Three great qualities for educators and students, but also the name of three Mars Rovers! In my new and unique position as an Innovation Specialist, I have been able to embark on missions with several 6th Grade teachers and students at my school. We've had a blast with JPL's Mars Rover Races activity! It is a kinesthetic way to introduce coding and involves communication, problem solving and collaboration. This activity was presented in a great session I attended at SEEC. I knew I wanted to do this activity, but I wasn't quite sure how to make it work in my school. After some trial and error along with resources from the PE department and support from Technology and Science/Social Studies Teachers, we did it! This activity is suggested for grades 5 - 9. It can be done in different class settings; homeroom, related arts or part of a specific subject rotation/block schedule. The biggest thing is course set-up. Modifications I made to the Original Lesson Plan:
My Lesson Structure *I worked with the students for 2 class periods, but I know all schools have different schedules and time available.
Session 1 - Background Information I used JPL's Mars in a Minute videos, which are awesome! These short videos are a great way to provide information in an engaging way. > After each video, students had to make a decision about what they just watched and explain their thinking with evidence. **Literacy connection. > Explain roles (Driver, Official and Rover) and assign students to groups (3-4 per group).
Session 2 - Coding the Course >Drivers (1/group) went to their assigned course (we had 2 of equal difficulty level). >They walked through the course and wrote down their code as they walked. Their coding involved directions (forward, backward, right, left) and a number of steps. > While drivers coded the course, I showed Rovers and Officials mission patches and then they designed their own. > Once all drivers finished coding, groups went to the course one at a time. > After completing the course, students evaluated themselves individually by finishing sentence starters and as groups by rating their performance in various areas and answering reflection questions.
Alternatives/Extensions/Additions On Paper or in Digital Format - Using graph paper or Minecraft, your kiddos could design a martian surface. Student A. *They would need to include craters and rock samples, but also leave space to get around the craters. - The design would be given to Student B who would write the code to get the rover from the start to the finish. - Student A would read Student B's directions to Student C. Student C would follow the directions on a blank piece of graph paper (or by pressing the arrow keys the number of times needed). - -The blank piece of graph paper would be placed on top of the martian surface design to see if craters were avoided and rock samples were collected. - - Students could record the data (number of craters hit, course time and number of rocks retrieved.) > Eventually, students could code a robot through the course. The Rover would be replaced by the robot, but the Driver and Rover could work together to code. The Official's role would remain the same. The students really enjoyed this and so did the teachers! It's a great way to get kids engaged and moving. There are so many follow-up activities for language arts, math, science and technology. I included some suggestions in my Mars Rovers overview above. I hope you're able to use this lesson at your school and find the resources helpful!
Peace, Love and Space Exploration, CAPCOM Conrad
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AuthorApollo 13 fan. Educator. Lifelong Learner. Third generation Boilermaker. Space Exploration Enthusiast. Collaborator. Click Subscribe to stay updated!Archives
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