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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 Super Car and for activities in the Play sections.

 1 per group

Pre-built Super Car (optional)

Used by the teacher during the Engage section for demonstration.

 1 for teacher demonstration (optional)

Super Car Build Instructions (PDF) or Super Car Build Instructions (3D)

For students to build the Super Car.

 1 per group

Lab 1 Image Slideshow Google / .pptx / .pdf

For teachers and students to reference throughout the Lab.

 1 for teacher facilitation

Robotics Roles & Routines Google / .docx / .pdf

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 1 Data Collection Sheet Example (Google / .docx / .pdf)

Editable Google Doc for documenting the group’s predictions and observations in the Play sections.

 1 per group

Measuring Tool

For students to measure how far the Super Car travels.

 1 per group

Masking Tape

For students to mark the start and finish line for trials.

 1 per group

Pencils

For students to fill out the Robotics Roles & Routines worksheet and the Data Collection Sheet.

 1 per group

Pin Tool

To help remove pins or pry beams apart.

 1 per group

Get Ready...Get VEX...GO! PDF Book (optional) 

 To read to 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 / .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.

  1. Hook

    Hold up the Super Car and ask students, if they have ever used a wind up car. Demonstrate how it works by winding the Orange Knob and letting the car travel. Ask students to predict how far it will travel, and explain their reasoning.

    Note: If students are new to VEX GO, use the Get Ready...Get VEX...GO! PDF book and Teacher’s Guide (Google / .pptx / .pdf) 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. 

  2. Leading Question

    What kinds of things affect the distance that the car travels?

  3. Build Student groups will build a Super Car of their own using the roles of Builder and Journalist.

Play

Allow students to explore the concepts introduced.

Part 1

Students complete 5 trials where they measure the distance that the Super Car travels with varying amounts of knob turns.  They will track the number of turns and how far it travels.

Mid-Play Break

Do you notice any patterns in the data collected? How fast did your Super Car travel? Was it always the same? What do you think affects how fast the car moves? What makes you say that?

Part 2

Students will compete in distance contests to see if they can use their data to accurately predict the number of Orange Knob turns that will allow the Super Car to travel the farthest distance. They will make predictions and record race results together as a class.

Share

Allow students to discuss and display their learning.

Discussion Prompts

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