Material/ resources

• Laptop and interactive white board or computer lab.
• Record the evidence in an online format.
• Web sources of interest:
  • Scratch (2013)
  • Hackster.io Anavnet Community (2020) Projects Mindstorms
  • National geographic 2020
  • Crickit Flippy Robot

Lesson Activities

Children will learn the simple concept of coding and robotics, programming simple steps through role play and creative thinking. They will also look at references to simple code from past to present. Children will also discuss the implications of robotics for the future.

• Setting Classroom with interactive white board.
• Authentic learning, project-based learning using role play, creativity and web sources
• Engagement and active participation through hands-on practices
• Standard elementary class group 25-27 children.
• Ages 8-10 years.
• Monitor prior knowledge
• Wooden human mannequin, robotics, Lego.
• Link with the relevant digital competences

The project-based and enquiry-based learning brings all the learning styles together in the group task as the learners are introduced to Scratch through a simple lesson. It is envisaged students will use the weblinks provided to undertake some research into Scratch and come up with a project idea as a result of the initial lesson.

It is important for the teacher to demonstrate what is required, using a search engine for a specific idea/article prior to issuing the challenge.

1. Read aloud the project and introduce the topic of robotics and programming.
2. Display example of robotics and coding and simple projects on the interactive board.
3. If delivering the session in the computer lab, teachers need to demonstrate where the students can go online and make notes on their research.
4. The use of role play and an initial demonstration will be very important for illustrating the core concept of the lesson.

Assessment

Students will be assessed based on how they carry out the investigation into robotics and simple coding specifically commands as they work in teams and as part of the group. They will be assessed on teamwork, their use of the role play and discussion skills to reflect on in conclusion about robotics and the future. Throughout the lesson they will be observed at certain points in the investigation, planning, identifying alternatives, breaking the steps and commands down, practical role play and evaluating as well as in the context of the digital competences when they research coding digital clips and media files on robotics.

The students’ learning will be assessed using the digital competence framework and using their response to the learning objectives.

Information and data literacy; observe and assess how students locate and retrieve data, the decisions they make on storing, managing and organizing the content one of the most critical aspects; evaluating its relevance.

Communication and collaboration, problem solving and creating the commands for digital content.

Instructions for teachers

1. Read aloud the project and introduce the topic of robotics and programming.
2. Display example of robotics and coding and simple projects on the interactive board.
3. Arrange the children into groups or pairs, introduce the topic of robotics and coding using the physical props in your room, robotics kits, wooden mannequin and the online clips.
4. Explain that for the robot to learn how to move or respond to any commands it needs clear definite appropriate direction delivered in a step by step fashion. Use the example of learning to dance. The dancer needs to know the steps.
5. Introduce a diagram of the body and compare it to the robot, explain that very simply the brain interacts with all the many systems of the body and provides the commands and signals to the body which in turn responds. The body is an amazing system and engages many systems and commands at the same time.
6. However, the body has learned to do this over time and just as a baby learns to do everything in stages, the robot will need to learn step by step.
7. Simple commands are the goal of today’s task.
8. Ask the class to try to “floss”, show the dance on screen, they are engaging two different parts of their body in opposite movements at the same time. Ask them to test the floss movement with their wooden mannequin and compare the results?
9. The wooden mannequin does not have the flexibility and dexterity of the human body.
10. Ask the class if they would like a robot to assist them with any tasks. Limit the tasks to physical tasks like carrying a book. Ask for volunteers in the groups, one student role plays the scenario and the remaining student(s) call out commands to test instructing them to carry the book.
11. The volunteers cannot move without being given clear direction, they must imagine themselves as robots who cannot move, the other person is the brain or control centre telling each limb to move. Insist that there are no movements without clearly defined steps. They must imagine they are using their body to process and make these movements for the first time.
12. Refer to examples online of robot commands and act this out.
13. Ask the class to come up with a variety of tasks that they can role play.
14. Introduce the word “algorithm”, a set of tasks/steps in a sequence, explain that they have just role-played what an “algorithm” looks like. Ask them to look up this term. Remember to refer them to early computer programmers like Ada Lovelace, who they will learn about in the other lesson.
15. Ask them if they know any other words linked to computer programming?
16. Ask them to put these words into a search engine and discuss what these terms mean.
17. IF the robot had fallen, what might have been the problem? Following this, ask them to think about bugs and debugging if this has not arisen.
18. Ask them to look at simple examples of robotics online and share the links provided.
19. Ask the groups to come up with their own role play and their own list of steps-algorithm to accompany the task.
20. Ask the class to search for scratch coding online and find an example of simple scratch that you would like to investigate. Use the links suggested if useful.
21. Ask them to compare and contrast the language they have used in their scenarios with the language of the coding cited here.
22. Ask them to make any modifications or adjustments based on what they are looking at. They will be taking a simple task and preparing it for Lego Mindstorms.