Treehouse Camp

• Review the Treehouse Camp lesson in the LEGO^® Education SPIKE^™ App.
• If necessary, pre-teach these related vocabulary words: camping, debug, moon, roof, and treehouse.
• Consider the abilities and backgrounds of all your students. Differentiate the lesson to make it accessible to everyone. See the Differentiation section below for suggestions.
• If time allows, plan and facilitate the language arts extension. See the Extension section below for more information.

• Facilitate a quick discussion about having to make a change in order to be able to do something.
  • Talk with your students about wanting to see the sunset while standing in the classroom but not being able to.
  • Ask questions, like: What could you change to be able to see the sunset while standing in the classroom? What could you move or remove to help you see it?
• Introduce your students to the story’s main characters and the first challenge: opening the treehouse roof.
• Distribute a brick set and a device to each group.

• Have your students use the LEGO^® Education SPIKE^™ App to guide them through their first challenge:
  • Make and try the program that opens the treehouse roof.
  • Note: The first program your students create won't be successful. They'll be prompted to fix (debug) the program using a Motor Block running in the opposite direction.
• Have your students iterate and test their models to complete the next challenge in the app:
  • Change the treehouse for Sofie’s next camping adventure.
• You can find coding and building support in the Tips section below.

• Gather your students together to reflect on their completed challenges.
• Ask questions, like: How did you help Sofie see the moon? How did you make the treehouse roof move?

• Prompt your students to discuss and reflect on the importance of fixing (debugging) errors in a program.
• Ask questions, like: Why is it important to make sure that your program works correctly? What can you do if your program isn't working the way you want it to?
• Have your students clean up their workstations.

• Ask guiding questions to encourage your students to “think aloud” and explain their thought processes and reasoning in the decisions they've made while building and programming.

Observation Checklist

• Measure your students’ proficiency in testing their programs and fixing the errors they find.
• Create a scale that matches your needs. For example:
  1. Needs additional support
  2. Can work independently
  3. Can teach others

Self-Assessment

• Have each student choose the brick that they feel best represents their performance.
  • Yellow: I think I can test my program and fix the errors I find.
  • Blue: I can test my program and fix the errors I find.
  • Green: I can test my program and fix the errors I find, and I can help a friend do it too.

Peer-Feedback

• In their small groups, have your students 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…

Coding Tip

• To successfully debug their programs, your students will need to replace the Motor Block.
  • Changing the direction of the motor will enable the treehouse roof to open.

Model Tip

• After your students complete their first challenge, they’ll be provided with three Inspiration Images and an open-ended prompt for improving their models.
• The Inspiration Images are to help spark their imaginations as they experiment and change their models.

There aren't any building instructions for this challenge.

Simplify this lesson by:

• Reading the Treehouse Camp story and instructions from the LEGO^® Education SPIKE^™ App aloud to your students
• Selecting one Inspiration Image to help your students change their models

Increase the difficulty by:

• Including the Loop Block in the program to automate how the roof opens and closes
• Using the Color Sensor to change how the treehouse roof is activated

• Have your students write a description of Sofie’s treehouse, draw a picture of it, and label its parts.

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

Language Arts: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.1.5