mBot Curriculum Bundle

mBot D3 - Loops: Square Dance!

Students are introduced to a new fundamental coding concept, the Loop! Students are first challenged to create a sequence that has their mBot drive in a perfect square on the floor. Next, students are challenged to identify the “repeating unit” and place this inside of a loop, making their program much more efficient.

mBot D4 - Loops: Robot Dodge Ball!

Students are introduced to another feature of loops: that one’s program can be slightly different each time it repeats. Students are introduced to randomization in programming. Students incorporate randomization into a looped sequence to have their mBot avoid being hit by human-tossed ping-pong balls!

mBot E1 - Events: Introduction to Events

Students discover a new fundamental concept in computer programming: Events! Students discuss their definition, utility in programming in general, and how to use them in mBlock. Students explore the light and sound blocks (LEDs, play tones, show drawing) by using event blocks to trigger several different sequences. All of these events culminate in an mBot Dance Off!

mBot E2 - Events: Obstacle Course!

Students take the concept of Events even further as they discover a new way to use events in mBlock. Students create a remote-control program that allows the user to navigate the mBot through student-made obstacle courses! The better the program, the faster they will be able to complete the course!

mBot E3 - Conditionals: mBot Patrol!

Students are introduced to conditions in programming including definitions, examples, how to create one using operators, and conditional loops in mBlock. Students create an "mBot Patrol" program that has their mBot alternate between scanning and patrolling on a timed loop sequence. Students practice using operators to create a condition.

mBot E4 - Conditionals: Afraid of the Dark!

Students take conditionals a step further and are introduced to IF-THEN-ELSE statements and defining conditions using an mBot sensor. Students create an algorithm that uses the ambient light sensor on the mBot. When the lights are on, the mBot does a calm sequence of commands. However, when the lights go out the mBot goes crazy with a sequence of erratic commands!

mBot F1 - Functions: Lane-Changing mBots!

Students are introduced to the concept of functions including definitions, examples, and how to create one in mBlock. Students create a driving sequence that includes left and right lane changing procedures. Students lane-change through a course filled with obstructions!

mBot F2 - Functions: Morse Code

Students continue learning about the utility of creating their own functions by creating longer programs that require the creation of more complex functions. Students create a Morse code program using motor commands and program mBot to ‘send’ messages to their friends!

mBot F3 - Variables: Introduction to Variables

Students are introduced to the concept of variables in programming. Students create a program that uses Event blocks to initialize and change the value of a variable. Students will use the variable to represent the amount of time that the mBot drives forward in a game of Robot Target Practice.

mBot F4 - Variables: Spirals

Students take the concept of loops and variables further by creating a loop that changes the value of a variable with each new iteration. Students create a program that has the mBot drive in spiral. To do so, students will need to create a variable and consider which parameter in their program will need to change with each iteration to create the desired shape. The lesson culminates in an activity that incorporates all of the coding concepts that students have learned in this course: Sequences, Loops, Events, Conditions, Functions, and Variables!

mBot: Robot Curling

By using variables to store information on the robot, students will attempt to hit an exact target on a curling 'rink'.

mBot: Coordinate Race

The act of driving to a coordinate really helps to solidify the understanding of ordered pairs, starting with the x and then with the y. Through solving challenges in this lesson, students will surely retain the important aspects of Cartesian coordinates.

mBot: The Astronaut

In this lesson, students will become NASA engineers as they discover how computer programs are being used to assist humans in space and create their own computer programs that use robotic sensors to “dock” the mBot in a space simulation! In doing so, students will learn to use a fundamental coding concept, conditionals, as well as consider how automated systems can help humans accomplish sensitive tasks in space and elsewhere.

mBot: Ecosystems Interactions

In this lesson, students learn about the biotic and abiotic components of an ecosystem and discover the ways organisms interact with one another and their environment.

mBot: Robot Soccer

In this lesson students will undergo both a coding design challenge, and a building design challenge, which culminates in a game of robot soccer. By appreciating internal and external forces, and ways in which structures deal with them, students will be better-suited to craft sports equipment for our mBots, and create effective soccer playing machines. Furthermore, by coding and testing their robot controls, students will gain a better understanding of the factors that contribute to successful interface design.

mBot: Graphing with Sensors

The mBot and the mBlock software are both perfect tools to explore graphing. In this lesson, students will learn how to graph the data coming in from their mBot's sensors onto the screen in front of them. After that, students will take it to the next level by being critical about the way they display their data, and explore the effects of offsetting, and exaggerating their data.

mBot: Probability of Escape

By scaffolding this challenge into many seemingly unrelated challenges, students are asked to think laterally about applying their knowledge to an interesting solution, involving escape, and probability.

mBot: Electric Presentation

The mBot can be used to demonstrate student understanding in practically any curriculum area. In this case, we use a popular programming algorithm (line following) to help students showcase and retain the basic concepts of a simple electric circuit.

mBot: Discrete Guitar

The mBot has sensor data streaming into it, but sometimes it needs to be controlled, and categorized. This is one important reason students are introduced to the difference between discrete and continuous data. In this lesson, students turn their mBot into an instrument, breaking up the continuous sensor data, into discrete notes using if statements and threshold values.

mBot: Pattern Recognition

The technical understanding of patterns constantly arises in math and science, and coding is no different. Many important algorithms use patterns in order to work. In this lesson, students will appreciate the utility of loops by first driving in a square (the hard way) and then are taught a more efficient method (using loops). Moving onto more complex (regular) shapes forces students to dissect the smallest repeatable unit in the pattern. Lastly students will start referring to each action in the pattern as a term, use the term number, and uitilize the mBot's lights and sounds to create and dissect more interesting patterns.

mBot: Not Your Average Robot

The mBot and the mBlock software are both perfect tools to explore mathematics and the concept of variables. By using variables to store information on the robot, students will attempt to hit an exact target on a Bocce Ball 'field' and use Mean, Median, and Mode to determine the score.

mBot: Mars Exploration Challenge

In this lesson, students create a semi-autonomous Mars Rover program for mBot, capable of navigating an obstacle-filled Mars landscape. Students discuss previous missions in space exploration such as the Mars Curiosity Rover, the Canadarm, and the International Space Station and discuss why space exploration matters. Students also use the Engineering Design Cycle to design, test, and improve their programs as they attempt to navigate across the Martian landscape to the target site!

mBot: Statistics

In this lesson students will learn how data collected about a population can be described by its center and spread. Students will discover how this information can be useful by collecting data about programs that they create for mBot using fundamental coding concepts. Students will identify/calculate some descriptive statistics and discuss potential inferences that can.

mBot: Clear the Snow!

In this lesson, students will develop their design-thinking and problem-solving skills by designing and creating a system for automated snow/debris removal from an area. Students will create a computer program to guide the actions of the snow removal mBot, as well as a physical accessory for mBot that works well with the program. In doing so, students will discover how the form and function of structures can be designed/optimized for use within a larger system.

mBot: The Mind of a Robot (Part 1)

In this lesson students will learn about what a robot is. They will be introduced to the “sensory system” that might help a robot communicate with a human. Students will explore the basic structure of the sensory system, the concept of programming, and the difference between programming languages and human languages.

mBot: The Mind of a Robot (Part 2)

In this lesson, students will continue to learn about the “mind” of a robot by coding in the mBlock 5 interface. Students will be introduced to the format and structure of mBlock 5 including the three main areas of the interface. Students will then explore the concept of coding using Looks and Sensing blocks.

mBot: Dance Party

In this lesson, students will learn how to assemble the mBot robot while gaining an understanding of the different components of the robot itself. They will also learn how to use the mBlock 5 programming software in order to learn how to control its moves.

mBot: Emergency Rescue

In this lesson, students will learn how to build an ambulance using the mBot robot. They will be required to program the robot to create flashing lights and a siren using the command blocks including the repetitive execution command block.

mBot: Penguin Spy

In this lesson students will learn how to create a penguin robot using mBot. They will learn about the objectives of a Penguin Spy in nature and use their programming skills to create their own spy. They will learn how to adjust the value of the motion command block, and learn how to use the if/then program command. Lastly, they will use the remote controller to program a remote control robot.

mBot: Fabulous Frog

In this lesson students will learn about the different life stages of a frog. They will use this knowledge to create their own frog robot. They will learn how to control their program using numerical comparison and a light sensor.

mBot: All About Lights

In this lesson, students will review the learned coding blocks from the past lessons. They will be introduced to the Event blocks. They will further explore the light sensors and LED bulbs.

mBot: When mBot Meets a Robot

In this lesson, students will combine their prior knowledge to create a story about the future Robot Society and create a simple animation to deliver their ideas. Students will first, narrate their scenario with an mBot first met with a robot citizen in the future world. Students will then use mBlock 5 to create a dialogue between the mBot and the robot. Students will need to create simple sequential algorithms to make the sprites talk to each other.

mBot: The Secret Code

In this lesson, students will be introduced to the concept of sequencing in the context of Morse Code communication. Students will design sequential algorithms to code and decode Morse Code through the build-in LED bulbs in mBot. First, students will learn the meaning of sequencing. Students will explore the use of Morse Code and learn to create a piece of message based on the rules of Morse Code communication.

mBot: Orientation

In this lesson, students will first review the concept of sequencing and the application of sequential algorithms in programming scripts. Building on this previous practical experience, students will be introduced to the use of Motion blocks. Students will then use the Motion blocks to develop a short animation about the stars.

mBot: Frere Jacques

In this lesson, students will explore the concept of repetition by composing the song Frère Jacques in mBlock. The repetition construct helps reduce the repetitive parts of a program, and therefore, makes it clear and easy to read and write. A piece of melody may involve repetitive structures. Students are welcome to translate the song into programming scripts and make a sprite “sing” the song.

mBot: mBot's Gifts

In this lesson, students will imagine their story context of the Robot Society and then create a simple animation to deliver their ideas. In connection to the story context of an mBot delegation was sent to the Robot Society and held the first meeting with robot citizens there. In this lesson, students will imagine and create gifts for the Robot Society to show friendship. This is a two day lesson.

mBot: Red Light, Green Light

This lesson will introduce another common control structure in programming – conditionals. This learning activity will start with the game “Red Light, Green Light” and students need to pay special attention to the instruction used in this game. Students will then explore different conditional constructs to enhance their practical understanding of the conditional. Students will modify their projects created in the previous lessons by adding conditional algorithms in the original scripts to expand the functions.

mBot: The Musician

In this lesson, students will revisit the composition play, however, via using different coding blocks and algorithms. First, students will explore how to utilize the “light sensor” Sensing block as a condition in the conditional algorithm. Students will control and compare different kinds of methods that affect the brightness situations around the light sensor of mBot. Building on this experiment and the collected data, students will then explore how to use the values of light intensity in the conditional algorithms to play different notes.

mBot: The Magic Box

In this lesson, students will be introduced to variables. A variable can store and modify information and data. There are some built-in Variables blocks, for example, the “light intensity” Sensing block and the “answer” Sensing block. There exists a category called “Variables”, where students can create variables to store several data collected from, e.g., the “light intensity” and “answer.” Students will explore and experiment with the built-in Variables blocks and use them to create interesting projects.

mBot: The Time Machine

In this lesson, students will continue their time travel narrative and design a Time Machine. Building on their expanding programming experience, students need to associate the possible time travel transportation with their everyday commute experience to think of the function and operation of Time Machine. Students will brainstorm and use sequential, looping, conditional algorithms as well as variables to turn mBot into a Time Machine.

mBot: Capstone to a Future Robot Society

Students will be building on their programming knowledge and skills developed throughout the learning journey and the scenario of time traveling to the future Robot Society.

mBot: Introduction to mBlock

In this lesson, students will be introduced to the environment of mBlock and the basic approach of programming skills. By comparing human language and programming language, students will interpret programming language as a way of communication between humans and machines. Meanwhile, they will learn how to represent code by using the flowchart and pseudocode. Similar to the Turing test, students are encouraged to develop a dialogue in mBlock by using Looks and Events blocks.

mBot: Sequencing Basics

In this lesson, students will be introduced to the concepts of algorithms and sequencing where they will design sequential algorithms. In Phase 1, students will use Motion and Looks blocks to program a walk of a character sprite in the stage of mBlock. In Phase 2, students will compare a group of programs to have a look at some of the basic blocks (such as “Action”, “Show”, “LightSound”). These blocks will be used to program mBot in the next phase. Students will be invited to develop a sequencing algorithm to make mBot dance.

mBot: Sequencing in Practice

In this lesson, students will enhance their understanding of sequencing. The assignment is to create a “Storyteller Bot” which could tell a story involving information input by the user. Besides, this lesson will also introduce a new concept – the variable – to help achieve this function. This activity uses the PRIMM approach. First, students will predict the function of the demo program and then run it to see what actually happens. Students need to investigate how the demo program works and modify the demo to add some new effects to the demo program. Building on the hand-on experience, students are encouraged to make their own projects to demonstrate their understanding of this lesson.

mBot: Iteration Basics

In this lesson, students will be introduced to the concept of iteration. Students will design algorithms to compose a song in mBlock. In Phase 1, Students will identify loop bodies. Nested loops will be then introduced. In Phase 2 and the following section, students will translate and program the song, Frère Jacques. Students will be given the lyrics and notes of the song and tasked with programming their mBots to “sing” this song by utilizing nested loops.

mBot: Iteration in Practice

In this lesson, students will enhance their understanding of looping algorithms. The project in this learning activity is to create a “Jumping Bear” animation in mBlock. The act of jumping up and down is a set of repetitive motions, and therefore, students need to address and properly define loop bodies. This activity uses the PRIMM approach. First, students will predict the function of the demo program and then run it to see what actually happens. Students need to investigate how the demo program works and modify the demo to add some new effects to the demo program. Building on the hand-on experience, students are encouraged to make their own projects to demonstrate their understanding of this lesson.

mBot: Bee Waggle Dance

In this lesson, students will be invited to pretend to be a Biology classroom assistant and help develop an animation of the bees’ waggle dance.

mBot: Functions

In this lesson, students will be introduced to “My Blocks” – functions. As students have increased programming knowledge and skills, they are able to create more interactive projects which may involve complex structures in their code. This learning activity will explain the use of functions by starting with two unplugged activities in Warm Up and Phase 1. Then, in the next phase, students will instruct mBot the automated driving vehicle by using functions.

mBot: Selection Basics

In this lesson, students will be introduced to the concepts of Boolean expressions and conditionals, with a focus on the “if” statement in programming. To begin with, students will discuss the decision-making process of outdoor or indoor P.E. class, and then be introduced to the construct of conditionals. To execute conditional algorithms, another new programming technique is necessary: Boolean expressions. In Phase 1, students will explore Boolean blocks. In Phase 2, students will employ conditional algorithms and focus on the “if” statement.

mBot: Selection in Practice

In this lesson, students will apply the conditionals to the sorting process. The lesson will begin with a magic owl sorting the three Houses (Gryffindor, Slytherin, and Ravenclaw). Students will be invited to create the Sorting Hat in mBlock to explore the conditionals. This activity uses the PRIMM approach. First, students will predict the function of the demo program and then run it to see what actually happens. Students need to investigate how the demo programs work and modify them to add some new effects. Building on this hand-on experience, students are encouraged to make their own projects to demonstrate their understanding of this lesson.

mBot: Capstone to an Autonomous Vehicle

In the capstone project, students will have the opportunity to convey their knowledge and understanding of their communities by means of incorporating technology and arts.

mBot - Teacher Guide