5th Grade Robotics: Programming Autonomous Robots

5th graders have moved onto programming their robots to move without the use of a remote control. We used a new app called VEX IQ Blocks to give the robot the directions we want it to follow. Students have practiced making the robot move in a straight line, making it move in a square, and making it push blocks into a collection zone. They create the program on the app and then wirelessly download the program to the robot.  

Measuring how far the robot needs to travel to get to a block. 

Testing the program after downloading it. 

One of the fields students program the robot to move blocks off of. 

Will the program be successful?

Screenshot of code in the VEX IQ Blocks app

Applications for 5th Grade Robotics Club will be sent home next week. The Club prepares for the AAPS District-Wide Elementary Robotics Competition in January, and will meet during 2 lunch recesses a week, beginning the week of November 11th. The applications are due to me Monday, November 11th. 

4th Grade student Coding in Tynker 

Students worked in pairs to program together in a coding app called Tynker.  They switched roles between being the navigator and the driver, which helped them grow in the areas of communication and collaboration. 

Below are some examples of code in the Tynker app. We made a game where the purple alien "eats" the blue, pink, and green aliens and the program draws a chart at the end to show how many of each alien the purple alien ate. We incorporated discussion about data and how charts and graphs help us better interpret information/data.

Moving Right Along...


4th Graders have been studying potential and kinetic energy and why things move the way they do. They have learned that when objects collide, the energy moves from one object to another. The big project for the unit was for students to modify a car they had built out of VEX kit pieces with cotton balls, bubble wrap, foam and other various materials in order to keep their raw egg from breaking when the car was crashed. We had learned that foam and bubble wrap absorb a lot of energy so students used a lot of foam and bubble wrap in their designs! (And, of course, I had to remind them to not pop the bubbles!)

Our egg made it! No cracks!

5th graders have been learning engineering principles of designing a model to solve a problem and then modifying it until it does what they want it to do, all while operating within certain constraints and meeting all criteria. They have been re-designing their robots to move blocks off a field in timed challenges. Some groups are figuring out ways to make robot arm extensions move with extra motors! 

                                   

Great ideas and great teamwork!