Big Little Helper

• Review the Big Little Helper lesson in the LEGO® Education SPIKE™ App.
• If necessary, pre-teach these related vocabulary words: control, constraint, design, robot, and solution.
• 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 math extension. See the Extension section below for more information.

• Facilitate a quick discussion about solving a problem that has constraints.
  • Talk with your students about moving everything out of your classroom into another one, with one catch. They must finish the move in 10 minutes!
  • Ask questions, like: How could you empty the classroom in the shortest amount of time? What if you only had four classmates to help?
• Introduce your students to the story’s main characters and the first challenge: controlling the robot helper.
• 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:
  • Create and test the program that controls the robot helper.
• Have your students iterate and test their models to complete the next two challenges in the app:
  • Program the robot helper to follow Daniel home.
  • Design your own improved robot helper.
• 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 Daniel get all his belongings home? How is the design of your robot helper different from Daniel’s?

• Prompt your students to discuss and reflect on ways of creating a possible solution to a problem that has constraints.
• Ask questions, like: Why is it important to consider constraints when designing a solution? How do constraints affect your design process?
• 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 creating a possible solution to a problem that has constraints.
• 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 create a solution to a problem that has constraints.
  • Blue: I can create a solution to a problem that has constraints.
  • Green: I can create a solution to a problem that has constraints, 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

• After your students complete their first challenge, they'll be provided with a map.
• Your students can use the map and experiment with the available Coding Blocks to modify their programs to follow the route for the trip.

Model Tip

• After your students complete their second 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 personalize their models.

There aren't any building instructions for this challenge.

Simplify this lesson by:

• Selecting one Inspiration Image to help your students personalize their models
• Experimenting with either the coding or the building

Increase the difficulty by:

• Designing different bases to assist the robot helper in carrying Daniel's things
• Programming the robot helper to follow a predetermined route

• Have your students use graph points to map the robot helper's path. They should use the x- and y-axis to plot where the robot helper travels. They can also plot the path of another group’s helper.

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

Math: CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.5.G.A.1