Trash Monster Machine

• Review the Trash Monster Machine lesson in the LEGO® Education SPIKE™ App.
• If necessary, pre-teach these related vocabulary words: modify, parameter, react, and tedious.
• 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 using an automated solution to complete a tedious task.
  • Talk with your students about throwing out trash at home or at school.
  • Ask questions, like: How could you improve the trash can? What could you improve about how you throw out your trash?
• Introduce your students to the story’s main characters and the first challenge: making the trash-eating monster react to the blue "trash."
• 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 makes the trash-eating monster react to the blue "trash."
• Have your students iterate and test their models to complete the next two challenges in the app:
  • Upgrade the program to react to different-colored "trash."
  • Design your own improved trash-eating monster.
• 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 program Sofie’s trash-eating monster to react to the different-colored "trash?" How did you upgrade Sofie’s trash-eating monster?

• Prompt your students to discuss and reflect on the process of automating a prototype to complete a tedious task.
• Ask questions, like: Why do you think it's beneficial to have a robot repeat a tedious task? What else could you automate to make it more interesting?
• 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 and refining an automated solution.
• 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 and refine an automated solution.
  • Blue: I can create and refine an automated solution.
  • Green: I can create and refine an automated solution, 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 three Inspiration Coding Blocks to help them modify their programs.
• The Inspiration Coding Blocks are intended to spark their imaginations as they experiment to find their own solutions.

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:

• Programming four unique reactions for four different colors of bricks
• Exploring new and different coding blocks in the program

• Have your students conduct a short research project comparing how two different countries sort and dispose of their trash.

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

Language Arts: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.5.9.B