SPIKE™ Essential

Arctic Ride

Leo is going on an Arctic adventure to see polar bears. How can he use his snowmobile to get there?

30-45 min.
Beginner
Years 1-2
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Prepare

  • Review the Arctic Ride lesson in the LEGO® Education SPIKE App.
  • If you feel that it would be beneficial, pre-teach these related vocabulary words: the Arctic, backwards, forwards, left, right and snowmobile.
  • Consider the abilities and backgrounds of all your pupils. Differentiate the lesson to make it accessible to everyone. Please refer to the Differentiation section below for suggestions on how to do this.
  • If time permits, plan and facilitate the language arts extension. Please refer to the Extension section below for more information.

Engage

(Whole Class, 5 Minutes)

  • Facilitate a quick discussion about following directions in order to get somewhere, like a playground.
    • Talk with your pupils about how to correctly use directional vocabulary, like left, right, forwards and backwards.
    • Ask questions like these: How could you explain to a friend how to get to a playground? What words would you use?
  • Introduce your pupils to the story’s main characters and the first challenge: making the snowmobile go.
  • Distribute a brick set and a device to each group.

Explore

(Small Groups, 30 Minutes)

  • Have your pupils use the LEGO® Education SPIKE App to guide them through their first challenge:
    • Make and try the program that makes the snowmobile go.
  • Have your pupils iterate and test their models to complete the next two challenges in the app:
    • Change the program for Leo’s next trip. Don't forget to make sure that he can get home!
  • You can find help with coding in the Tips section below.

Explain

(Whole Class, 5 Minutes)

  • Gather your pupils together to reflect on their completed challenges.
  • Ask questions like these: Where did Leo go on his next adventure? How did your snowmobile get him there?

Elaborate

(Whole Class, 5 Minutes)

  • Prompt your pupils to discuss and reflect on how to describe a sequence.
  • Ask questions like these: Why is it important to use words like left, right, forwards and backwards when giving directions? Why is it important to be able to give directions to a friend?
  • Have your pupils tidy up their workstations.

Evaluate

(Ongoing Throughout the Lesson)

  • Ask guiding questions to encourage your pupils to ‘think aloud’ and explain their thought processes and reasoning in the decisions they’ve made while building and programming their models.

Observation Checklist

  • Measure your pupils’ proficiency in describing where the model goes and how they can get it there.
  • Establish a scale that suits your needs. For example:
    1. Requires additional support
    2. Can work independently
    3. Can teach others

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

  • Yellow: I think that I can describe where my model must go and how it can get there.
  • Blue: I can describe where my model must go and how it can get there.
  • Green: I can describe where my model must go and how it can get
    there, and I can also help a friend to do it.

Peer Feedback

  • In their small groups, have your pupils discuss their experiences working together.
  • Encourage them to use statements like these:
    • I liked it when you…
    • I'd like to hear more about how you…

Tips

Coding Tips

  • After your pupils have completed their first challenge, they will be provided with a map.
  • Your pupils can use the map and experiment with the available Coding Blocks to modify their programs to follow the route for the trip.
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Differentiation

Simplify this lesson by:

  • Reading the Arctic Ride story and instructions from the
    LEGO® Education SPIKE App aloud to your pupils
  • Shortening the lesson to include only the first challenge

Increase the difficulty by:

  • Creating a map that their peers can use for Leo’s next adventure
  • Clicking Show Full Palette in the app to utilise more Coding Blocks

Extension

  • Have your pupils participate in a shared research and writing project to create a ‘how-to’ brochure about exploring the Arctic.

If facilitated, this will extend beyond the 45-minute lesson.

Language Arts: National Curriculum English En1/1i Participate in discussions, presentations, performances, roleplay/improvisations and debates.

Teacher Support

The pupils will:

  • Use directional vocabulary to describe a sequence
  • Break a problem down into smaller parts
  • Practise helping a story character
  • Participate in collaborative conversations

(one for every two pupils)

  • LEGO® Education SPIKETM Essential Set
  • Device with the LEGO® Education SPIKE App installed

National Curriculum

Computing
Co1/1.3

  • use logical reasoning to predict the behaviour of simple programs
    Co2/1.1
  • design, write and debug programs that accomplish specific goals, including controlling or simulating physical systems; solve problems by decomposing them into smaller parts

English
En1/1i

  • participate in discussions, presentations, performances, roleplay/improvisations and debates
    En1/2.2c
  • participate in discussion about what is read to them, taking turns and listening to what others say
    En1/2.2d
  • explain clearly their understanding of what is read to them

Pupil Material

Student Worksheet

Download, view or share as an online HTML page or a printable PDF.