My Code, Our Program

1. Prepare

• Read through the pupil material in the LEGO^® Education SPIKE^™ App.
• In order to complete this lesson, your pupils will have to have built the Advanced Driving Base model

2. Engage (10 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 (30 Min.)

• Have your pupils work in pairs to build the two markers.
• Ask them to try out the My Block example program.
• Have them create their own My Block to make their Driving Base drive in a square.

4. Explain (10 Min.)

• Facilitate a discussion about how to use My Blocks in a program.
• Discuss why it's important for all of the team members to understand how the program works.

5. Expand (40 Min.)

• Ask your pupils to create another My Block, this time making their Driving Base drive in a circle.
• Ask them to write a My Block that will make their Driving Base move in a triangle. Encourage them to place the markers and to try and navigate around them using the different shapes.
• 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.

Watch videos of competition robots in action and try to identify some best practices. Use these questions to engage your pupils in a discussion about successful teams and effective programming methods in robotics competitions:

• Why do competition robots complete tasks in a specific order?
• Why do the robots return to their starting position in between clusters of two or more missions?
• What makes an effective program in a robotics competition?

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

Using the Markers
Use the Advanced Driving Base model and the two markers to practice moving in various shapes. Let your pupils decide how big or small each shape should be.

Main Program

Possible Solution

Simplify this lesson by:

• Explaining how to create and use My Blocks

Take this lesson to the next level by:

• Asking your pupils to program their Driving Base to use the Gyro Sensor to drive in a triangle
• Creating a complicated path and challenging the teams to see how quickly they can create a program to cross it
• Practising on an official competition table with various paths, taking into consideration that the Driving Base must stay within the limits of the field area

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 construct a My Blocks program.
• The pupils understand how My Blocks can be used to tidy up their programs and make them easier to manage.
• The pupils understand that My Blocks can be quickly and effectively reordered and repurposed during competitions.

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

• Blue: I've created a My Block.
• Yellow: I've created two or more My Blocks.
• Violet: I've created a range of programs using My Blocks and was able to quickly reorder them to change the actions of our Driving Base.

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 prepare and deliver a presentation about how they programmed their Advanced Driving Base and how they've used My Blocks to help manage and simplify their programs.

Note: This will require additional time.

To incorporate the development of maths skills:
When calculating the distances with the Driving Base:

• Drive forward for one second, one rotation or a 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 distance (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:

• Information Technology (Computer Programming)
• Information Technology (Game Programming)
• Information Technology (IT Applications)