Pacing Guide
This unit should be implemented to supplement student learning on the concepts of coding the 123 Robot to solve a challenge with VEXcode 123..
STEM Labs can be adapted in various ways to fit into any classroom or learning environment. Each STEM Lab includes the following 3 sections: Engage, Play, and Share (optional).
Each STEM Lab in this unit can be completed in as little as 40 minutes
Section Summary
The Engage and Play sections, which contain the primary learning activities, can be completed within 40 minutes. The Share section, which enables students to express their learning is optional, but estimated at around 3-5 minutes per group.
Click on the tabs below to view descriptions of the Engage, Play, and Share sections of the STEM Lab.
The Pacing Guide
The pacing guide for each Lab provides step-by-step instructions on What, How, and When to teach. The STEM Lab Pacing Guide previews the concepts that are taught in each section (Engage, Play, and Share (optional)), explains how the section is delivered, and identifies all the materials that are needed.
The pacing guide contains the following information:
Lab
Provides the approximate time duration of each section of the Lab.
Description
Provides an overview of what students will do in each Lab.
Materials
Lists the materials that are essential to completing the Lab.
Adapting this Unit to Your Classroom
Not every classroom is the same, and teachers face a variety of implementation challenges throughout the year. While each VEX 123 STEM Lab follows a predictable format, there are things that you can do in this Unit to help make it easier to meet those challenges when they arise.
- Implementing in less time:
- For a coding-focused quick implementation of Lab 1, combine the guided demonstration of how to plan a VEXcode 123 project to drive the robot to collect samples. Skip the Engage- step-by-step section, and implement Play Part 1 as a whole class activity. Have the class share ideas and follow along with you to plan, create and test a project that drives the 123 Robot to collect the first sample.
- In Lab 2, you can combine Play Parts 1 and 2, and have students only retrieve two samples with their code rather than all three samples.
- Activities to support reteaching:
- For students who need more practice planning and sequencing a project, use these 123 Activities in your learning center or with the whole class.
- Around the Town (Google Doc/.docx/.pdf) — Students will use paper and tape to make a road and a house, then code the 123 Robot to drive to their road to the front of their house! They will plan the path and create a VEXcode 123 project that sequences drive commands to complete this activity.
- Traffic Cone (Google Doc/.docx/.pdf) — Students will code the 123 Robot to drive past a traffic cone. They will plan the path and create a VEXcode 123 project that sequences drive commands to complete this activity.
- Adapt the Recess Rover activity from the Choice Board to play in the classroom for students who need additional practice understanding how to sequence commands. Have one student try to follow the VEXcode 123 commands of another student’s project. They can only move as directed in the project, and they have to move in the same order of the commands.
- For students who need more practice planning and sequencing a project, use these 123 Activities in your learning center or with the whole class.
- Extending this Unit:
- Once groups have successfully collected their samples, have them create a new project that has the 123 Robot collect the samples in a different order. Then, compare the routes, which one was faster? Which one used more VEXcode 123 blocks?
- Use the Choice Board activities to extend the Unit, while allowing students to express their voice and choice in what activities they want to complete.