Lab 2 Data Collection sheet students will track:
- how many times the knob was turned
- how far it travelled
Mid-Play Break
Discuss Part 1’s findings of how far the Super Car travels after different numbers of turns in preparation for application in Part 2.
Part 2
Together as a class, students will compete in distance contests to see if they can use their data to accurately predict a winner.
Share
Allow students to discuss and display their learning.
Discussion Prompts
- Did your predictions get more accurate over time? Why do you think that is?
- What worked well in your build? What was most challenging?
- What, if anything, did you do to change how far the car drove? Why did this have an effect?