VEXGO Lab 2 Design Float Teacher Portal Instructions

: June 17, 2024
: VEXGO

Table of Contents

Lab 2 Design Float Teacher Portal
Product Information
Specifications
- Product Usage Instructions
Implementing VEX GO STEM Labs
Goals
Objective(s)
Assessment
Connections to Standards
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: How can I access the Lab Image Slideshows?
Q: What are some key tips for successful float design?
- Read User Manual Online (PDF format)
- Download This Manual (PDF format)

Lab 2 Design Float Teacher Portal

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Product Information

Specifications

Product Name: VEX GO – Parade Float
Lab: Lab 2 – Design a Float
Designed for: Online teacher’s manual for VEX GO
Intended Usage: Plan, teach, and assess with VEX GO

Product Usage Instructions

Implementing VEX GO STEM Labs

STEM Labs serve as the online teacher’s manual for VEX GO,
providing resources and information for planning, teaching, and
assessing with VEX GO. The Lab Image Slideshows complement the
teacher-facing content.

For detailed guidance on implementing a STEM Lab in your
classroom, refer to the Implementing VEX GO STEM Labs article.

Goals

Apply the engineering design process to design and test parade
floats.
Understand the iterative nature of the engineering design
process.
Develop skills in using the design process to solve authentic
problems through trial and error.
Learn how to make designs using the engineering design
process.

Objective(s)

Decompose the coding process for navigating the Code Base robot
through a course.
Use problem-solving strategies in design challenges.
Design a parade float by adding materials to the Code Base
robot within specified constraints.

Assessment

In Play Part 2, convert pseudocode to code blocks for a VEXcode
GO project driving the Code Base through a parade route.
In Mid-Play Break, brainstorm solutions for problems
encountered in Play Part 1 during attachment of parade float to the
robot.
Attach parade float to the Code Base and drive it through a
sample parade route.

Connections to Standards

Showcase Standards: Computer Science Teachers
Association (CSTA)

CSTA Standard: CSTA 1B-AP-11 – Decompose
problems into smaller subproblems for program development.

How Standard is Achieved: Groups will create
pseudocode and troubleshoot while planning their parade float
project.

Showcase Standards: Common Core State Standards
(CCSS)

CCSS Standard: CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.G.A.1 –
Describe objects and their positions using spatial language.

How Standard is Achieved: Students will use
spatial language during float design and attachment to the robot as
well as when describing the parade route.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: How can I access the Lab Image Slideshows?

A: The Lab Image Slideshows are available as a companion to the
teacher-facing content of the STEM Labs. You can access them online
through the VEX GO platform or refer to the teacher’s manual for
more information.

Q: What are some key tips for successful float design?

A: Some key tips include decomposing the design process, using
problem-solving strategies, adhering to material constraints, and
testing your design through trial and error. It is also important
to persevere through failures and learn from them without giving
up.

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Goals and Standards

VEX GO – Parade Float
Lab 2 – Design a Float Teacher Portal

Implementing VEX GO STEM Labs
STEM Labs are designed to be the online teacher’s manual for VEX GO. Like a printed teacher’s manual, the teacher-facing content of the STEM Labs provides all of the resources, materials, and information needed to be able to plan, teach, and assess with VEX GO. The Lab Image Slideshows are the student-facing companion to this material. For more detailed information about how to implement a STEM Lab in your classroom, see the Implementing VEX GO STEM Labs article.

Goals

Students will apply The engineering design process to design and test out their oat construction.
Students will make meaning of The iterative nature as part of the engineering design process.
Students will be skilled at Using the design process. Testing and solving an authentic problem through trial and error.

Students will know How to make a design using the engineering design process.

VEX GO – Parade Float – Lab 2 – Design a Float

How to persevere and fail without giving up.
Objective(s) Objective
1. Students will decompose the coding process for navigating the Code Base robot, with materials attached, through a particular course.
2. Students will use problem solving strategies in design challenges. 3. Students will design a parade oat by adding materials to their Code Base robot that adheres to certain
constraints on materials and time.
Activity 1. During Mid-Play Break, students will break down the process for attaching the oat to the Code Base robot to analyze how these materials will a ect the robot’s movement. In Play Part 2, students will decompose the route that the Code Base robot will travel with the parade oat attached using pseudocode. 2. During Engage, students will problem solve to create the tallest tower with one sheet of paper in 5 minutes. Students will be faced to overcome failure and frustration. In the Play sections, they will have to problem solve and iterate to design and build a parade oat that attaches to the Code Base. 3. During Engage, students will design their parade oat using a Blueprint Worksheet in a collaborative manner. Students will adhere to constraints on time and materials by using “tokens” to limit the amount of materials they can “buy.”
Assessment 1. In Play Part 2, students will convert their pseudocode to [Comment] blocks and use this as a foundation for creating a VEXcode GO project that successfully drives the Code Base through a sample parade route. 2. During Mid-Play Break, students will brainstorm ways to solve problems that arose in Play Part 1 when attaching the parade oat to the Code Base robot. 3. Students will attach their parade oats to the Code Base and drive the Code Base through a sample parade route.

VEX GO – Parade Float – Lab 2 – Design a Float

Connections to Standards

Showcase Standards
Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA) CSTA 1B-AP-11: Decompose (break down) problems into smaller, manageable subproblems to facilitate the program development process.
How Standard is Achieved: In Play Part 2, groups will create a pseudocode (step-by-step outline) to plan their project for their oat to move around the parade route. In Play Part 2, groups will start their project and troubleshoot for mistakes and errors while working together to come up with solutions to have their parade oat go through the parade route successfully.
Showcase Standards
Common Core State Standards (CCSS) CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.G.A.1: Describe objects in the environment using names of shapes, and describe the relative positions of these objects using terms such as above, below, beside, in front of, behind, and next to.
How Standard is Achieved: During Play Part 1, students will design and attach their parade oat to the Code Base robot. Students will use spatial language during the building and attachment process. Students may use language such as, “I am attaching this to the top of the oat” or “I added this to the left side so I also need to attach it to the right side.” Students will also use spatial language when describing the parade route.
Showcase Standards
International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) ISTE – (3) Knowledge Constructor – 3d: Build knowledge by actively exploring real-world issues and problems, developing ideas and theories and pursuing answers and solutions.
How Standard is Achieved: In Play Part 1, students will work in groups to use typical classroom materials to create a unique oat based o of their initial planned designs. Students experience a real-world design process as they work to create their parade oat out of classroom materials.
Additional Standards
Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) NGSS 3-5-ETS1-1: De ne a simple design problem re ecting a need or a want that includes speci ed criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, or cost.
How Standard is Achieved: In Play Part 1, groups are given tokens (common classroom items) to “purchase” materials to build and design their parade oat. This experience allows students to work through constraints (such as the materials available in the classroom to use and the amount of tokens they need to “buy” materials) while still successfully building the parade oat.

VEX GO – Parade Float – Lab 2 – Design a Float

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 o er suggestions for setup, these documents are all editable to best suit your classroom and the needs of your students.

VEX GO – Parade Float – Lab 2 – Design a Float

Materials

Purpose

Recommendation

VEX GO Kit

For students to build the Parade Float.

1 per group

Code Base Build Instructions (PDF) or Code Base Build Instructions (3D)

For groups to build the Code Base if not already built, to attach their oat
to.

1 per group to have been built in Lab 1

Blueprint Worksheet

Editable Google Doc for students to brainstorm and sketch their parade
oat design in Engage and for students to write out their pseudocode in Play Part 2.

2 per group

Measuring tape/Ruler

For groups to create a practice parade route in Play Part 2.

1 per group

Sheet of paper

For groups to build the tallest building in the Engage and Demo.

1 per student

Craft materials: Construction paper, tape, scissors, stickers, pom poms, pipe cleaners, markers, and other decorative materials available in the
classroom.

For students to build their parade oat.

1 classroom set of materials

Lab 2 Image Slideshow

For teachers and students to reference throughout the Lab.

1 for teacher facilitation

VEXcode GO

For students to code the Code Base.

1 per group

Tablet or Computer

For students use run VEXcode GO.

1 per group

Pencils

For students to ll out their Blueprint Worksheets.

1 per student

Pin Tool

To help remove pins or pry beams apart.

1 per group

Engage Begin the lab by engaging with the students.

Hook

VEX GO – Parade Float – Lab 2 – Design a Float

Ask the students if they have ever competed in a challenge before. Did they get it perfect on the rst try? Or did it take multiple times to get it right?
Students will complete a design challenge to exemplify how every student in the classroom thinks di erently and how a group must harness those ideas to be successful when tackling an authentic problem.

Leading Question

What is the most important part of being a designer?

Build

Students will design, by using a multitude of items, a oat to put over and around their Code Base

robot.

Play
Allow students to explore the concepts introduced. Part 1 Students will attach the oat to the Code Base robot ensuring that nothing is obstructed. Mid-Play Break Discussion on problem solving and frustration levels. Part 2 Students plan and drive their Code Base oat through a class parade route. They will then write out pseudocode to plan the code needed to complete the parade route, then create projects to drive the Code Base through the route.
Share
Allow students to discuss and display their learning.

VEX GO – Parade Float – Lab 2 – Design a Float

Discussion Prompts
1. What worked during your design process? 2. How do you think engineers solve real life problems? Is this any di erent than what we did today? If not,
why? 3. What aspect of the design process made your group most frustrated? How did you solve that problem?

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

ACTS

ASKS

1. Show students a single piece of paper.
2. Hand out one sheet of paper to each student.
3. Pair students in groups of 2 and give them the same task of building the tallest tower. Circle the room while students are working on their challenge.
4. Stand at the front of the classroom facilitating the discussion.

1. Have you ever competed in a challenge before? Did you get it perfect on the rst try? Or did it take a few tries to get it right?
2. You have 1 minute to create the tallest tower you can with one sheet of paper.
3. What is the most important part of being a designer? What made this challenge di cult? Now, you will work in groups of two using the same sheets of paper to create the highest tower.
4. How did working as a group help your challenge? What ideas did your teammate have? Were they di erent from your ideas?

Getting the Students Ready to Build Each team will have 5 tokens to design and build their parade oat! Start brainstorming your designs.
Facilitate the Build

1

Instruct Instruct students to join their team and then ll 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.

Instruct students to ll out a Blueprint Worksheet by sketching their parade oat attachment design, before coming up to gather materials.

VEX GO – Parade Float – Lab 2 – Design a Float

2

Distribute Distribute tokens and have students use their tokens to “buy” materials that they need to build their

parade oat.

Materials can include construction paper, tape, scissors, stickers, pom poms, pipe cleaners, markers, and other decorative materials available in the classroom. Additional pieces from the VEX GO Kits can also be used to decorate their Parade Float, and to attach the oat to the Code Base.

Tokens can be sticky notes, pom poms, pennies, buttons, or any small item easily available to the teacher.

VEX GO – Parade Float – Lab 2 – Design a Float

3

Facilitate Facilitate the materials distribution and the design process.

Each material will cost one token. Watch to ensure students are only taking materials they have turned in tokens for.

Students may need support dividing roles. If needed, divide groups into Material Managers and Designers.

4

O er O er suggestions and note positive team building and problem solving strategies as teams build

together.

Teacher Troubleshooting
Connect all GO Brains to the VEX Classroom App before beginning the Lab to help facilitate the use of VEX GO in your classroom. Use the VEX Classroom App or the indicator lights to check the status of the GO Batteries, and charge if necessary before the Lab.

VEX GO – Parade Float – Lab 2 – Design a Float

Facilitation Strategies
Encourage collaboration – O er students opportunities to earn more tokens by helping other groups. Through the Parade Float design process, students will learn that more brains are better than one when creating a solution.
By not showing a “model,” you are not limiting what a ” oat” can look like on the Code Base robot which is exciting for young minds to troubleshoot and initiate a more iterative process ultimately making their learning visible.
Allow “mentors” to work with struggling teams. Encourage students who have nished building to become mentors.
Play
Part 1 – Step by Step

1

Instruct Instruct students to attach their oat to the Code Base robot ensuring that all materials stay on the Code

Base robot. Students may need to use more tokens to gather extra materials for this.

Tokens can be classroom items such as buttons or sticky notes

Model VEX GO – Parade Float – Lab 2 – Design a Float

Model using a group’s setup, how to put the oat on top of or around the Code Base robot. Let students

2

know that the oat might need to be removed from the Code Base robot at the end of the Lab. They will

need to reattach their oat at the beginning of Lab 3.

Encourage students to use pins, stando s and connectors from the VEX GO Kit to secure the oat. See the Pieces of the VEX GO Kit VEX Library article for information on the various categories and functions of the Kit pieces.

Design a Float that Attaches to the Code Base

3

Facilitate Facilitate the attachment process by walking around and helping students who are struggling.

Encourage students to work together and use spatial language to help attach the oat. For example, encourage discussion and explanation by asking the students:

Why did you attach that piece to the side/top/back of your Code Base robot?

What would happen if you moved this piece to the other side or even on top of the oat?

How would you describe attaching the oat to the Code Base robot? What words would you use such as on top of, next to, or behind?

4

Remind Remind groups that frustration happens. Ultimately trial and error is a part of life, and there is enough

time for both.

VEX GO – Parade Float – Lab 2 – Design a Float

Ask

5

Ask students to help other groups once they are done with their oat attachment.

Mid-Play Break & Group Discussion
As soon as every group has accomplished attaching their oat to the Code Base robot, come together for a brief conversation.
What problems did you come across while attaching your oat? How did you solve this problem? What solutions did your group use when you found problems in your design?

Part 2 – Step by Step

1

Instruct Instruct students to create a project using VEXcode GO so that their Code Base oat moves around the

parade route. Let students know that they will work with their groups to create pseudocode and a project

to drive their oat through a short parade route.

Example Parade Float

2

Model Model for students how to begin writing pseudocode to plan for their movements around the parade

route.

VEX GO – Parade Float – Lab 2 – Design a Float

Demonstrate how a oat will move through the route. Physically move a Code Base through the parade route course, and have the students provide the spatial language for how the robot is moving. (i.e. moving forward 200 millimeters (mm), turning right 90 degrees.)
Once students understand how to navigate the parade route, they will create pseudocode to plan the path of their Code Base through the route. Show students the animation and walk them through this process.
Plan Code Base Movements with Pseudocode
Show students how to begin writing pseudocode to plan for their movements around the parade route. Remind them that pseudocode is a step-by-step outline written by hand. Encourage students to be exact with their pseudocode to include driving distances and degrees of turns.

Example of Pseudocode

Have students work with their group to write pseudocode. Once the students have completed their pseudocode, they will need to transfer their pseudocode into [Comment] blocks in VEXcode GO. Ensure students have completed the following steps. If necessary, model the steps outlined in the attached VEX Library articles:
Launch VEXcode GO
Connected their GO Brain to their device Note: When you rst connect your Code Base to your device, the Gyro built into the Brain may calibrate, causing the Code Base to move on its own for a moment. This is an expected behavior, do not touch the Code Base while it’s calibrating.
Named the project, Parade 1

VEX GO – Parade Float – Lab 2 – Design a Float

Save the project
Con gure a Code Base Model for students how to add [Comment] blocks into the project. Students will need one [Comment] block for each line of pseudocode. So, if they have eight lines of pseudocode, they will need eight [Comment] blocks. Model for students the rst three lines of the example.

Pseudocode Transferred to [Comment] Blocks
Once students have transferred their pseudocode, they will add Drivetrain blocks. Remind students that the [Comment] blocks are used to organize their projects and they will not execute behaviors. They will need to add Drivetrain blocks to make their Code Base move.
Have students add a [Drive for] block under the rst [Comment] block.

VEX GO – Parade Float – Lab 2 – Design a Float

Add [Drive for] Block
Then, have students adjust the parameters to match what is called for in the [Comment] block. In this case, that is 200 millimeters (mm).

VEX GO – Parade Float – Lab 2 – Design a Float

Adjust Parameters
Instruct students to continue adding the matching blocks throughout their pseudocode. As students complete their projects, have them start their projects and test their code on the test parade route setup.

VEX GO – Parade Float – Lab 2 – Design a Float

Example Project with Pseudocode

VEX GO – Parade Float – Lab 2 – Design a Float

Facilitate

3

Facilitate a discussion with the students by asking the following questions:

How many turns are in the parade route? What direction are they?

How far does your Code Base robot have to move for the entire parade route?

Can you use your hands to explain how the robot needs to move through the course?

4

Remind Remind students that each step in their pseudocode is a behavior that their Code Base robot will

complete. Behaviors should be as speci c as possible.

5

Ask Ask what types of jobs require coding? Can they ever see themselves working at a job that requires

coding? What is fun about coding?

Share Show Your Learning
Discussion Prompts Observing
VEX GO – Parade Float – Lab 2 – Design a Float

What worked during your design process? How did you incorporate everyone’s ideas in your group? Do you still have any lingering questions?
Predicting How do you think engineers solve real life problems? Is this any di erent than what we did today? If not, why? How does the engineering design process help you with this project?
Collaborating What aspect of the design process made your group most frustrated? How did you solve that problem? What was the solution to a problem your group worked on? Did another team help you today?

VEX GO – Parade Float – Lab 2 – Design a Float