First LEGO League Ontario Grade 6

1. Install Software

LEGO EV3 Education Version (Recommended)

• Desktop (Create a LEGO ID to access)

• iPad

LEGO EV3 Home Version (Limited)

• Does NOT include embedded Instructions, Tutorials, and Teacher tools

• Desktop

• iPad

• Android

2. Organize Parts

Sorting Guides

• EV3 Core Set 45544

• EV3 Expansion Set 45560 (NOT required)

3. Label Kits

• Label each LEGO Bin

• Label each EV3 Brick

• Create and label a Spare Bin to store each robot, or each partially build robot.

4. Charge Batteries

• Using the enclosed power adaptor cord, connect the Rechargeable Battery to a wall outlet.

• When you plug the uncharged battery into a wall socket, a red light will be lit.

• When charging is complete, the red light will go out and the green light will be illuminated.

• The recharging process will generally take three to four hours.

• Charge the batteries when the robots are not being used so they are ready for the next class

• It is safe to leave the batteries charging overnight.

5. Connect and Test

• In the LEGO EV3 Education Software navigate to Quick Start > Programming for the Programming Quick Start Video

• (Alternatively) Connect the USB cable from the EV3 Brick to the computer. Make sure the EV3 Brick has a charged battery inside and is turned on.

• Run a simple program to test the connection.

6. Name the EV3 Brick

• Assign a name to each EV3 Brick on using the screen and buttons, or the EV3 Software.

• The EV3 Brick name especially important for Bluetooth when using Tablets

• When the EV3 Brick is connected, look for a text field next to the "Brick Information" icon at bottom right in the code editor. (You may have to click the small triangle to the left of the three vertical EV3 buttons to expand the info window). Default name is "EV3". Just click in that text field and edit.

7. Turn Off the EV3 Brick

• To turn the EV3 Brick off, press the Back button (button 1 above) until you see the Shut Down screen.

• The Abort X will already be selected.

• Use the Right button to select the Accept check mark, then press the Center button for OK.

• Your EV3 Brick is now turned off.

8. Charge Batteries when not Being Used !

Logics Academy, in partnership with FIRST Robotics Canada is pleased to offer this course to achieve curriculum based learning objectives in an engaging, inquiry based, and experiential way. This method of delivery has proven to improve engagement, retention, and deeper understanding of core math, science and language knowledge and skills.

The EV3 robotics platform is a great tool to allow students to discover, design, and display their knowledge of curriculum learning goals. Students also gain important coding skills along the way that will prepare them for the future. Through this course, students will gain experiences that relate to their mathematics and science curriculum objectives that they can draw upon throughout the year.

Through this course, a student can progress with no background in programming an EV3 Robot to confidently participate as part of a team in a FIRST LEGO League event.

This course consists of eight lessons that begin with the building of the educational robot, and end with a culminating challenge. The lessons can be run independently, but work best in succession to progressively build upon and develop coding & problem-solving skills for students of varying degrees of familiarity with programming an EV3 robot. Each lesson teaches the student a new coding tool, which is then used to demonstrate, or discover the curriculum based learning objectives.

The coding portion of the lessons will teach students to control a robot to stop at an object, move in a controlled manner, use sensors to follow a line, and finally create a board game which tests their overall proficiency.

The curriculum based objectives in each lesson have a common mathematics thread, but specific lessons also touch on many core sciences and language learning objectives as well. An activity sheet guides the students through the curriculum investigation, and asks them thoughtful questions about their journey.

All resources are provided for complete lesson delivery, including lesson plan, building instructions, and student activity sheets. In addition to the LEGO EV3 educational kit and software, you will need a few common items such as chart paper, markers, masking tape, electrical tape, elastics, string, and scissors.

Lesson 1 - Fitting in the Food Chain

Coding

• Creating Sounds

• Displaying Images

• Controlling the Brick Status Light

• Wait Block, Delay Code for a Specific Amount of Time

• Creating Sequences of Actions

Science

• Physical attributes are indicative of an organisms’ place in the ecosystem

Lesson 2 - Tracing Coordinates

Coding

• Drive Motor Control

• Move Block

• Steering

• Navigating Obstacles

• Point Turns

• Single-Motor Turns

• Curved Turns

Math

• Coordinates

• Calibration

Lesson 3 - Tug of War

Coding

• Grab, Move and Release an Object

• Medium Motor Control

• Setting the Power/Speed of a Motor

• Moving a Motor a Specific Number of Degrees

Math

• Unbalanced forces are needed for things to change speed

• Balanced forces do not always mean things stop moving

Lesson 4 - Discrete Sounds

Coding

• Reading Data from the Ultrasonic (Distance) Sensor

• Detect Changes in Sensors (Change Mode)

• Compare the Value of a Sensor (Compare Mode)

• Using The Wait Block to Delay the Code with a Sensor Condition

Math

• Discrete vs continuous data

Lesson 5 - Accurate Means

Coding

• Reading Data From the Gyro (Angle) Sensor

• Performing Exact Turns using the Gyro Sensor

• Exploring Sensor Accuracy

• Compensating for Sensor Errors

Math

• Mean (Average)

• Accretion of errors

Lesson 6 - Estimating Percentages

Coding

• Reading Data From The Colour Sensor

• Calculating an Appropriate Threshold Value

• Using the Port View App

• Reading Colour Data

• Stopping on a Black Line

• Stopping on a Specific Colour Line

• Setting Default Actions when no Colour is Detected

Science

• Estimating percentages

• Different types of measurement

Lesson 7 - Complete the Circuit

Coding

• Switches

• Loops

• Using a Loop and Switch Combination for State-Based Programming

• Creating a Line-Following Algorithm for a Black Line

• Optimizing Line-Following for Smoother Motion

• Optimizing Line-Following for Faster Speeds

• Following a Gray Line

Math

• Circuits (Components, parallel and series)

Lesson 8 - Board Game Summary

• Application of Previous Concepts

• Final Assessment

Overview

• The role of the educator in this environment is to act as a coach or mentor as the students work together and progress through the self-guided activities.

• Learning alongside the students is encouraged.

• Every lesson has the same format to assist with ease of delivery and clarity for everyone involved.

• Each lesson includes the following sections:

Preparation

Materials

• LEGO Kit to Student Ratios

• Purchasing of any additional materials

Classroom Setup

• Floor space

• Desk arrangement

• Student groups

• LEGO Kit preparation

Coding activity

• Preparation specific to the Coding Activity

STEAM Activity

• Preparation specific to the STEAM Activity

1. Introduction

Description

• Introduce the lesson

• Remind students of any logistical considerations

Get Started

• Direct students to the appropriate lesson in the Robot Educator embedded in the LEGO EV3 Education Software

• Skip this section if you are using the LEGO EV3 Home Version

Video

• An introductory video of what the robot will do after the Building and Coding Activities

• Skip this section if you are using the LEGO EV3 Home Version

• Lesson 8 has no video

2. Building Activity

• Students will start their activities by using the LEGO components to build the Driving Base or a specific attachment (Cuboid, Medium Motor, etc)

• If the lessons are being completed in sequence, the students can often re-use what they have built from previous lessons

• There are 3 ways for students to access building instructions:

  • Robot Educator: "Build It" Instructions are embedded in the LEGO EV3 Education Software

  • Printed Booklet: A printed booklet is included in each LEGO EV3 Education Core Set

  • PDF: Available through this site for printing or download to student devices

3. Coding Activity

Interactive Animation

• Use a "Click Blocks to Play" animation to understand how the code in the "Test It" section will work

• Skip this section if you are using the LEGO EV3 Home Version

• Lesson 1 and Lesson 8 have no Interactive Animation

"Test It"

• Students view an example code from the Robot Educator in the LEGO EV3 Education Software

• (Alternatively) Example code is presented on a projector

• Students recreate the code on their own device in the EV3 software

• Students then download the code and observe the resulting behavior of the robot

• If the robot does not do what was expected, students should double check that their code is correct

• The robot behavior should be demonstrated to the educator before proceeding to the the next section

"Modify it"

• Students use the code from the "Test It" section as a starting point

• The code must be modified to achieve another objective outlined in the lesson

• The robot behavior should be demonstrated to the educator before proceeding to the the next section

• The "modify it" task can be communicated verbally, on a projector, or using the Robot Educator in the LEGO EV3 Education Software.

Commenting

• Ensure that each group takes the time to describe the robot’s behavior in their own words, while running the program

• This encourages the students to reflect on what they see and how it relates to the programming blocks

• The comments should be presented to the educator before proceeding to the next section

Challenges

• Students are given specific challenges that will require starting a new code from scratch

• The challenges will require them to apply what they have learned in the previous sections

• The robot behavior should be demonstrated to the educator before proceeding to the the next section

• Challenge instructions can be communicated verbally or via projector

Extension

• An additional challenge is provided for eager students.

4. STEAM Activity

Challenge

• Students participate in an activity which incorporate aspects of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math)

Student Worksheet

• The Student Worksheet will help guide the students through the activity

• The students will use their robot and new coding skills to learn/reinforce specific ministry objectives in Science and/or Math

Extension

• An additional challenge is provided for eager students

5. Consolidate

Question Sheet

• Print and have the students complete the Question Sheet

• The Question Sheet will reflect on the Coding, Science and Math objectives.

Answer Key

• Take up the questions as a group

• Have students share their learning. Go over any common issues or misconceptions

Discussion Questions

• Additional questions for group discussion

Clean Up

• Disassemble any accessories not required for the next lesson

• The Driving Base can remain assembled until the end of the course. It is used in every lesson

• Don't forget to plug in the batteries for the next lesson

Assessment

• Have students review their friend’s worksheet, or hand in the sheet

• The goal is to have the questions from the activity sheet be only assessment left at the end of the class

• Use the "LEGO EV3 Education" version of the software: It is more convenient if the students are using the LEGO EV3 Education version of the software as this has all of the building instructions and guides for the programming component. For those not using the education software, a document detailing the steps is provided.

• Define roles when working in pairs: As in most classroom students will be working in small groups, it may be beneficial to have defined roles for the students at certain times throughout the lesson to make sure everyone is getting the full experience. Also, switching groups often can be beneficial to mix up student chemistry. You can also then decide whether you want each student answering all of the questions, or if they are submitting it as a group.

• Create a folder for each student's worksheets: If you are handing out the student activity sheets, a student folder where they can organise and collect them as the course progresses is recommended.

• Use a naming convention when saving code: If students will be starting to code, and then stopping before they are complete, having a cloud based solution where students can save their code, using a name convention such as (Student1FirstName_Student2FirstName_Lesson #) can be very useful, so that you don’t need to keep track of which device each group was using.

• Keep a common robot configuration throughout the course: As the lesson progresses for the first time, it asks students to add sensors. The EV3 ‘edubot’ can work fine with all of the sensors attached so there is no need to disassemble the robot after the first build.

• Plan for storage and charging: Make sure you have a planned strategy for the students to 1) access the robots 2) store the robots and 3) charge the robots. This is not difficult but to avoid issues, students must be diligent and well trained.

• Review directional language as it pertains to the robot: Students have some common misconceptions when programming with EV3. For example, when you tell a robot to turn, it turns relative to itself, not the student.

• The "Wait" block is key to using sensors: The course really comes down to understanding the use of the wait block in EV3 code. Put simply, the wait block is a gate that will keep previous blocks running, or simply pause the code until something happens. A wait block can be used with any sensor.

• There are many solutions to the same problem: It is beneficial to review and understand the sample solution code prior to the class. Keeping in mind though, that there are other correct solutions then the ones provided.

Overview

The assessment tracking sheet is designed to help the teacher paint a picture of the student’s successes as the lesson is unfolding, and hopefully see the differences between the achievement of the coding learning objectives and the curriculum objectives. The goal is to assess the students during the lesson by observing as they are working on their challenges, answering questions and checking off how well they’ve done each section. This will hopefully reduce the amount of assessment time after the lesson. After the lesson, you can mark their activity sheets, for their completeness, correctness, and comprehension questions.

Assessment Tracking Sheet

• Print one per lesson

Assessment Guide