Students at Old Town Elementary are putting their coding skills to the test in Mrs. DeAngelis’ fourth and fifth grade TAG talent development classes. In this space, students are combining authentic inventions with their robotics experiments to better understand the world around them. The lesson starts with a discussion about self-driving cars that rely on sensors and complex algorithms in order to “drive.” Bring this knowledge into what the students are doing with their Lego Mindstorms and the lesson comes alive. After the explanation of cars using sensors to track the lines on the road (and stay between them), students were tasked with creating a robot that could do the same using their campus Lego Mindstorm kits.
It is important to note that this study was done alongside a parent volunteer in Mrs. DeAngelis’ class. The parent from the Old Town Elementary community was eager to share his knowledge of coding and joined the class over several weeks for learning and building. After attaching their color sensor and adding final touches to their code, students used blue tape on the floor to determine if they were successful. If programmed correctly, the robot would start moving forward but stop before reaching the blue tape – just as self-driving cars do on the road.
How did they do, you ask? So amazing!! Each “car” was able to travel to the blue tape and stop. I wish you could have seen the smiles and cheers around the room for each model of the experiment. Of course some students did have to problem solve and make adjustments, which is when their communication, collaboration, and teamwork came into play. But knowing they were working on a real world scenario, kept them captivated with the task. And in the end, all were able to successfully maneuver their robot.
Thank you to Mrs. DeAngelis and our parent volunteer for creating such a memorable experience for the students at Old Town Elementary. Do you have a unique talent, education, or occupation to share? Reach out to your campus TAG specialist and see if you can lend a hand. We always appreciate the opportunity to partner with our community, and our students will reap the benefits of these relationships.