Training Camp 1: Driving Around

1. Prepare

• Read through the pupil material in the LEGO^® Education SPIKE^™ App.
• If you feel that it's necessary, plan a lesson using the getting started material in the app. This will help to familiarise your pupils with LEGO^® Education SPIKE^™ Prime.

2. Engage (5 Min.)

• Use the ideas in the Ignite a Discussion section below to engage your pupils in a discussion relating to this lesson.
• Use the video to explain the lesson.

3. Explore (20 Min.)

• Have your pupils work in pairs to build the Practice Driving Base model.
• Allow them some time use the programming stacks that have been provided to explore the movement of the Driving Base.
• Ask them to change the values and parameters of the blocks and to observe the effects.

4. Explain (5 Min.)

• Facilitate a discussion about the importance of planning each step of their program.
• Explain what pseudocode is and how it can help in their program planning.

5. Elaborate (15 Min.)

• Have your pupils find a way to move their Driving Base in a square.
• Set up a navigation challenge and encourage your pupils to test their skills.
• Don't forget to leave some time for tidying up.

6. Evaluate

• Give feedback on each pupil's performance.
• In order to simplify the process, you can use the assessment rubrics that have been provided.

Successfully navigating through obstacles on robotics competition fields is a key to success. Engage your pupils in a discussion by asking them to:

• Describe a field tactic associated with their favourite sport
• List all of the movements that they think their Driving Base should be able to perform

Have your pupils watch this video to see what they're about to do.

A Simple Driving Base
Use the simple Driving Base model without sensors. Remember to use the cable clips.

Main Program

Possible Solution

Other Programs

Simplify this lesson by:

• Spending extra time explaining what is being controlled by each parameter of the programming blocks

Take this lesson to the next level by:

• Asking your pupils to use the Gyro Sensor to program their Driving Base to drive in a square
• Practising speed and precision on a larger surface, like a competition table

Teacher Observation Checklist
Establish a scale that suits your needs, for example:

1. Partially accomplished
2. Fully accomplished
3. Overachieved

Use the following success criteria to evaluate your pupils' progress:

• The pupils are able to select appropriate blocks for making controlled movements.
• The pupils are able to change the parameters of blocks in iterative ways.
• The pupils are able to stack appropriate move blocks together to create programs.

Self-Assessment

Have each pupil choose the brick that they feel best represents their performance.

• Blue: I've made the Driving Base move in different ways.
• Yellow: I've created different programs in order to move the Driving Base move in a square.
• Violet: I've combined different types of motor movements in order to successfully navigate around obstacles.

Peer-Assessment
Encourage your pupils to provide feedback to one another by:

• Having one pupil use the coloured brick scale above to score another pupil’s performance
• Asking them to present constructive feedback to one another so that they can improve their group’s performance during the next lesson

To incorporate the development of language arts skills:

• Have your pupils look for the most precise way of travelling a distance of 2 metres by exploring these options:

  ▷ Move in seconds
  ▷ Move in degrees
  ▷ Move in rotations
  ▷ Move with sensor

• Ask them to create a document explaining in which situation(s) they'd use each option and why.

Note: This will require additional time.

To incorporate the development of maths skills:

When calculating distances with the Driving Base:

• Drive forward for one second, one rotation or a certain number of degrees. Use this as the basis for estimating the total distance based on the distance that was travelled.
• Calculate the circumference of the wheel and use this to measure the distance travelled (circumference = Pi x diameter or circumference = Pi x 2 x radius)

Note: This will require additional time.

The pupils who enjoyed this lesson might be interested in exploring these career pathways:

• Health Science (Medical and Health Careers)
• Information Technology (Game Programming)