Engage

Launch the Engage Section

ACTS is what the teacher will do and ASKS is how the teacher will facilitate.

ACTS	ASKS
Introduce the concept of an inclined plane by asking students to make a personal connection using their experiences, such as going down a slide. Ask students to use their own words to explain why we slide down a slide, but not when we sit on a flat surface like a bench. Have a pre-built Incline Plane to use for a demo to introduce the build. Show the Blue Wheel rolling down the Inclined Plane at the lowest height. Place the Blue Wheel flat on a table or desk. Ask students to explain (in their own words) why the wheel behaves differently on a flat vs. Inclined Plane. Introduce the concepts of balanced and unbalanced forces when responding to their descriptions: an unbalanced force of gravity on the Inclined Plane is what causes the wheel to move. The gravitational force on a flat surface is a balanced force which doesn’t cause the wheel to travel.	Ask the students, “Have you ever gone down a slide? What makes us move down the slide?” What is the difference between sliding down a tall steep slide vs. a low one? What do you see happening here? Do you think the Blue Wheel will move the same way on this flat surface? In your own words, can you explain why the wheel travels when it is rolled down the Inclined Plane, but doesn’t travel when on a flat surface? Do you think that the force of gravity is balanced or unbalanced when the wheel sits at the top of the Inclined Plane? How about on the flat plane?

ACTS

ASKS

Introduce the concept of an inclined plane by asking students to make a personal connection using their experiences, such as going down a slide.
Ask students to use their own words to explain why we slide down a slide, but not when we sit on a flat surface like a bench.
Have a pre-built Incline Plane to use for a demo to introduce the build. Show the Blue Wheel rolling down the Inclined Plane at the lowest height.
Place the Blue Wheel flat on a table or desk.
Ask students to explain (in their own words) why the wheel behaves differently on a flat vs. Inclined Plane.
Introduce the concepts of balanced and unbalanced forces when responding to their descriptions: an unbalanced force of gravity on the Inclined Plane is what causes the wheel to move. The gravitational force on a flat surface is a balanced force which doesn’t cause the wheel to travel.

Ask the students, “Have you ever gone down a slide? What makes us move down the slide?”
What is the difference between sliding down a tall steep slide vs. a low one?
What do you see happening here?
Do you think the Blue Wheel will move the same way on this flat surface?
In your own words, can you explain why the wheel travels when it is rolled down the Inclined Plane, but doesn’t travel when on a flat surface?
Do you think that the force of gravity is balanced or unbalanced when the wheel sits at the top of the Inclined Plane? How about on the flat plane?

We are going to build an Inclined Plane to see how the height of an incline and the force of gravity can impact the distance traveled by an object.

InstructInstruct students to join their group, and prepare to build the Incline Plan. Have them complete the Robotics Roles & Routines sheet. Use the Suggested Role Responsibilities slide in the Lab Image Slideshow as a guide for students to complete this sheet.

Incline Plane Build
DistributeDistribute build instructions to each team. Journalists should gather the materials.
FacilitateFacilitate building process.
- Builders and Journalists should begin building based on their roles and responsibilities, like those shown in the Image Slideshow.
- Circulate around the room to help students with building or reading instructions where needed. Ask questions about how the build is being constructed to keep all students engaged in the buildings process, and remind students to follow their Role Responsibilities if they need help taking turns.
OfferOffer suggestions and note positive team building and problem solving strategies as teams build together.

Teacher Troubleshooting

If students are having trouble with the pins, offer the Pin Tool as support.
Ensure the Red Pins are facing the correct direction in the build for the ramp to be attached.
Ensure students are aware that three different heights of the Inclined Plane need to be built, not just one.

Ensure that the Inclined Plane is placed on the same surface for the different measurements. Changing the surface could impact the measurement.
It is encouraged to place the Inclined Plane on a smooth surface such as a desk or tiled floor. Placing it on a rough surface such as a carpet could impact the distance traveled of the Blue Wheel.
Use the Get Ready...Get VEX...GO! PDF Book and Teacher’s Guide - If students are new to VEX GO, read the PDF book and use the prompts in the Teacher’s Guide (Google / .pptx / .pdf) to facilitate an introduction to building and using VEX GO before beginning the Lab activities. Students can join their groups and gather their VEX GO Kits, and follow along with the building activity within the book as you read.
- Use the Teacher’s Guide to facilitate student engagement. To focus on VEX GO connections in a more concrete or tangible way, use the Share, Show, or Find prompts on each page to give students an opportunity to get to know their kits in more depth.
- To focus on the habits of mind that support building and learning with VEX GO, like persistence, patience, and teamwork, use the Think prompts on each page to engage students in conversations about mindset and strategies to support successful group work and creative thinking.
- To learn more about using the PDF book and accompanying Teacher’s Guide as a teaching tool any time you are using VEX GO in your classroom, see this VEX Library article.

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