California Career and Technical Education Standards

• ED.FS.5.3 Use critical thinking skills to make informed decisions and solve problems.
• ED.FS.7.3 Understand the need to adapt to varied roles and responsibilities.
• ED.FS.9.1 Understand the characteristics and benefits of teamwork, leadership, and citizen...
• ED.FS.9.3 Understand how to organize and structure work individually and in teams for effe...
• ED.FS.9.6 Understand how to organize, conduct, lead, and participate in student-centered a...

• Bell Work or Warm Up - Assessment

  As the warm up have this image or presentation slide (depending on what format you prefer) projected on the board to check for understanding from yesterday’s lesson on “Know your Sensors”. Give the students a couple of minutes to pull out a piece of paper and pencil and have them write down the answers.  After the students have written down their answers have them turn to a neighbor and share with each other what the name of the sensors are and what ports they are assigned to. Before moving on quickly have a class discussion to make sure everyone got it. Remember to hand back the sensors handout from yesterday’s lesson so that they can use it as a guide when connecting the sensors to the ports for today’s activities.

  Answers 1) Ultrasonic Sensor port 4 2) Sound Sensor port 2 3) Reflective Light Sensor port 3

  • Bell Work [ Download ] Bell Work in Power Point version 2003
  • Bell Work (image) [ View Image ] [ Download Original ] Image of bell work. Can be used with an interactive white board
• NXT solves the Rubics Cube - Hooks / Set

  As the hook once students have finished the bell work bring out two rubics cubes. Ask students if anyone has seen one before. Ask two students if they would like to come up to the front of the room and see who can solve one side of the cube the quickest. Give up to 3 minutes but not more than that. Sometimes this activity can last awhile depending on the students. Once you have a winner ask the students to have a seat and then show the video rubicscube. After the video, ask the students what type of sensor they think that the robot is using? The type of sensor that the robot is using is called a color sensor. There are many different types of sensors that are made for the NXT robot but this one for the rubics cube program does not come with the NXT 9797 kit educational kit.

  • NXT Solves the Rubics Cube [ Watch Video ] [ Download Original Video ] The video can be hyper linked in the presentation provided.
• Supplemental video - Other

  This video will help you understand how to do many tasks using the NXT bricks on screen menu.

  • Using the NXT Brick [ Go to Site ] Learn the basic information to preform common tasks using the NXT brick.
• Supplemental video 2 - Other

  This video will explain in detail information about the NXT Brick, ports, buttons, and the sensors provided with the 9797 kit. This video explains what each of the sensors does, how the rotation motor works and other valuable information.

  • NXT Essentials [ Go to Site ]
• NXT 9797 manual - Other

  Use the manual to learn how to build the sensors onto your robot. Information to build the robot from scratch is in this manual.

  • Building Guide [ Download ]
• NXT Sensors and On Screen Menu Tools - Lecture

  
  Prior to doing this lesson you will need to have your students build the NXT robot using the educational kit 9797. Additionally it would be helpful if this is your first time teaching Lego Mindstorm Robots to view the supplemental video's attached.

  Below are the instructions step by step to help you through the attached presentation. You will want to download it and project it so that the students can follow along. Notes are provided on the bottom of each of the slides.

  Step 1) Start with the Bell Work. When students enter the room there should be a review of what they learned the day before on detailed information about the sensors.

  Step 2) Ask two students if they would like to come up to the front of the room and see who can solve one side of the cube the quickest. Give up to 3 minutes but not more then that sometimes this activity can last a while depending on the students. Once you have a winner ask the students to have a seat and then show the video rubicscube. After the video ask the students what type of sensor they think that the robot is using? The type of sensor that the robot is using is called a color sensor. There are many different types of sensors that are made for the NXT robot but this one for the rubics cube program does not come with the NXT 9797 kit educational kit.

  Step 3) Team up the students into pairs. One student should act as the engineer and one student should act as the programmer. Each pair of students will need a robot, kit and manual. I recommend numbering each of these items prior to having students build robots.

  Step 4) Review slides 4 through 15 with the students. When students begin programming the robots, work the room and check for understanding by checking challenges off on the challenge sheets that are attached to this lesson.

  Slide 5) review with the students the On Screen Menu Tools. The supplemental video goes over this interface very well.

  Slide 6)  Tells about the ports and sensors and where they are assigned to. The motor rotation ports connect to the top three ports 1,2,and 3. The port to the right of ports 1,2, and 3 is the USB port so that you can down load the programs that you write using the software on your computer. The ports on the bottom are assigned to each of the sensor ports. Port 1( Touch Sensor), Port 2( Sound Sensor) Port 3(Reflective Light Sensor), Port 4 (Ultra Sonic Sensor)

  Slide 7) Go over with the students the icons that represent each of the sensors so that they can program the brick.

  Slide 8) Now lets begin programming the Brick. Click on the orange button to turn on the Brick. Now click the right arrow key to select the icon that allow you to add a program manually. Click the orange enter key one more time. To begin entering in a program choose the icon that represents a specific sensor. Then click enter (orange button). Follow the challenge instructions on the next few slides to begin.

  Slide 9)      Challenge #1 Program : Select the icons that represent each of the images on the slide. For this challenge you will not be adding any additional sensors. This is called the parking lot challenge. After you have entered each of the icons choose the orange button to run it. Place it on the ground and watch it do its thing.

  Slide 10)   Challenge #2 Setup : You will need to build on the sound sensor. One student should be the programmer entering in the program and the other student (The engineer) should be building the sensor attachment. The instructions to build the attachment are available digitally within this lesson. Students at this time should be doing Think Pair Share telling their partner what type of sensor they are adding. Additionally they should remind each other what port is assigned to the sensor. The cables for the sensors are in the kit. In the manual the building instructions are on page 24-26.

  Slide 11) Challenge #2 Program: Here is the program using the Sound Sensor. Program the robot.The Sound Sensor should react to the clapping of your hands.  

  Slide 12) Challenge #3 Setup: Students should switch positions. The programmer should now be the engineer and the engineer should be the programmer. The engineer needs to build the Ultra Sonic Sensor attachment. The instructions are in the manual on page 28-30 Time for Think Pair Share have the students tell their partners what type of sensor they are now going to use and what port that the sensor will plug into.

  Slide 13) Challenge #3 Program: Here is the program using the Ultra Sonic Sensor. Program the robot, run the program.

  Slide 14) Challenge #4 Setup: Students should switch positions. The programmer should now be the engineer and the engineer should be the programmer. The engineer needs to build the Reflective Light Sensor attachment. The instructions are in the manual on page 32-34. Time for Think Pair Share have the students tell their partners what type of sensor they are now going to use and what port that the sensor will plug into.

  Slide 15) Challenge #4 Program:   Here is the program using the Reflective Light Sensor. You will need to either have black electrical tape to put down on a light surface for the robot to follow or you can draw a dark black line 1 inch thick with a fat sharpy on a piece of poster paper. Program the robot, run it. What does it do? It should follow a dark line.

  • NXT Sensors and On Screen Menu Tools [ Download ] Above are step by step instructions to help you through the attached presentation. You will want to download it and project it so that the students can follow along.