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 who need to build their Code Base. |
1 per group |
|
For students to build the Code Base if they have not already. |
1 per group | |
|
Pre-Built Code Base |
From previous Labs. For students to start projects. |
1 per group |
|
For students to create and start projects on the Code Base. |
1 per group | |
|
VEX GO Tile |
For the Warehouse challenge in Play Part 2. |
1 per group |
|
Editable Google Doc for organizing group work and best practices for using the VEX GO Kit. For students to build the Code Base if they have not already. |
1 per group | |
|
For the students to use VEXcode GO. |
1 per group | |
|
For teachers and students to reference throughout the Lab. |
1 for teacher facilitation | |
|
Pencils |
For students to fill out the Robotics Roles & Routines Worksheet. |
1 per group |
|
Measuring Tool |
For students to measure distances that the Code Base robot will travel. |
One Warehouse square for every four student groups. |
|
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) |
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
Have you ever spun around in a tire swing? What about spinning around on an amusement park ride? In Math, turns are measured in degrees. You may have heard of degrees in temperature, but degrees have a special meaning in Math. Degrees in Math are units of measurement used to measure turns and angles. VEXcode GO also measures turns in Degrees. A whole turn is 360 degrees. Why is that? This is because there are 360 degrees in a circle. Since one whole turn is a full circle, it's 360 degrees.
Note: If students are new to VEX GO, use the Get Ready...Get VEX...GO! PDF book and Teacher’s Guide to introduce them to learning and building with VEX GO. Add an additional 10-15 minutes to your lesson time to accommodate this additional activity.
-
Leading Question
How can we make our Code Base turn? How can we control how much it turns by applying our understanding of degrees?
-
Build
Code Base
Play
Allow students to explore the concepts introduced.
Part 1
Students will be create two projects in VEXcode GO: “Left Turn” and “Right Turn.” Students will then save and start the projects. Before they start each project, they’ll predict where the Code Base will end up.
Mid-Play Break
Did the Code Base end up where you thought it was going to? How close? How do the wheels need to move in order for the Code Base to turn?
Part 2
Students will use their knowledge of the commands learned from Play Part 1 to create a new project for their Code Base, as they participate in the Warehouse Challenge. Students will use commands in VEXcode GO to have the Code Base move in a square around a VEX GO Tile, to mimic a task performed by a warehouse fulfillment robot.
Share
Allow students to discuss and display their learning.
Discussion Prompts
- Could you rearrange the sequence of the VEXcode GO commands and get the same result? Why or Why not?
- Do you think that Code Base turns exactly 90 degrees? Why or why not?
- How does each wheel turn in order for the Code Base to turn right? Left?