Microsoft Word - File 2 Units 678910_Intro to Python Course

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or

copyrights of the LEGO Group,

Introduction to

Python Programming

Using LEGO® Education SPIKE™ Prime Set

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or

copyrights of the LEGO Group,

Introduction to Python Programming Course 2

Using LEGO® Education SPIKE™ Prime Set

OVERVIEW

In this course, students will extend the fundamentals

of the

Python programming language, along with

programming

best practices, through using LEGO®

Education SPIKE™

Prime set. Through a series of

scaffolded lessons, students

will learn to use

functions, compound conditionals, data and

math

functions, and lists (arrays) to control the flow

of your

programs. They will define and document

their own custom

programs, write scripts, and handle

errors. Most importantly,

students will have multiple

and ongoing opportunities to use all this knowledge

authentic contexts to practice and develop their

coding skills in Python.

By the end of the course, students will

 Design, iteratively develop and program a prototype of a robot or model.

 Work collaboratively, give, and receive feedback, and incorporate

suggestions.

 Debug and troubleshoot both hardware and software problems.

 Use algorithms, data, compound conditionals, sensors, loops, and Boolean

logic.

 Document programs, feedback, testing, and debugging.

 Articulate flowcharts or pseudocode to address complex problems.

 Decompose problems and subproblems into parts.

 Discuss issues of bias and accessibility.

 Communicate the solution to a problem, including model and

programming.

LEARNING

PROMISE

Students will create artifacts and build models that use motors, sensors, lights,

and sounds to work effectively by creating Python programs. They will utilize

various programming techniques including writing pseudocode, using

conditional statements, loops, Boolean logic, as well as linear and computational

thinking to accomplish a variety of tasks. Students will apply their Python

knowledge to various guided and open-ended projects which culminate in

presenting solutions to real-world problems.

COURSE DESIGN

The course has been developed to address numerous Python programming skills

and

outcomes. The lessons have been compiled into scaffolded experiences to

increase in

complexity to enable teachers to provide their students with ongoing

opportunities to

develop proficiency in Python programming.

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or

copyrights of the LEGO Group,

This course is built around the K-12 CS Framework and the CSTA standards.

A matrix

of the lessons, the standards covered in each lesson, and framework

areas addressed

is available at the end of this document.

The course is broken down into five units and a culminating project. The units

have 6-8

lessons. The projects have between 10-12 lessons. During each 45-60-

minute lesson,

students will experience a high level of engagement to develop

their Python proficiency. Course 2 continues the coursework from Course 1 and

contains the following units:



Unit 6: Troubleshooting & Debugging



Unit 7: Functions



Unit 8: Compound Conditionals and Logic Operators



Unit 9: Data & Math Functions



Unit 10: Lists



Project Unit: Environmental Impact or Transportation Project

Throughout the lessons, strategic questions and key objectives will guide

students through the process of developing Python programming

proficiency.

The key objectives listed on each lesson can be used to

determine whether each

student is developing the relevant skills.

The projects within the course will include specific documentation via journaling

and

rubrics to detail their overall understanding and application of the Python

concepts

previously covered.

The following sections are reference for teachers who may not have taught

Introduction to Python Programming Course 1 recently.

Opening a new project

Direct students to open the software and look at library options.

•

Open the SPIKE App

•

Select New Project

•

Select PYTHON

•

Select CREATE

Using the Programming Canvas

We suggest allowing the students a few minutes in the first lesson to see the

functions

within the software and pointing out key features as shown in the

image below.

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

 The programming canvas is the open white space starting on the

top left side.

When you open the software there will be a sample

program already loaded in

the programming canvas.



You will see the hub icon in the top left corner which is where you

will connect

your hub.



Along the bottom you will see the console and some functions that

allow you to

change the screen size and undo actions. The console

is where printed code will

appear as well as error messages. If the

console is not showing, click the two

horizontal bars in the center

bottom of the canvas. The console will move up to

be visible.

 Along the right side, you will see the knowledge base. The

knowledge base will

provide support and act as a reference for

code.

Using the Knowledge Base

The Knowledge Base provides getting started support and easy transition to

text-based coding for SPIKE Prime with python. The knowledge base is the API,

providing a place to find the functions linked to the hardware from the SPIKE

Prime set. Additionally, sample codes that can be copied and pasted into the

programming canvas, error message explanations, and the type and value of

each function are provided in the Knowledge Base.

Copy and Pasting from the Knowledge Base

To make programming simpler, there are several sample programs provided in

the Knowledge Base. Students can copy and paste these into the programming

canvas at any time. To copy and paste:

 Click the small blue icon in the upper right corner of the programming box

Name Project

Programming

area

Connect hub and

see hub data

Open the Console for

print and error message

Knowledge Base

reference for

getting sample

code and API

Run program

or stop

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

within the Knowledge Base.

 Right click in the box that you wish to paste the code.

 Choose PASTE.

Connecting the Hub via Bluetooth

Guide students through connecting their hubs to the software. The hub can be

connected with the USB cable or through Bluetooth. To connect via Bluetooth:

 Click the hub icon.

 Click CONNECT VIA BLUETOOTH in the upper right corner.

 Press the small circular button on the upper left part of the hub.



The hub name should appear at the bottom of the screen in a few

seconds.

 Click on the correct hub name and it will be connected.

 Return to the programming canvas by clicking the X to close the

connection dashboard screen.

Renaming a Project

Projects will be saved

in the My Projects tab. To easily locate a project, students

should give each project a name relevant to the task. To rename the Project:

 click the three small vertical dots to the right of the Project name.

 two choices will open in the pop-up menu, RENAME PROJECT and MOVE

 choose RENAME PROJECT

 the screen changes to show the current name

 erase what is there and type in your own title

 click save

 the menu will close and return to the programming canvas

ASSESSMENT

In this course, there are three types of assessment used for lessons and an

additional rubric used in the culminating project. Teachers are encouraged to

use all types of assessment to provide students adequate feedback to continue

grow their knowledge and skills. The three types of assessment include:

 Teacher observations which encourage teachers to discuss outcomes with

students through posing questions and listening to how students to check

for understanding.

 Peer feedback which allows students to learn how to provide and take

constructive feedback that can better their solutions.



Self-assessment which allows students to deeply reflect on their own

learning to make connections, think about how to work together, and

complete work in positive ways

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or

copyrights of the LEGO Group,

Introduction to Python Programming

Unit 1 Hardware and Software

Lesson Objectives CSTA Standards

Importing Libraries

45 minutes

•

Learn why a

Pythonprogram must

havelibraries imported.

•

Import libraries.

•

Run a program.

2-CS-02 Design projects that combine

hardware and software components to

collect and exchange data.

2-AP-16 Incorporate existing code, media,

and libraries into original programs, and give

attribution.

Communicating

with Light

45 minutes

•

Describe the function of

hardware and software.

•

Program the light matrix

and learn how to debug

a simple program.

2-CS-02 Design projects that combine

hardware and software components to

collect and exchange data.

2-AP-13 Decompose problems and

subproblems into parts to facilitate the

design, implementation, and review of

programs.

2-AP-16 Incorporate existing code, media,

and libraries into original programs, and give

attribution.

2-AP-19 Document programs in order to

make them easier to follow, test, and debug.

Pair Programming

45 minutes

•

Practice pair

programming.

•

Modify programs.

2-CS-02 Design projects that combine

hardware and software components to

collect and exchange data.

2-AP-16 Incorporate existing code, media,

and libraries into original programs, and

give attribution.

Communicating

with Sounds

45 minutes

•

Describe the function of

hardware and software.

•

Program sounds and

beeps and learn how to

debug a simple program.

•

Create a sound pattern.

2-CS-02 Design projects that combine

hardware and software components to

collect and exchange data.

2-AP-13 Decompose problems and

subproblems into parts to facilitate the

design, implementation, and review of

programs.

2-AP-16 Incorporate existing code, media,

and libraries into original programs, and

give attribution.

2-AP-19 Document programs in order to

make them easier to follow, test, and debug.

Digital Sign

45-90 minutes

•

Describe the function of

hardware and software.

•

Program lights and sounds

to communicate a

message.

2-CS-02 Design projects that combine

hardware and software components to

collect and exchange data.

2-AP-13 Decompose problems and

subproblems into parts to facilitate the

design, implementation, and review of

programs.

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or

copyrights of the LEGO Group,

Introduction to Python Programming

Unit 1 Hardware and Software

Lesson Objectives CSTA Standards

2-AP-16 Incorporate existing code, media,

and libraries into original programs, and give

attribution.

2-AP-19 Document programs in order to

make them easier to follow, test, and debug.

Ideas to Support

Your Design

30-45 minutes

•

Give specific feedback on

a peer’s project.

•

Explore how to use

feedback to improve

a project.

1B-IC-20 Seek diverse perspectives for

the purpose of improving computational

artifacts

Career

Connections –

Lesson Extension

60-90 minutes

•

Articulate their personal

interests and goals.

•

Relate their personal

interests and goals into

possible career pathways.

•

Explore various careers

in career pathways.

Career Ready Practice 10- Plan education

and career path aligned to personal goals.

(CCTC)

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or

copyrights of the LEGO Group,

Introduction to Python Programming

Unit 2 Motors

Lesson Objectives CSTA Standards

Making Moves

with Motors

45 minutes

• Program motors to turn

individually using

parameters of time and

speed

•

Create a robot dance

party

2-CS-02 Design projects that combine

hardware and software components to

collect and exchange data.

2-AP-10 Use flowcharts and/or pseudocode

to address complex problems as algorithms

2-AP-16 Incorporate existing code, media,

and libraries into original programs, and give

attribution.

2-AP-17 Systematically test and refine

programs using a range of test cases.

2-AP-19 Document programs in order to

make them easier to follow, test, and debug.

New Moves with

Motors

45 minutes

•

Program a motor to move

to position using the

shortest path.

•

Program a motor to move

to a specific position.

•

Program a motor to move

a defined number of

degrees.

2-CS-02 Design projects that combine

hardware and software components to

collect and exchange data.

2-AP-10 Use flowcharts and/or pseudocode

to address complex problems as algorithms

2-AP-16 Incorporate existing code, media,

and libraries into original programs, and give

attribution.

2-AP-17 Systematically test and refine

programs using a range of test cases.

2-AP-19 Document programs in order to

make them easier to follow, test, and debug.

Automating Action

45 minutes

•

Build and program

a model that automates

a task.

2-CS-02 Design projects that combine

hardware and software components to

collect and exchange data.

2-AP-10 Use flowcharts and/or pseudocode

to address complex problems as algorithms

2-AP-16 Incorporate existing code, media,

and libraries into original programs, and

give attribution.

2-AP-17 Systematically test and refine

programs using a range of test cases.

2-AP-19 Document programs in order to

make them easier to follow, test, and debug.

Hopper Run

45 minutes

•

Program two motors to

move simultaneously.

•

Build and program a robot

without wheels to move

forward.

2-CS-02 Design projects that combine

hardware and software components to

collect and exchange data.

2-AP-10 Use flowcharts and/or pseudocode

to address complex problems as algorithms

2-AP-13 Decompose problems and

subproblems into parts to facilitate the

design, implementation, and review of

programs.

2-AP-16 Incorporate existing code, media,

and libraries into original programs, and give

attribution.

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or

copyrights of the LEGO Group,

Introduction to Python Programming

Unit 2 Motors

Lesson Objectives

CSTA Standards

2-AP-17 Systematically test and refine

programs using a range of test cases.

2-AP-19 Document programs in order to

make them easier to follow, test, and

debug.

Race Day

45 minutes

•

Create a program to move

through a series of steps

and turns.

•

Utilize motor pair in

multiple ways.

2-CS-02 Design projects that combine

hardware and software components to

collect and exchange data.

2-AP-10 Use flowcharts and/or pseudocode

to address complex problems as algorithms

2-AP-13 Decompose problems and

subproblems into parts to facilitate the

design, implementation, and review of

programs.

2-AP-16 Incorporate existing code, media,

and libraries into original programs, and give

attribution.

2-AP-17 Systematically test and refine

programs using a range of test cases.

2-AP-19 Document programs in order to

make them easier to follow, test, and debug.

Ideas to Help with

Race Day

30-45 minutes

•

Give specific feedback on

a peer’s project.

•

Explore how to use

feedback to improve

a project.

1B-IC-20 Seek diverse perspectives for the

purpose of improving computational

artifacts.

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or

copyrights of the LEGO Group,

Introduction to Python Programming

Unit 3 Sensor Control

Lesson Objectives CSTA Standards

Start Sensing

45 minutes

• Program the force sensor.

•

Create conditional

statements.

2-CS-02 Design projects that combine

hardware and software components to

collect and exchange data.

2-AP-10 Use flowcharts and/or pseudocode

to address complex problems as algorithms

2-AP-16 Incorporate existing code, media,

and libraries into original programs, and give

attribution.

2-AP-17 Systematically test and refine

programs using a range of test cases.

2-AP-19 Document programs in order to

make them easier to follow, test, and debug.

Charging Rhino

45 minutes

• Explore the force senor

•

Understand effects of

power on movement

2-AP-10 Use flowcharts and/or pseudocode

to address complex problems as algorithms

2-AP-13 Decompose problems and

subproblems into parts to facilitate the

design, implementation, and review of

programs.

2-AP-16 Incorporate existing code, media,

and libraries into original programs, and

give attribution.

2-AP-17 Systematically test and refine

programs using a range of test cases.

2-AP-19 Document programs in order to

make them easier to follow, test, and debug.

Cart Control

45 minutes

• Program the distance

sensor.

•

Explore movements with

distance.

•

Understand ultrasonic.

2-CS-02 Design projects that combine

hardware and software components to

collect and exchange data.

2-AP-10 Use flowcharts and/or pseudocode

to address complex problems as algorithms.

2-AP-13 Decompose problems and

subproblems into parts to facilitate the

design, implementation, and review of

programs.

2-AP-16 Incorporate existing code, media,

and libraries into original programs, and give

attribution.

2-AP-17 Systematically test and refine

programs using a range of test cases.

2-AP-19 Document programs in order to

make them easier to follow, test, and debug.

Safe Delivery

45 minutes

• Program model to move

safely using sensors.

•

Investigate effects of

motor power when using

sensors.

2-CS-02 Design projects that combine

hardware and software components to

collect and exchange data.

2-AP-10 Use flowcharts and/or pseudocode

to address complex problems as algorithms

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or

copyrights of the LEGO Group,

Introduction to Python Programming

Unit 3 Sensor Control

Lesson Objectives CSTA Standards

2-AP-13 Decompose problems and

subproblems into parts to facilitate the

design, implementation, and review of

programs.

2-AP-16 Incorporate existing code, media,

and libraries into original programs, and give

attribution.

2-AP-17 Systematically test and refine

programs using a range of test cases.

2-AP-19 Document programs in order to

make them easier to follow, test, and debug.

Grasshopper

Troubles

45 minutes

• Make appropriate

hardware decisions

•

Re-design a model to add

a sensor

2-CS-02 Design projects that combine

hardware and software components to

collect and exchange data.

2-AP-13 Decompose problems and

subproblems into parts to facilitate the

design, implementation, and review of

programs.

2-AP-17 Systematically test and refine

programs using a range of test cases.

2-AP-19 Document programs in order to

make them easier to follow, test, and debug.

Ideas to Help Your

Grasshopper

30-45 minutes

•

Give specific feedback

on a peer’s project.

•

Explore how to use

feedback to improve

a project.

1B-IC-20 Seek diverse perspectives for the

purpose of improving computational

artifacts.

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or

copyrights of the LEGO Group,

Introduction to Python Programming

Unit 4 Loops and Variables

Lesson Objectives CSTA Standards

Warm Up Loop

with Leo

45 minutes

• Program with loops.

•

Build and program a sit-

up machine.

2-CS-02 Design projects that combine

hardware and software components to

collect and exchange data.

2-AP-10 Use flowcharts and/or pseudocode

to address complex problems as algorithms

2-AP-13 Decompose problems and

subproblems into parts to facilitate the

design, implementation, and review of

programs.

2-AP-16 Incorporate existing code, media,

and libraries into original programs, and give

attribution.

2-AP-17 Systematically test and refine

programs using a range of test cases.

2-AP-19 Document programs in order to

make them easier to follow, test, and debug.

Counting Reps

with Leo

45 minutes

• Program a sit-up machine

to count the reps and to

complete a count down.

2-CS-02 Design projects that combine

hardware and software components to

collect and exchange data.

2-AP-10 Use flowcharts and/or pseudocode

to address complex problems as algorithms

2-AP-13 Decompose problems and

subproblems into parts to facilitate the

design, implementation, and review of

programs.

2-AP-16 Incorporate existing code, media,

and libraries into original programs, and give

attribution.

2-AP-17 Systematically test and refine

programs using a range of test cases.

2-AP-19 Document programs in order to

make them easier to follow, test, and debug.

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or

copyrights of the LEGO Group,

Introduction to Python Programming

Unit 4 Loops and Variables

Lesson Objectives CSTA Standards

Dance Loop with

Coach

45 minutes

• Program a model using for

loops.

•

Debug four programs to

learn tips and tricks.

2-CS-02 Design projects that combine

hardware and software components to

collect and exchange data.

2-AP-10 Use flowcharts and/or pseudocode

to address complex problems as algorithms

2-AP-13 Decompose problems and

subproblems into parts to facilitate the

design, implementation, and review of

programs.

2-AP-16 Incorporate existing code, media,

and libraries into original programs, and give

attribution.

2-AP-17 Systematically test and refine

programs using a range of test cases.

2-AP-19 Document programs in order to

make them easier to follow, test, and debug.

Setting Conditions

for Yoga

45-90 minutes

• Investigate while

statements.

•

Program a model using

while loops.

2-CS-02 Design projects that combine

hardware and software components to

collect and exchange data.

2-AP-10 Use flowcharts and/or pseudocode

to address complex problems as algorithms

2-AP-13 Decompose problems and

subproblems into parts to facilitate the

design, implementation, and review of

programs.

2-AP-16 Incorporate existing code, media,

and libraries into original programs, and give

attribution.

2-AP-17 Systematically test and refine

programs using a range of test cases.

2-AP-19 Document programs in order to

make them easier to follow, test, and debug.

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or

copyrights of the LEGO Group,

Introduction to Python Programming

Unit 4 Loops and Variables

Lesson Objectives CSTA Standards

Infinite Moves

45-90 minutes

• Program infinite loops.

•

Create a model that

includes a force sensor

that will provide a

condition for the robot

to move.

2-CS-02 Design projects that combine

hardware and software components to

collect and exchange data.

2-AP-10 Use flowcharts and/or pseudocode

to address complex problems as algorithms

2-AP-13 Decompose problems and

subproblems into parts to facilitate the

design, implementation, and review of

programs.

2-AP-16 Incorporate existing code, media,

and libraries into original programs, and give

attribution.

2-AP-17 Systematically test and refine

programs using a range of test cases.

2-AP-19 Document programs in order to

make them easier to follow, test, and debug.

Leading the Team

with Loops

90-120 minutes

•

Design a model for

repetition.

•

Program a model to move

using loops.

2-CS-02 Design projects that combine

hardware and software components to

collect and exchange data.

2-AP-13 Decompose problems and

subproblems into parts to facilitate the

design, implementation, and review of

programs.

2-AP-16 Incorporate existing code, media,

and libraries into original programs, and give

attribution.

Ideas to Help with

Leading the Team

with Loops

30-45 minutes

•

Give specific feedback

on a peer’s project.

•

Explore how to use

feedback to improve

a project.

1B-IC-20 Seek diverse perspectives for the

purpose of improving computational

artifacts.

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or

copyrights of the LEGO Group,

Introduction to Python Programming

Unit 5 Conditions for Games

Lesson Objectives CSTA Standards

Controlling Motion

with Tilt

45 minutes

• Program the motion

sensor.

•

Create conditional

statements.

2-CS-02 Design projects that combine

hardware and software components to

collect and exchange data.

2-AP-10 Use flowcharts and/or pseudocode

to address complex problems as algorithms

2-AP-16 Incorporate existing code, media,

and libraries into original programs, and give

attribution.

2-AP-17 Systematically test and refine

programs using a range of test cases.

2-AP-19 Document programs in order to

make them easier to follow, test, and debug.

Claw Machine

45 minutes

• Create a basic loop.

•

Program a grabber model

based on set conditions.

2-CS-02 Design projects that combine

hardware and software components to

collect and exchange data.

2-AP-10 Use flowcharts and/or pseudocode

to address complex problems as algorithms

2-AP-13 Decompose problems and

subproblems into parts to facilitate the

design, implementation, and review of

programs.

2-AP-16 Incorporate existing code, media,

and libraries into original programs, and give

attribution.

2-AP-17 Systematically test and refine

programs using a range of test cases.

2-AP-19 Document programs in order to

make them easier to follow, test, and debug.

Charting Game

Decisions

45-90 minutes

• Understand how to use

flowcharts in planning.

•

Create flowcharts and

write programs that follow

them.

2-CS-02 Design projects that combine

hardware and software components to

collect and exchange data.

2-AP-10 Use flowcharts and/or pseudocode

to address complex problems as algorithms

2-AP-13 Decompose problems and

subproblems into parts to facilitate the

design, implementation, and review of

programs.

2-AP-16 Incorporate existing code, media,

and libraries into original programs, and give

attribution.

2-AP-17 Systematically test and refine

programs using a range of test cases.

2-AP-19 Document programs in order to

make them easier to follow, test, and debug.

Guess Which Color

45 minutes

• Program the color sensor

using conditional code.

2-CS-02 Design projects that combine

hardware and software components to

collect and exchange data.

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or

copyrights of the LEGO Group,

Introduction to Python Programming

Unit 5 Conditions for Games

Lesson Objectives CSTA Standards

•

Create a game.

2-AP-10 Use flowcharts and/or pseudocode

to address complex problems as algorithms

2-AP-13 Decompose problems and

subproblems into parts to facilitate the

design, implementation, and review of

programs.

2-AP-16 Incorporate existing code, media,

and libraries into original programs, and give

attribution.

2-AP-17 Systematically test and refine

programs using a range of test cases.

2-AP-19 Document programs in order to

make them easier to follow, test, and debug.

Guessing Game

45 minutes

• Write code that uses

multiple condition

statements using

if/elif/else programming.

• Add a loop to code.

•

Debug coding that has

incorrect/missing syntax,

missing code, or incorrect

indention.

2-CS-02 Design projects that combine

hardware and software components to

collect and exchange data.

2-AP-10 Use flowcharts and/or pseudocode

to address complex problems as algorithms

2-AP-13 Decompose problems and

subproblems into parts to facilitate the

design, implementation, and review of

programs.

2-AP-16 Incorporate existing code, media,

and libraries into original programs, and give

attribution.

2-AP-17 Systematically test and refine

programs using a range of test cases.

2-AP-19 Document programs in order

to make

Score!

45 minutes

• Program movement and

light matrix.

•

Apply knowledge of

conditional statements.

2-CS-02 Design projects that combine

hardware and software components to

collect and exchange data.

2-AP-10 Use flowcharts and/or pseudocode

to address complex problems as algorithms

2-AP-13 Decompose problems and

subproblems into parts to facilitate the

design, implementation, and review of

programs.

2-AP-16 Incorporate existing code, media,

and libraries into original programs, and give

attribution.

2-AP-17 Systematically test and refine

programs using a range of test cases.

2-AP-19 Document programs in order to

make them easier to follow, test, and debug.

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or

copyrights of the LEGO Group,

Introduction to Python Programming

Unit 5 Conditions for Games

Lesson Objectives CSTA Standards

Game Time

90 minutes

• Write code that includes

conditions that must be

met in a game format

•

Create a game that

requires a series of events

requiring a robot

to respond

2-CS-02 Design projects that combine

hardware and software components to

collect and exchange data.

2-AP-10 Use flowcharts and/or pseudocode

to address complex problems as algorithms

2-AP-13 Decompose problems and

subproblems into parts to facilitate the

design, implementation, and review of

programs.

2-AP-16 Incorporate existing code, media,

and libraries into original programs, and give

attribution.

2-AP-17 Systematically test and refine

programs using a range of test cases.

2-AP-19 Document programs in order to

make them easier to follow, test, and debug.

2-IC-22 Collaborate with many contributors

through strategies such as crowdsourcing

or surveys when creating a computational

artifact.

Ideas to Help with

Game Time

30-45 minutes

•

Give specific feedback

on a peer’s project.

•

Explore how to use

feedback to improve

a project.

1B-IC-20 Seek diverse perspectives for the

purpose of improving computational

artifacts.

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or

copyrights of the LEGO Group,

Introduction to Python Programming

Unit 6 Troubleshooting and Debugging

Lesson Objectives CSTA Standards

Testing Prototypes

45 minutes

•

Brainstorm ideas and

develop solutions

to a problem.

•

Program a model.

2-AP-15 Seek and incorporate feedback

from team members and users to refine a

solution that meets user needs.

NGSS

MS-ETS1-2. Evaluate competing design

solutions using a systematic process to

determine how well they meet the criteria

and constraints of the problem.

MS-ETS1-4 Develop a model to generate

data for iterative testing and modification of

a proposed object, tool or process such that

an optimal design can be achieved.

Break Dancer

Break Down

45 minutes

• Identify a problem and

debug the program.

2-AP-10 Use flowcharts and/or pseudocode

to address complex problems as algorithms.

2-AP-13 Decompose problems and

subproblems into parts to facilitate the

design, implementation, and review of

programs.

2-AP-17 Systematically test and refine

programs using a range of test cases.

2-AP-19 Document programs in order to

make them easier to follow, test, and debug.

Dance to the Beat

45 minutes

• Identify a problem and

debug the program.

2-AP-10 Use flowcharts and/or pseudocode

to address complex problems as algorithms.

2-AP-13 Decompose problems and

subproblems into parts to facilitate the

design, implementation, and review of

programs.

2-AP-17 Systematically test and refine

programs using a range of test cases.

2-AP-19 Document programs in order to

make them easier to follow, test, and debug.

Testing for Trouble

90 minutes

• Identify and repair

a hardware problem

in a design.

2-AP-10 Use flowcharts and/or pseudocode

to address complex problems as algorithms.

2-AP-13 Decompose problems and

subproblems into parts to facilitate the

design, implementation, and review of

programs.

2-AP-17 Systematically test and refine

programs using a range of test cases.

2-AP-19 Document programs in order to

make them easier to follow, test, and debug.

Debug-inator

45 minutes

• Debug a software

problem.

2-AP-10 Use flowcharts and/or pseudocode

to address complex problems as algorithms.

2-AP-13 Decompose problems and

subproblems into parts to facilitate the

design, implementation, and review

of programs.

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or

copyrights of the LEGO Group,

Introduction to Python Programming

Unit 6 Troubleshooting and Debugging

Lesson Objectives CSTA Standards

2-AP-17 Systematically test and refine

programs using a range of test cases.

2-AP-19 Document programs in order to

make them easier to follow, test, and debug.

Ideas to Help with

the Debug-inator

30-45 minutes

•

Give specific feedback

on a peer’s project.

•

Explore how to use

feedback to improve

a project.

1B-IC-20 Seek diverse perspectives for the

purpose of improving computational

artifacts.

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or

copyrights of the LEGO Group,

Introduction to Python Programming

Unit 7 Functions

Lesson Objectives CSTA Standards

Turtle Trouble

45 minutes

•

Write a program that will

make the turtle’s flippers

move

•

Modify a program to allow

different reactions or lines

of code to run based on

the situation

2-CS-02 Design projects that combine

hardware and software components to

collect and exchange data.

2-AP-13 Decompose problems and

subproblems into parts to facilitate the

design, implementation, and review of

programs.

2-AP-16 Incorporate existing code, media,

and libraries into original programs, and give

attribution.

2-AP-17 Systematically test and refine

programs using a range of test cases.

2-AP-19 Document programs in order to

make them easier to follow, test, and debug.

Clean Up with

Multiple Functions

45 minutes

• Build and program a

grabber to pick up items

• Modify the program to

include multiple functions

2-CS-02 Design projects that combine

hardware and software components to

collect and exchange data.

2-AP-13 Decompose problems and

subproblems into parts to facilitate the

design, implementation, and review of

programs.

2-AP-17 Systematically test and refine

programs using a range of test cases.

Clean Indicator

45 minutes

•

Create functions that use

parameters

•

Investigate debugging

functions and functions

that use parameters

2-CS-02 Design projects that combine

hardware and software components to

collect and exchange data.

2-AP-10 Use flowcharts and/or pseudocode

to address complex problems as algorithms

2-AP-13 Decompose problems and

subproblems into parts to facilitate the

design, implementation, and review of

programs.

2-AP-16 Incorporate existing code, media,

and libraries into original programs, and give

attribution.

2-AP-17 Systematically test and refine

programs using a range of test cases.

2-AP-19 Document programs in order to

make them easier to follow, test, and debug.

Automate the

Clean Up

90 minutes

• Program a sorting robot to

identify if a material is

recyclable or non-

recyclable

•

Incorporate a second

function into a program

to make the program more

efficient

2-CS-02 Design projects that combine

hardware and software components to

collect and exchange data.

2-AP-13 Decompose problems and

subproblems into parts to facilitate the

design, implementation, and review of

programs.

2-AP-14 Create procedures with parameters

to organize code and make it easier

to reuse.

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or

copyrights of the LEGO Group,

Introduction to Python Programming

Unit 7 Functions

Lesson Objectives CSTA Standards

2-AP-17 Systematically test and refine

programs using a range of test cases.

2-AP-19 Document programs in order to

make them easier to follow, test, and debug.

Taking Care of My

Environment

90 minutes

•

Design, build, and program

an environmental helper to

take care of a local area

2-CS-02 Design projects that combine

hardware and software components to

collect and exchange data.

2-AP-10 Use flowcharts and/or pseudocode

to address complex problems as algorithms

2-AP-13 Decompose problems and

subproblems into parts to facilitate the

design, implementation, and review of

programs.

2-AP-14 Create procedures with parameters

to organize code and make it easier to reuse

2-AP-16 Incorporate existing code, media,

and libraries into original programs, and

give attribution.

2-AP-17 Systematically test and refine

programs using a range of test cases.

2-AP-19 Document programs in order to

make them easier to follow, test, and debug.

Ideas to Help with

Taking Care of My

Environment

30-45 minutes

•

Give specific feedback on

a peer’s project.

•

Explore how to use

feedback to improve

a project.

1B-IC-20 Seek diverse perspectives for the

purpose of improving computational

artifacts.

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or

copyrights of the LEGO Group,

Introduction to Python Programming

Unit 8 Compound Conditionals and Logic Operators

Lesson Objectives CSTA Standards

Password

Protection

45 minutes

• Investigate cyber security

through setting

passwords

•

Explore physical security

measures

2-CS-02 Design projects that combine

hardware and software components to

collect and exchange data.

2-NI-05 Explain how physical and digital

security measures protect electronic

information.

2-AP-13 Decompose problems and

subproblems into parts to facilitate the

design, implementation, and review of

programs.

2-AP-16 Incorporate existing code, media,

and libraries into original programs, and give

attribution.

2-AP-19 Document programs in order to

make them easier to follow, test, and debug.

Make it Physically

Safe

45-90 minutes

• Investigate nested

conditional statements

•

Explore physical security

measures

2-NI-05 Explain how physical and digital

security measures protect electronic

information.

2-CS-02 Design projects that combine

hardware and software components to

collect and exchange data.

2-AP-10 Use flowcharts and/or pseudocode

to address complex problems as algorithms

2-AP-13 Decompose problems and

subproblems into parts to facilitate the

design, implementation, and review of

programs.

2-AP-16 Incorporate existing code, media,

and libraries into original programs, and give

attribution.

2-AP-17 Systematically test and refine

programs using a range of test cases.

2-AP-19 Document programs in order to

make them easier to follow, test, and debug.

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or

copyrights of the LEGO Group,

Introduction to Python Programming

Unit 8 Compound Conditionals and Logic Operators

Lesson Objectives CSTA Standards

Make a Safer Safe

45-90 minutes

• Investigate using logic

operators to combine

conditions

•

Explore physical security

measures

2-NI-05 Explain how physical and digital

security measures protect electronic

information.

2-CS-02 Design projects that combine

hardware and software components to

collect and exchange data.

2-AP-10 Use flowcharts and/or pseudocode

to address complex problems as algorithms

2-AP-13 Decompose problems and

subproblems into parts to facilitate the

design, implementation, and review of

programs.

2-AP-16 Incorporate existing code, media,

and libraries into original programs, and give

attribution.

2-AP-17 Systematically test and refine

programs using a range of test cases.

2-AP-19 Document programs in order to

make them easier to follow, test, and debug.

Security Operating

with Logic

45-90 minutes

• Investigate using sensors

for security

•

Create two-step security

programs

2-CS-02 Design projects that combine

hardware and software components to

collect and exchange data.

2-AP-10 Use flowcharts and/or pseudocode

to address complex problems as algorithms

2-AP-13 Decompose problems and

subproblems into parts to facilitate the

design, implementation, and review of

programs.

2-AP-16 Incorporate existing code, media,

and libraries into original programs, and give

attribution.

2-AP-17 Systematically test and refine

programs using a range of test cases.

2-AP-19 Document programs in order to

make them easier to follow, test, and debug.

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or

copyrights of the LEGO Group,

Introduction to Python Programming

Unit 8 Compound Conditionals and Logic Operators

Lesson Objectives CSTA Standards

Escape Room

90 minutes

•

Create a security device to

simulate a break out game

•

Design a device that meets

given constraints

2-CS-02 Design projects that combine

hardware and software components to

collect and exchange data.

2-AP-10 Use flowcharts and/or pseudocode

to address complex problems as algorithms

2-AP-13 Decompose problems and

subproblems into parts to facilitate the

design, implementation, and review of

programs.

2-AP-16 Incorporate existing code, media,

and libraries into original programs, and give

attribution.

2-AP-17 Systematically test and refine

programs using a range of test cases.

2-AP-19 Document programs in order to

make them easier to follow, test, and debug.

2-IC-22 Collaborate with many contributors

through strategies such as crowdsourcing

or surveys when creating a computational

artifact.

Ideas to Help with

Escape Room

30-45 minutes

•

Give specific feedback

on a peer’s project.

•

Explore how to use

feedback to improve

a project.

1B-IC-20 Seek diverse perspectives for the

purpose of improving computational

artifacts.

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or

copyrights of the LEGO Group,

Introduction to Python Programming

Unit 9 Data and Math Functions

Lesson Objectives CSTA Standards

Get Moving to Get

Data

45 minutes

•

Investigate ways to take

in data from sensors

•

Create a new program that

will provide data using the

force sensor

2-CS-02 Design projects that combine

hardware and software components to

collect and exchange data.

2-AP-10 Use flowcharts and/or pseudocode

to address complex problems as algorithms

2-AP-13 Decompose problems and

subproblems into parts to facilitate the

design, implementation, and review of

programs.

2-AP-16 Incorporate existing code, media,

and libraries into original programs, and give

attribution.

2-AP-17 Systematically test and refine

programs using a range of test cases.

2-AP-19 Document programs in order to

make them easier to follow, test, and debug.

Bike Riding for

Data

45 minutes

• Program a bike model

to move forward

at a constant speed

•

Create a program increase

and decrease the speed of

the bike model using math

functions

2-CS-02 Design projects that combine

hardware and software components to

collect and exchange data.

2-AP-10 Use flowcharts and/or pseudocode

to address complex problems as algorithms

2-AP-13 Decompose problems and

subproblems into parts to facilitate the

design, implementation, and review of

programs.

2-AP-16 Incorporate existing code, media,

and libraries into original programs, and

give attribution.

2-AP-17 Systematically test and refine

programs using a range of test cases.

2-AP-19 Document programs in order to

make them easier to follow, test, and debug.

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or

copyrights of the LEGO Group,

Introduction to Python Programming

Unit 9 Data and Math Functions

Lesson Objectives CSTA Standards

Counting Your

Steps

45 minutes

• Integrate mathematical

calculations into their

programs using variables

•

Create a program that will

measure footsteps

2-CS-02 Design projects that combine

hardware and software components to

collect and exchange data.

2-AP-10 Use flowcharts and/or pseudocode

to address complex problems as algorithms

2-AP-13 Decompose problems and

subproblems into parts to facilitate the

design, implementation, and review of

programs.

2-AP-16 Incorporate existing code, media,

and libraries into original programs, and give

attribution.

2-AP-17 Systematically test and refine

programs using a range of test cases.

2-AP-19 Document programs in order to

make them easier to follow, test, and debug.

Make It Move

45 minutes

• Program a driving base to

move forward and change

directions

•

Create a program with

mathematical functions

2-CS-02 Design projects that combine

hardware and software components to

collect and exchange data.

2-AP-10 Use flowcharts and/or pseudocode

to address complex problems as algorithms

2-AP-13 Decompose problems and

subproblems into parts to facilitate the

design, implementation, and review of

programs.

2-AP-16 Incorporate existing code, media,

and libraries into original programs, and give

attribution.

2-AP-17 Systematically test and refine

programs using a range of test cases.

2-AP-19 Document programs in order to

make them easier to follow, test, and debug.

Parking Lot

90 minutes

•

Use conditional

statements in a program

using sensors and motors.

•

Apply sensors to real-life

problems.

2-AP-18 Distribute tasks and maintain a

project timeline when collaboratively

developing computational artifacts.

2-AP-12 Design and iteratively develop

programs that combine control structures,

including nested loops and compound

conditionals.

2-CS-02 Design projects that combine

hardware and software components to

collect and exchange data.

2-AP-10 Use flowcharts and/or pseudocode

to address complex problems as algorithms.

2-AP-13 Decompose problems and

subproblems into parts to facilitate the

design, implementation, and review of

programs.

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or

copyrights of the LEGO Group,

Introduction to Python Programming

Unit 9 Data and Math Functions

Lesson Objectives CSTA Standards

My Transportation

90 minutes

•

Design, build, and program

a transportation vehicle

to bring them to school

2-CS-02 Design projects that combine

hardware and software components to

collect and exchange data.

2-AP-10 Use flowcharts and/or pseudocode

to address complex problems as algorithms

2-AP-13 Decompose problems and

subproblems into parts to facilitate the

design, implementation, and review of

programs.

2-AP-16 Incorporate existing code, media,

and libraries into original programs, and give

attribution.

2-AP-17 Systematically test and refine

programs using a range of test cases.

2-AP-19 Document programs in order to

make them easier to follow, test, and debug.

2-IC-22 Collaborate with many contributors

through strategies such as crowdsourcing

or surveys when creating a computational

artifact.

Ideas to Help with

My Transportation

30-45 minutes

•

Give specific feedback

on a peer’s project.

•

Explore how to use

feedback to improve

a project.

1B-IC-20 Seek diverse perspectives for the

purpose of improving computational

artifacts.

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or

copyrights of the LEGO Group,

Introduction to Python Programming

Unit 10 Lists

Lesson Objectives CSTA Standards

Listing Letters

45 minutes

• Create and utilize lists.

• Code with compound

conditionals using lists.

2-CS-01 Recommend improvements to the

design of computing devices, based on an

analysis of how users interact with the

devices.

2-DA-09 Refine computational models

based on the data they have generated.

2-AP-10 Use flowcharts and/or pseudocode

to address complex problems as algorithms.

2-AP-12 Design and iteratively develop

programs that combine control structures,

including nested loops and compound

conditionals.

2-AP-18 Distribute tasks and maintain a

project timeline when collaboratively

developing computational artifacts.

2-AP-16 Incorporate existing code, media,

and libraries into original programs, and

give attribution.

2-CS-02 Design projects that combine

hardware and software components to

collect and exchange data.

2-AP-13 Decompose problems and

subproblems into parts to facilitate the

design, implementation, and review of

programs.

Stretch Your

Muscles and Lists

90 minutes

• Create a program using

values for the motion

sensor as the variables

in their list

•

Use a list to create a yoga

routine

2-CS-02 Design projects that combine

hardware and software components to

collect and exchange data.

2-AP-10 Use flowcharts and/or pseudocode

to address complex problems as algorithms

2-AP-13 Decompose problems and

subproblems into parts to facilitate the

design, implementation, and review of

programs.

2-AP-17 Systematically test and refine

programs using a range of test cases.

2-AP-19 Document programs in order to

make them easier to follow

test

and debu

Mind Games

90 minutes

• Create two lists in one

program

•

Compare two lists within

the program

2-CS-02 Design projects that combine

hardware and software components to

collect and exchange data.

2-AP-10 Use flowcharts and/or pseudocode

to address complex problems as algorithms

2-AP-13 Decompose problems and

subproblems into parts to facilitate the

design, implementation, and review of

programs.

2-AP-16 Incorporate existing code, media,

and libraries into original programs, and give

attribution.

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or

copyrights of the LEGO Group,

Introduction to Python Programming

Unit 10 Lists

Lesson Objectives CSTA Standards

2-AP-17 Systematically test and refine

programs using a range of test cases.

2-AP-19 Document programs in order to

make them easier to follow, test, and debug.

Jumping for Lists

90 minutes

•

Create data from the force

and distance sensors to

use in a list

• Program a list based on

the data gathered from

the jumping trials

(i.e., height of jumps)

2-CS-02 Design projects that combine

hardware and software components to

collect and exchange data.

2-AP-10 Use flowcharts and/or pseudocode

to address complex problems as algorithms

2-AP-11 Create clearly named variables that

represent different data types and perform

operations on their values.

2-AP-13 Decompose problems and

subproblems into parts to facilitate the

design, implementation, and review of

programs.

2-AP-16 Incorporate existing code, media,

and libraries into original programs, and give

attribution.

2-AP-17 Systematically test and refine

programs using a range of test cases.

2-AP-19 Document programs in order to

make them easier to follow, test, and debug.

Word Games with

Lists

90 minutes

•

Create multiple lists within

a program to complete

a word game

•

Program a color sensing

model to coordinate with

their word game

2-CS-02 Design projects that combine

hardware and software components to

collect and exchange data.

2-AP-10 Use flowcharts and/or pseudocode

to address complex problems as algorithms

2-AP-13 Decompose problems and

subproblems into parts to facilitate the

design, implementation, and review of

programs.

2-AP-17 Systematically test and refine

programs using a range of test cases.

2-AP-19 Document programs in order to

make them easier to follow, test, and debug.

Ideas to Help with

Word Games with

Lists

30-45 minutes

•

Give specific feedback

on a peer’s project.

•

Explore how to use

feedback to improve

a project.

1B-IC-20 Seek diverse perspectives for the

purpose of improving computational

artifacts.

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or

copyrights of the LEGO Group,

Unit Introduction

This unit allows students to explore essential computer science principles and programming

concepts of the text-based coding language, Python, through identifying and fixing bugs.

Students will investigate how to identify problems when designing, building, and

programming robots and develop strategies for troubleshooting these issues. Students will

identify the importance of testing and how to recognize if their bugs are in the hardware

(design) or software (program). The lessons are designed in an order that allows students

to progress in their skills and knowledge in the following areas:

 Create and debug programs

 Problem solve if an issue is in the design or the program and fix the problem

 Investigate troubleshooting design issues

 Utilize code comment features to documents parts of a program

 Define and decompose a problem

Unit Learning Promise

In this unit, students will explore designing models and programs and the troubleshooting

needs that can arise from each. Students will experience how problems can happen in

hardware and programming and develop skills for identifying where the issues exist and how

to troubleshoot them. Students will utilize pseudocode to support creating algorithms and

code comments to document their programs, supporting good debugging habits.

Unit Lessons

Lesson 1 Lesson 2 Lesson 3 Lesson 4 Lesson 5 Lesson 6

Testing

Prototypes

Time: 45 min

Break Dancer

Break Down

Time: 45 min

Dance to the

Beat?

Time: 45 min

Testing for

Trouble

Time: 45 min

Debug-inator

Time: 45 min

Ideas to Help

with the

Debug-inator

Time: 45 min

Testing for Bugs: Troubleshooting

Hardware and Software

A LEGO

Education Unit

Investigation Questions:

How do software engineers identify and fix bugs in a program? How do engineers identify

and repair hardware and software problems within a design?

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or

copyrights of the LEGO Group,

Assessment: We recommend assessing students on various skills throughout the unit.

 Use the progression of lessons as an opportunity to provide on-going

feedback to prepare students for success for the open-ended project

at the end of the unit.

 Each lesson includes a recommendation for teacher observations, student

self-assessment, evaluation of success.

Unit Standards

CSTA

2-AP-10 Use flowcharts and/or pseudocode to address complex problems as

algorithms.

2-AP-13 Decompose problems and subproblems into parts to facilitate the design,

implementation, and review of programs.

2-AP-17 Systematically test and refine programs using a range of test cases.

2-AP-19 Document programs in order to make them easier to follow, test, and

debug.

1B-IC-20 Seek diverse perspectives for the purpose of improving computational

artifacts.

Integrated Standards

NGSS

MS-ETS1-2. Evaluate competing design solutions using a systematic process to

determine how well they meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.

MS-ETS1-4 Develop a model to generate data for iterative testing and modification

of a proposed object, tool or process such that an optimal design can be achieved.

Common Core English Language Arts (ELA)

Grade 7

Grade 8

Grade

SL.6.1 Engage effectively in a

range of collaborative

discussions (one-on-one, in

groups, and teacher-led)

with diverse partners on

grade 6 topics, texts, and

issues, building on others'

SL.7.1 Engage effectively in a

range of collaborative

discussions (one-on-one, in

groups, and teacher-led)

with diverse partners on

grade 7 topics, texts, and

issues, building on others'

SL.8.1 Engage effectively in a

range of collaborative

discussions (one-on-one, in

groups, and teacher-led)

with diverse partners on

grade 8 topics, texts, and

issues, building on others'

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or

copyrights of the LEGO Group,

ideas and expressing their

own clearly

ideas and expressing their

own clearly

ideas and expressing their

own clearly

SL.6.2 Interpret information

presented in diverse media

and formats (e.g., visually,

quantitatively, orally) and

explain how it contributes to

a topic, text, or issue under

study

SL.7.2 Analyze the main

ideas and supporting details

presented in diverse media

and formats (e.g., visually,

quantitatively, orally) and

explain how the ideas clarify

a topic, text, or issue under

study

SL.8.2 Analyze the purpose

of information presented in

diverse media and formats

(e.g., visually, quantitatively,

orally) and evaluate the

motives (e.g., social,

commercial, political) behind

its presentation

SL.6.4 Present claims and

findings, sequencing ideas

logically and using pertinent

descriptions, facts, and

details to accentuate main

ideas or themes; use

appropriate eye contact,

adequate volume, and clear

pronunciation

SL.7.4 Present claims and

findings, emphasizing salient

points in a focused, coherent

manner with pertinent

descriptions, facts, details,

and examples; use

appropriate eye contact,

adequate volume, and clear

pronunciation

SL.8.4 Present claims and

findings, emphasizing salient

points in a focused, coherent

manner with relevant

evidence, sound valid

reasoning, and well-chosen

details; use appropriate eye

contact, adequate volume,

and clear pronunciation

RST.6-8.3 Follow precisely a

multistep procedure when

carrying out experiments,

taking measurements, or

performing technical tasks

RST.6-8.3 Follow precisely a

multistep procedure when

carrying out experiments,

taking measurements, or

performing technical tasks

RST.6-8.3 Follow precisely a

multistep procedure when

carrying out experiments,

taking measurements, or

performing technical tasks.

L.6.6 Acquire and use

accurately grade-

appropriate general

academic and domain-

specific words and phrases;

gather vocabulary

knowledge when

considering a word or

phrase important to

comprehension or

expression

L.7.6 Acquire and use

accurately grade-

appropriate general

academic and domain-

specific words and phrases;

gather vocabulary

knowledge when

considering a word or

phrase important to

comprehension or

expression

L.8.6 Acquire and use

accurately grade-

appropriate general

academic and domain-

specific words and phrases;

gather vocabulary

knowledge when

considering a word or

phrase important to

comprehension or

expression

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

LEGO® Education SPIKE™ Prime

Testing Prototypes

Grade 6-8 45 minutes Beginner

Testing Prototypes

Students will explore the engineering design process.

Questions to investigate

 How do engineers take an idea and make

it into a product?

Materials needed

 SPIKE Prime sets ready for student use. Prior to

the first lesson, please visit the following website

for help with set up, kit organization and SPIKE

App https://education.lego.com/en-

us/start/spike-prime/intro

 Devices with the SPIKE App installed

 Student journals

 Unopened water bottles

Prepare

Ensure SPIKE Prime hubs are charged, especially

if connecting through Bluetooth.

1. Engage

Engage students in thinking about the design

engineering process.

Engineers use a process called the design engineering

process when they are trying to find a solution to a problem. Introduce students

to the design engineering process. You may use your own preferred model

or the one provided below:

 Define a problem

 Research the problem

 Brainstorm possible solutions

 Select the most promising solution

 Construct a prototype

KEY OBJECTIVES

Students will:

 Brainstorm ideas and

develop solutions to a

problem.

 Program a model.

STANDARDS

CSTA

2-AP-15 Seek and incorporate

feedback from team members and

users to refine a solution that meets

user needs.

NGSS

MS-ETS1-2. Evaluate competing

design solutions using a systematic

process to determine how well they

meet the criteria and constraints of

the problem.

MS-ETS1-4 Develop a model to

generate data for iterative testing and

modification of a proposed object,

tool or process such that an optimal

design can be achieved.

VOCABULARY

Engineering Design Process

Constraint

Prototype

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

 Test and evaluate the prototype

 Communicate

 Redesign

Ignite a discussion with students on how engineers use this process to design

solutions to problems. Consider sharing examples.

2. Explore

Students will use the design engineering process to build a bridge.

Present students with a problem to solve. Explain to students that they have

been hired to construct a model of a bridge. The roadbed of the model, which is

the large yellow technic plate, needs to raise above the table by 3 inches.

Ask students to record the steps of the design engineering process in their

notebooks as they complete them. Together, complete step 1 by defining the

problem. Students should identify that they need to build a bridge that has the

roadbed 3 inches off the table. Identify other needs – like what should a bridge

do – carry weight, not move side to side, and so forth.

Allow students time to complete step 2, to research the problem, as needed.

Students should record all ideas as they move to the next step, brainstorming

possible solutions. Provide students with these constraints for the challenge:

 Students may only use the following elements from their set

 Large yellow technic plates

 Technic beams

 Connectors or axles

 Students may not use frames.

 The roadbed must hold 2 unopened water bottles.

Have students select their best option and build their prototype.

Ask students to verify that their original model does not move side-to-side and

can hold some weight. Start with 2 unopened plastic water bottles.

Have students take a picture of their first bridge prototype.

3. Explain

Have students share their model and explain how they arrived at their final

design.

Ask students questions like:

 What type of bridge could you build given the materials you can use?

 Why is planning prior to building important?

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

 What happened as you built? Did you have to change anything from the

design?

 Why were you asked to verify that the model would hold the weight of

the water bottles?

 What step were you completing when you added the water bottles?

Discuss with students that they were completing the test and iterate phase of

their design when they were adding the water bottles. Students may indicate

that their bridge did not hold the weight of the water bottles.

Discuss what is learned when this happens and what students can do next.

Students should recognize that testing determines if a design works as intended

or not. It allows the designer to investigate what needs to change or be fixed.

Prompt students to think about how to make the design better by iterating or

making small changes based on the testing and then retesting to identify

additional iterations needed.

Ask students questions like:

 Why is testing the model important?

 What can we learn from testing our model?

 What is a next step to take after testing the model and learning from that

test?

 When do you know that the testing and iteration phase is complete?

 Did you see ideas from other teams that you might like to incorporate in

your own design?

4. Elaborate

Allow for further iteration of the design based on adding new materials.

Explain to students that a new material design has been fabricated and is

available for use – the frame and any other pieces in the set. Tell students that

they can use frames, but do not have to do so. Additionally, the customer

has asked that the prototype hold 10 pounds.

Tell students to experiment with adding new technology to their design. Prompt

students to consider if they have to start the entire process over or just begin in

the middle. Discuss the process to follow as a group.

Allow students time to redesign their bridge with the new pieces. Remind

students to test and iterate on their design to ensure it meets the expectation

of holding 10 pounds.

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

5. Evaluate

Teacher Observation:

Discuss the program with students. Ask students questions like:

 How well did your first prototype work?

 Why was testing your design so important?

 How does an engineer move from idea to prototype?

Self-Assessment:

Have students answer the following in their journals:

 What did you learn today about design engineering and the importance

of testing?

 What characteristics of a good teammate did I display today?

 Ask students to rate themselves on a scale of 1-3, on their time

management today.

 Ask students to rate themselves on a scale of 1-3, on their materials

(parts) management today.

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or

copyrights of the LEGO Group,

LEGO® Education SPIKE™ Prime

Break Dancer Break Down

Grade 6-8 45 minutes Intermediate

Break Dancer Break Down

Students will investigate strategies for debugging

programs.

Questions to Investigate

How do software engineers identify and fix bugs

in a program?

Materials needed

 SPIKE Prime Set

 Device with SPIKE App installed

 Student journal

Prepare

 Check to make sure SPIKE Prime hubs are

charged, especially if connecting through

Bluetooth.

1. Engage

Discuss with students how to identify if a problem is with the hardware (model)

or the program.

In the Testing Prototypes lesson, students identified ways to test and iterate on

their model in order to find a final solution. However, there was no programming

element involved in their bridge building. Now students will need to find ways

to identify if problems are in the model design or the program.

Watch the video of the break dancer model dancing to get an idea of how

the model should move.

https://education.lego.com/en-us/lessons/prime-life-hacks/break-

dance#ignite-a-discussion

Discuss with students the different ways the dancer can move. Ask students

questions like:

KEY OBJECTIVES

Students will:

 Identify a problem and debug

the program.

STANDARDS

CSTA

2-AP-10 Use flowcharts and/or

pseudocode to address complex

problems as algorithms.

2-AP-13 Decompose problems and

subproblems into parts to facilitate

the design, implementation, and

review of programs.

2-AP-17 Systematically test and

refine programs using a range of test

cases.

2-AP-19 Document programs in

order to make them easier to follow,

test, and debug.

VOCABULARY

Bug

Debugging

Syntax Error

Logic Error

Runtime Error

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

 Which parts of the model were moving?

 How can you replicate that movement with the model?

 If something goes wrong, how will you know if it is the model or the

program?

2. Explore

Students will build a break dancer model to investigate identifying bugs and

fixing them.

Direct students to the BUILD section in the SPIKE App. Here students can access

the building instructions for the Break Dancer model. Ask students to build the

model. The building instructions are also available at

https://education.lego.com/en-us/support/spike-prime/building-

instructions.

Direct students to open a new project in the python programming canvas. Ask

students to erase any code that is already in the programming area. Students

should connect their hub.

Test the Model

Students will identify that there are bugs in the program when trying the sample

code.

Ask students to examine their model closely to identify how it should move.

Students should try moving the motors and other parts of the model to see

if it will move like the video based on the discussion in the engage section.

Allow students time to investigate how the model moves without creating a

program. Ask students questions like:

 Did the model move in similar ways to the video?

 Does anything on the model seem to not be working properly?

Test the Program

Ask students to type this program into the programming canvas. Ask students to

run the program. 

from hub import port

import runloop

import motor

async def main():

# Move legs motor to 0 degrees

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

await motor.run_to_absolute_position(port.F, 0, 600)

# Move arms motor to 0 degrees

await motor.run_to_absolute_position(port.D, 0, 400)

# Repeat arm and leg movement 10 times

for x in range(10)

await motor.run(port.F, 600)

await motor.run(port.D, 400)

runloop.run(main())

Allow students to run the program. Notice an error message is received.

Discuss with students that the error message shows there is a bug in the

program. Students will need to check the lines of code carefully to find and fix

the bug. This process is known as debugging a program.

Students should identify that the first way to identify if something is wrong with

a program that an error message will be received. Look at the error message

together:

Traceback (most recent call last):

File "Break Dancer", line 13

SyntaxError: invalid syntax

The error points students to the line to check for the message. Allow students

time to try to troubleshoot this error. Note: a colon: is needed at the end of the

line to read the code associated with the for loop.

3. Explain

Discuss the program with students and why it does not seem to be working

correctly.

Ask students questions like:

 What does it mean to debug a program?

 How is the error message helpful?

 Why was it important to test the model before running the program?

 What does “syntax error” mean?

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

Discuss the types of errors with students:

 Syntax errors are grammar errors in our code. The code is written in a

way that the machine can understand it. Typos and misuse of punctuation

or parenthesis are good examples of reasons you will get a syntax error.

 Logic errors are found when running a program and are the result of not

receiving the expected output. The code will run, but not produce the

expected result or run as expected.

 Runtime errors occur while the program is running. The program often

will run fine for some time until it encounters the problem and then end in

an error.

4. Elaborate

Allow students additional time to explore the types of errors.

Explain to students that normally they would try hard not to have bugs in their

program. However, the next challenge will be for them to try to find different

bugs that can occur. Challenge students to change their program from the

explore phase to see what types of errors they might find. See if they can

replicate all three types.

Example Errors:

Example 1

Change the line await motor.run_to_absolute_position(port.F, 0, 600)

To read await motor.run_to_absolute_position(port.A, 0, 600)

Students will receive a runtime error message. The program does not notice

there is a problem until it starts running. Then it realizes that there is not a motor

plugged into port A.

Traceback (most recent call last):

File "Break Dancer", line 16, in <module>

File "Break Dancer", line 8, in main

OSError: [Errno 19] ENODEV

Example 2:

Change the line for x in range(10):

To read for x in range():

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

Students will receive a Type Error message, which is a type of syntax error, that

indicates there is a missing function. The for loop requires a number to indicate

how many times it should loop.

Traceback (most recent call last):

File "Break Dancer", line 16, in <module>

File "Break Dancer", line 12, in main

TypeError: function missing 1 required positional arguments

Note: There are ways to change the numbers to get an unexpected result in this

program. However, the console will not show it as a logic error because the

program has not specified an intended outcome against which to measure it.

5. Evaluate

Discuss the program with students.  Ask students questions like:  

 How does testing help identify bugs in your program?

 How can you tell the need to troubleshoot hardware and not the program?

 What are the types of errors you can receive? How can you use them

to fix your program?

Self-Assessment 

Have students answer the following in their journals: 

 What did you learn today about identifying and fixing bugs?

 What characteristics of a good teammate did I display today? 

 Ask students to rate themselves on a scale of 1-3, on their time

management today. 

 Ask students to rate themselves on a scale of 1-3, on their materials (parts)

management today.

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or

copyrights of the LEGO Group,

LEGO® Education SPIKE™ Prime

Dance to the Beat?

Grade 6-8 45 minutes Intermediate

Dance to the Beat?

Students will investigate strategies for debugging

programs.

Questions to Investigate

How do software engineers identify problems within

a program?

Materials needed

 SPIKE Prime sets ready for student use. Prior to the

first lesson, please visit the following website for

help with set up, kit organization and SPIKE App

https://education.lego.com/en-us/start/spike-

prime/intro

 Devices with the SPIKE App installed.

 Student journals

Prepare

 Ensure SPIKE Prime hubs are charged, especially if

connecting through Bluetooth.

 Ensure students have the Break Dancer model built, which was used in the

Break Dancer Break Down lesson.

1. Engage

Create a plan for testing programs to identify and fix bugs.

Spark a discussion with students on how to fix problems. Ask students to think

of a time when they had an issue or problem or a time that they had an

experience that did not turn out as expected.

Discuss what could have helped change the situation. Ask questions like:

 What steps could you have taken upfront to

have a better outcome?

 What could you have done when you realized there was a problem

to help change the outcome?

KEY OBJECTIVES

Students will:

 Identify a problem and debug

the program.

STANDARDS

CSTA

2-AP-10 Use flowcharts and/or

pseudocode to address complex

problems as algorithms.

2-AP-13 Decompose problems and

subproblems into parts to facilitate

the design, implementation, and

review of programs.

2-AP-17 Systematically test and

refine programs using a range of test

cases.

2-AP-19 Document programs in

order to make them easier to follow,

test, and debug.

VOCABULARY

Bug

Debugging

Syntax Error

Logic Error

Runtime Error

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or

copyrights of the LEGO Group,

Discuss students’ ideas for troubleshooting their experience and list ideas for

how to troubleshoot. Share out the steps for identifying bugs or post in the

classroom for all students to reference.

Steps to help identify bugs:

 Plan the program by creating a pseudocode or flowchart

 Document the program by using the # for code comments within the

program

 Test your program with all types of data that are relevant or expected

to be used

 Test your program with types of data that are not expected to be used

or outside the range expected

2. Explore

Students will use a break dancer model to investigate, identifying bugs and

fixing them.

Direct students to open a new project in the python programming canvas. Ask

students to erase any code that is already in the programming area. If students

completed the Break Dancer Break Down lesson, they could start with that

program and modify it. Students should connect their hub.

Adding to a Working Program

Students will identify strategies to find bugs when adding to a program.

Ask students to run their existing program from the Break Dancer Break Down

lesson or provide students with that program. Running the existing program will

allow students to confirm there are no current errors in the program.

Ask students to modify their program so the dancer only moves when the color

sensor senses a color according to the following assignment. You can use this

chart or work together to create your own.

Blue Move legs only

Green Move arms only

Yellow Move both arms and legs slowly

Red Move both arms and legs quickly

Allow students time to create their new program. Students should test their

program to make sure it works. Remind students to utilize the process discussed

in the engage section to test the program for bugs.

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

Ask students to record all debugging activities in their journal. If an error

message is received in the console, students can copy this. Students should

copy any errors discovered while testing in their journal also.

import runloop

import motor

import color_sensor

import color

from hub import port, light_matrix

async def main():

color_value = color_sensor.color(port.B)

while True:

await runloop.until(lambda: color_sensor.color(port.B) not in (-1, color_value))

color_value = color_sensor.color(port.B)

#if senses blue the arms will move

if color_value == color.BLUE:

light_matrix.show_image(light_matrix.IMAGE_HAPPY)

await motor.run_for_degrees(port.D, 360, 400)

#if senses green the legs will move

elif color_value == color.GREEN:

light_matrix.show_image(3)

await motor.run_for_degrees(port.F, 360, 600)

#if senses yellow both arms and legs will move together slowly

elif

color_value == color.YELLOW:

light_matrix.show_image(light_matrix.IMAGE_HAPPY)

motor.run_for_degrees(port.D, 360, 200)

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

motor.run_for_degrees(port.F, 360, 400)

#if senses red both arms and legs will move together quickly

elif color_value == color.RED:

light_matrix.show_image(light_matrix.IMAGE_HAPPY)

motor.run_for_degrees(port.D, 360, 600)

motor.run_for_degrees(port.F, 360, 800)

#if senses any other color or no color

else:

light_matrix.show_image(light_matrix.IMAGE_SAD)

runloop.run(main())

3. Explain

Discuss the program with students and where they found bugs.

Ask students questions like:

 What bugs did you find in your program?

 Did you receive any error messages in the console? If so, how was the

error message helpful in locating and debugging the program?

 How did you test the program for the expected values? And the

unexpected ones?

 Could any of the problems been with the model? Why or why not?

4. Elaborate

Challenge students to create a program that has their dancer moving to a beat

using their color sensor to control movements.

Ask students to utilize their program to create a new dance that has their dancer

model moving to a beat. Students can play a song or just hum a beat. The

dancer should move fast and slow to the beat which can be controlled when the

students hold each color brick up to the color sensor.

Allow students time to investigate the program to see if any changes are

needed. Then students should create their movements to match the beat.

Ask students to share their final movements with the class. Consider having

a dance party for all the models at the same time.

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or

copyrights of the LEGO Group,

5. Evaluate

Discuss the program with students.  Ask students questions like:  

 How does testing help identify bugs in your program?

 Why test your program for expected values and unexpected ones?

 What are the types of errors you can receive? How can you use them

to fix your program?

Self-Assessment 

Have students answer the following in their journals: 

 What did you learn today about identifying and fixing bugs?

 What characteristics of a good teammate did I display today? 

 Ask students to rate themselves on a scale of 1-3, on their time

management today. 

 Ask students to rate themselves on a scale of 1-3, on their materials (parts)

management today.

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or

copyrights of the LEGO Group,

LEGO® Education SPIKE Prime

Testing for Trouble

Grade 6-8 90 minutes Intermediate

Testing for Trouble

Students will investigate strategies for troubleshooting

hardware issues.

Questions to Investigate

How do engineers identify and repair hardware and

software problems within a design?

Materials needed

 SPIKE Prime Set

 Device with SPIKE App installed

 Student journal

 Pen or marker (one per team)

 Printed worksheet for Broken Lesson (one per

team; link to document)

Prepare

 Check to make sure SPIKE Prime hubs are

charged, especially if connecting through

Bluetooth.

 Reference for troubleshooting the model is

available at https://education.lego.com/en-

us/lessons/prime-invention-

squad/broken#Planitem2

1. Engage

Discuss with students what type of machines can make an exact cut repeatedly,

so all pieces are the same. A CNC [computer numerical control] machine is

programmed to make the same repetitive cuts. For example, a laser cutter cuts

plastic, wood, or cardboard into exact shapes.

 Allow students to research what CNC machines are and how they are used.

 Ask students to name objects that they believe are made with a CNC machine.

KEY OBJECTIVES

Students will:

 Identify and repair a

hardware problem

in a design.

STANDARDS

CSTA

2-AP-10 Use flowcharts and/or

pseudocode to address complex

problems as algorithms.

2-AP-13 Decompose problems and

subproblems into parts to facilitate

the design, implementation, and

review of programs.

2-AP-17 Systematically test and

refine programs using a range of test

cases.

2-AP-19 Document programs in

order to make them easier to follow,

test, and debug.

VOCABULARY

Debugging

Pseudocode

CNC

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or

copyrights of the LEGO Group,

Watch the video to get an idea of what the CNC machine they will build should

do. https://education.lego.com/en-us/lessons/prime-invention-

squad/broken#building-tips

Discuss with students what is wrong with the machine in this video. Ask students

questions like:

 How do you know when something is not working right?

 What is your first reaction when something breaks?

 How can we figure out where the problem lies?

2. Explore

Students will build a CNC machine to investigate troubleshooting design issues

or hardware issues.

Direct students to the BUILD section in the SPIKE App. Here students can access

the building instructions for the CNC Machine model. Ask students to build the

model. The building instructions are also available at

https://education.lego.com/en-us/support/spike-prime/building-instructions

listed as Broken.

Direct students to open a new project in the python programming canvas. Ask

students to erase any code that is already in the programming area. Students

should connect their hub.

Test the Model

Students will identify that there are hardware issues when trying the sample

code.

Review this sample code to run the CNC machine together as a group. Discuss

the code as a group and identify any potential errors in the code. Students

should note that there don’t appear to be any errors in the program.

Ask students to type this program into the programming canvas. Ask students to run the

program to test it for errors.

from hub import button, port

import runloop

import motor

def right_button_pressed():

return button.pressed(button.RIGHT)

def left_button_pressed():

return button.pressed(button.LEFT)

async def main():

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

while True:

#feed the paper

await runloop.until(right_button_pressed)

await motor.run_for_degrees(port.C, 1000, 500)

#cut a square and a rectangle

await runloop.until(left_button_pressed)

await motor.run_for_time(port.A, 1500, -500)

# These 4 blocks should 'cut' a square.

await motor.run_for_degrees(port.A, 400 , 500)

await motor.run_for_degrees(port.C, 575, 500)

await motor.run_for_degrees(port.A, -400 , 500)

await motor.run_for_degrees(port.C, -575, 500)

# These 4 blocks should 'cut' a rectangle.

await motor.run_for_degrees(port.A, -60, 500)

await motor.run_for_degrees(port.C, -800,

500)

await motor.run_for_degrees(port.A, 400, 500)

await motor.run_for_degrees(port.C, 1600, 500)

await motor.run_for_degrees(port.A, -400, 500)

await motor.run_for_degrees(port.C, -800, 500)

runloop.run(main())

Allow students time to run the program. Notice the machine is not working

properly. The machine is supposed to help you “cut” (draw) parts.

Discuss together as a group if the problem is with the hardware/model or the

program. Ask students questions like:

 What is not working?

 How does the model move? Does it seem to be moving correctly?

 Did you receive any errors in the console or see any indication that the

program was not working?

Students should recognize that there is an issue with the model not the program.

Identify and troubleshoot design problems.

Work together to identify the problems. Look at the machines and see how it

behaves versus what you think it will do. Have students write the issues found in

their journals or on chart paper. Encourage students to use these steps:

o Identify the problem.

o Take a close look.

o Observe how the model behaves verses what you think it should do.

o Brainstorm solutions.

o Make one change and test the model (run the program). Did it help?

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

o You may ask other teams for help as needed.

Prompt students as needed to start identifying the problems. Ask students

questions like:

 Do you think the paper is moving the way it should?

 Is the pencil able to make the marks needed to represent the cuts?

 Does the model seem to be stable?

Note: there are four issues to identify and fix.

1. A paper feeder wheel is missing, causing the Y axis to not work properly.

2. The top of the CNC machine isn't correctly attached to the bottom.

3. The paper feeder gears are inverted, causing the paper to enter the CNC

too quickly.

4. The pencil carriage isn't affixed, causing the X axis to work improperly.

Note: The Broken Lesson shows hints for what is wrong with the model.

https://education.lego.com/en-us/lessons/prime-invention-

squad/broken#Planitem0

Select one issue to investigate together as a group. Consider starting with the

paper moving too fast. Brainstorm ideas for fixing the problem together. How

can you slow the movement down without changing the program? Prompt

students to look at how the gears are working and consider how to change

them to slow the paper movement.

3. Explain

Discuss the program with students and why it does not seem to be working

correctly.

Ask students questions like:

 What do you notice about the CNC machine when you run the program?

 How do you know it is a hardware problem?

 Why is testing your design important?

 How did you determine the issue was with the model and not the

program?

 What parts of the machine do not seem to be working?

 As engineers, what is the first step we should take in fixing the machine?

(Identifying problems; if more than one problem has been discovered,

then deciding which problem to repair first.)

4. Elaborate

Allow students additional time to finish troubleshooting the model.

Ask the students to brainstorm solutions to the remaining issues. Allow students

to retest the model running their program as needed to help troubleshoot the

hardware.

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

After students have identified different issues, ask different groups to work on

fixing the problems. Each group should share their fixes with other groups to

ensure the CNC machine will work as needed. Students should retest their

models to ensure they are working properly.

Share all solutions together as a group after the models are working correctly.

5. Evaluate

Discuss the program with students.  Ask students questions like:  

 How does testing help identify issues that need troubleshooting?

 How can you tell the need to troubleshoot hardware and not software?

 What are ways you can troubleshoot hardware issues?

Self-Assessment 

Have students answer the following in their journals: 

 What did you learn today about troubleshooting hardware issues?

 What characteristics of a good teammate did I display today? 

 Ask students to rate themselves on a scale of 1-3, on their time

management today. 

 Ask students to rate themselves on a scale of 1-3, on their materials (parts)

management today.

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

LEGO® Education SPIKE™ Prime

Debug-inator

Grade 6-8 45 minutes Intermediate

Debug-inator

Practice troubleshooting hardware and program issues

by designing and programming a new model.

Questions to Investigate

What debugging techniques can be used when designing

a new model?

Materials needed

 SPIKE PRIME Set

 Device with SPIKE App installed

 Student journal

Prepare

 Ensure SPIKE Prime hubs are charged, especially

if connecting through Bluetooth.   

1. Engage

Spark a discussion about what a debug-inator is through brainstorming.

Ask students to come up with at least 3 things that their debug-inator will need

to do. During this brainstorming session, students should gather as many ideas

as possible and record them in their journals.

Prompt students as needed with questions like:

 Will your model need to sense anything?

 How will your model need to move?

 Will you need to utilize the console in any way?

Allow students to share their ideas from their brainstorming. Students should then

decide on the final three main criteria that need to be included in their model.

2. Explore

Challenge students to design, build, program, test, and troubleshoot a new

model that is a debug-inator meeting the criteria that they set.

KEY OBJECTIVES

Students will:

 Debug a software problem.

STANDARDS

CSTA

2-AP-10 Use flowcharts and/or

pseudocode to address complex

problems as algorithms.

2-AP-13 Decompose problems and

subproblems into parts to facilitate

the design, implementation, and

review of programs.

2-AP-17 Systematically test and

refine programs using a range of test

cases.

2-AP-19 Document programs in

order to make them easier to follow,

test, and debug.

VOCABULARY

Debugging

Pseudocode

CNC

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

Students should create their prototype being careful to include the three main

criteria determined in the engage section. Students should practice their

troubleshooting strategies while designing and building their model by testing

the model’s ability to move as intended.

Students will need to program their model. When creating their program,

students should

 write a pseudocode program first to show the intended outcome of their

program

 document their program using code comments with the #

 test the program, watching the console for error messages

 test the program using expected and unexpected outcomes or data

Allow students time to design, build, and program their models. Students should

document any problems they encounter and how they fix or troubleshoot these

issues.

3. Explain

Allow students to share their work. Discuss students’ models and programs

together.

Ask students questions like:

 What does your debug-inator do?

 What 3 expectations did you have for your model? How did you create

something to meet these expectations?

 How did you program your model? Ask students to share the program

using the code comments to explain it.

 What trouble did you have? Where did you find bugs? How did you fix

them?

4. Elaborate

Have students finish their models and programs.

Allow students additional time to finalize their model and programs. Encourage

collaboration between teams and sharing of ideas.

5. Evaluate

Discuss the program with students.  Ask students questions like:   

 What problems did you run into while creating your debug-inator?

 How did you test your model and program for errors? How did you

troubleshoot the errors found?

 How did you determine if problems encountered were from the model

or the program?

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

Self-Assessment

Have students answer the following in their journals:

 Ask students what challenges they encountered in creating their debug-

inator.

 Ask students to rate themselves on a scale of 1-3, on their time

management today.

 Ask students to rate themselves on a scale of 1-3, on their materials (parts)

management today.

 What characteristics of a good teammate did you display today?

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or

copyrights of the LEGO Group,

LEGO

Education SPIKE™ Prime

Ideas to Help with the Debug-inator

Grade 6-8 30-45 min. Intermediate

Ideas to Help with the Debug-inator

Practice giving and using feedback from others.

Questions to investigate

 How can input from others help me make

a better design and program?

Materials needed

 SPIKE Prime sets ready for student use. Prior to

the first lesson, please visit the following website

for help with set up, kit organization and SPIKE

App https://education.lego.com/en-

us/start/spike-prime/intro

 Devices with the SPIKE App installed

 Student journals

 Models from the Debug-inator lesson

Prepare

 Ensure SPIKE Prime hubs are charged, especially

if connecting through Bluetooth.

 Ensure students have their built model from the Debug-inator lesson.

1. Engage

Review the model for providing feedback with students.

Explain to students the following guidelines for giving feedback. Consider

posting the guidelines for student reference.

 Feedback is not doing something for someone else.

 You should not rebuild a model for someone else.

 You should not type into someone’s program.

 You should ask questions of each other.

 You should share your ideas and show your own programming, explaining

why and how you did something.

 You should be encouraging and helpful to others and not provide

negative or mean comments.

KEY OBJECTIVES

Students will:

 Give specific feedback

on a peer’s project.

 Explore how to use

feedback to improve

a project.

STANDARDS

1B-IC-20 Seek diverse

perspectives for the purpose of

improving computational artifacts.

VOCABULARY

Feedback

Specific

Positive

Negative

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

2. Explore

Have students work together to provide feedback to each other about the

Debug-inator models.

Have two teams work together to provide feedback to each other. Teachers

should model the process and what specific feedback looks and sounds like.

Review the procedure with students. Then have students take turns providing

feedback.

 Team B will show their working model.

 Team A provides feedback while Team B takes notes in their journal.

 Then teams can switch roles. Team A will show their working model and

take notes while Team B provides feedback.

Feedback should include:

1. Tell something they really like. This could be the model, program, or design.

2. Tell something that worked well.

3. Share something the group could try differently.

4. Share anything that is confusing, did not work or that could be improved,

 Remind students to be kind and clear in explaining why it is not

clear or could be improved.

 Let the team receiving the feedback ask questions as needed for

more clarity.

 The team giving feedback can also share ideas for improvement.

Teacher tip – Model providing feedback for the class frequently to help

them learn to use positive language instead of negative language when

providing feedback. Also practice taking feedback and thinking about

how to use it rather than becoming defensive.

3. Explain

Have students discuss what they learned from their feedback session.

Ask students questions like:

 What did you notice in models that worked well?

 What ideas did you get from others?

 What is something you can do with your feedback?

4. Elaborate

Students should incorporate the feedback they were given.

Give students time to modify their designs and program based on the feedback

they received. Have students document their changes in their journal.

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

Allow students to share their updated models and programs. Ask students

to share what changes they incorporated and how they were able to make

the changes.

5. Evaluate

Teacher Observation:

Discuss the program with students.

Ask students questions like:

 How did you use the feedback given?

 How did it feel to give feedback to others? And to receive it?

 How did you work to provide good feedback today?

Self-Assessment:

Have students answer the following in their journals:

 What did you learn today about providing good feedback?

 What did you learn today about how feedback can help in your work?

 What characteristics of a good teammate did I display today?

 Ask students to rate themselves on a scale of 1-3, on their time

management today.

 Ask students to rate themselves on a scale of 1-3, on their materials

(parts) management today.

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or

copyrights of the LEGO Group,

Unit Introduction

This unit allows students to explore essential computer science principles and

programming concepts of the text-based coding language, Python, through

investigating our impact on the environment. Students will investigate how to

create and use functions in their programs and the benefits of using functions.

The lessons are designed in an order that allows students to progress in their

skills and knowledge in the following areas:

 Create and call functions in a program

 Explore setting parameters in functions

 Investigate when it is best to use functions in a program

 Utilize code comment features to documents parts of a program

 Define and decompose a problem

Unit Learning Promise

In this unit, students will explore creating and calling functions within programs

to create a block of code that can be reused multiple times in a program.

Students will experience using functions, including setting parameters, while

supporting a healthy environment for living things. Students will utilize

pseudocode to support creating algorithms and code comments to document

their programs.

Impacting the Environment

with Functions

A LEGO

Education Unit

Investigation Questions:

How can you create more efficient programs using functions?

How can functions allow for variability when called?

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

Unit Lessons

Lesson 1 Lesson 2 Lesson 3 Lesson 4 Lesson 5 Lesson 6

Turtle Trouble

Time: 45 min

Clean Up

with Multiple

Functions

Time: 45 min

Clean Indicator

Time: 45 min

Automate the

Clean Up

Time: 90 min

Taking Care

of My

Environment

Time: 90 min

Ideas to Help

with My

Environment

Time: 45 min

Assessment: We recommend assessing students on various skills throughout the unit.

 Use the progression of lessons as an opportunity to provide on-going

feedback to prepare students for success for the open-ended project

at the end of the unit.

 Each lesson includes a recommendation for teacher observations, student

self-assessment, evaluation of success.

Unit Standards

CSTA

2-CS-02 Design projects that combine hardware and software components

to collect and exchange data.

2-AP-10 Use flowcharts and/or pseudocode to address complex problems as

algorithms.

2-AP-13 Decompose problems and subproblems into parts to facilitate the design,

implementation, and review of programs.

2-AP-14 Create procedures with parameters to organize code and make it easier

to reuse. organize code and make it easier to reuse.

2-AP-16 Incorporate existing code, media, and libraries into original programs,

and give attribution.

2-AP-17 Systematically test and refine programs using a range of test cases.

2-AP-19 Document programs in order to make them easier to follow, test, and

debug.

1B-IC-20 Seek diverse perspectives for the purpose of improving computational

artifacts.

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

Integrated Standards

NGSS

MS-ETS1-4 Develop a model to generate data for iterative testing and modification

of a proposed object, tool or process such that an optimal design can be achieved.

Common Core English Language Arts (ELA)

Grade 7

Grade 8

Grade

SL.6.1 Engage effectively in a

range of collaborative

discussions (one-on-one, in

groups, and teacher-led)

with diverse partners on

grade 6 topics, texts, and

issues, building on others'

ideas and expressing their

own clearly

SL.7.1 Engage effectively in a

range of collaborative

discussions (one-on-one, in

groups, and teacher-led)

with diverse partners on

grade 7 topics, texts, and

issues, building on others'

ideas and expressing their

own clearly

SL.8.1 Engage effectively

in a range of collaborative

discussions (one-on-one, in

groups, and teacher-led)

with diverse partners on

grade 8 topics, texts, and

issues, building on others'

ideas and expressing their

own clearly

SL.6.2 Interpret information

presented in diverse media

and formats (e.g., visually,

quantitatively, orally) and

explain how it contributes to

a topic, text, or issue under

study

SL.7.2 Analyze the main

ideas and supporting details

presented in diverse media

and formats (e.g., visually,

quantitatively, orally) and

explain how the ideas clarify

a topic, text, or issue under

study

SL.8.2 Analyze the purpose

of information presented in

diverse media and formats

(e.g., visually, quantitatively,

orally) and evaluate the

motives (e.g., social,

commercial, political) behind

its presentation

SL.6.4 Present claims and

findings, sequencing ideas

logically and using pertinent

descriptions, facts, and

details to accentuate main

ideas or themes; use

appropriate eye contact,

adequate volume, and clear

pronunciation

SL.7.4 Present claims and

findings, emphasizing salient

points in a focused, coherent

manner with pertinent

descriptions, facts, details,

and examples; use

appropriate eye contact,

adequate volume, and clear

pronunciation

SL.8.4 Present claims and

findings, emphasizing salient

points in a focused, coherent

manner with relevant

evidence, sound valid

reasoning, and well-chosen

details; use appropriate eye

contact, adequate volume,

and clear pronunciation

RST.6-8.3 Follow precisely a

multistep procedure when

carrying out experiments,

taking measurements, or

performing technical tasks

RST.6-8.3 Follow precisely a

multistep procedure when

carrying out experiments,

taking measurements, or

performing technical tasks

RST.6-8.3 Follow precisely

a multistep procedure when

carrying out experiments,

taking measurements, or

performing technical tasks.

L.6.6 Acquire and use

accurately grade-

appropriate general

academic and domain-

specific words and phrases;

gather vocabulary

L.7.6 Acquire and use

accurately grade-

appropriate general

academic and domain-

specific words and phrases;

gather vocabulary

L.8.6 Acquire and use

accurately grade-

appropriate general

academic and domain-

specific words and phrases;

gather vocabulary

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

knowledge when

considering a word or

phrase important to

comprehension or

expression

knowledge when

considering a word or

phrase important to

comprehension or

expression

knowledge when

considering a word or

phrase important to

comprehension or

expression

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

LEGO® Education SPIKE™ Prime

Turtle Trouble

Grade 6-8 45 minutes Beginner

Turtle Trouble

Students will investigate how to create and use

functions in a program.

Questions to investigate

 How can lines of code be used over and over

again?

Materials needed

 SPIKE Prime sets ready for student use. Prior to

the first lesson, please visit the following website

for help with set up, kit organization and SPIKE

App https://education.lego.com/en-

us/start/spike-prime/intro

 Devices with the SPIKE App installed.

 Student journals

Prepare

 Ensure SPIKE Prime hubs are charged, especially

if connecting through Bluetooth.

1. Engage

Engage students in a discussion about how we impact

the world around us.

Guide the discussion by showing a video of a sea turtle

trapped in plastic bags or other trash items found in the

ocean. Continue the discussion on other ways humans

have an impact on the environment.

2. Explore

Students will investigate how an animal reacts to pollution to their habitat.

KEY OBJECTIVES

Students will:

 Write a program that will make

the turtle’s flippers move

 Modify a program to allow

different reactions or lines of

code to run based on the

situation

STANDARDS

CSTA

2-CS-02 Design projects that combine

hardware and software components to

collect and exchange data.

2-AP-13 Decompose problems and

subproblems into parts to facilitate the

design, implementation, and review of

programs.

2-AP-16 Incorporate existing code,

media, and libraries into original

programs, and give attribution.

2-AP-17 Systematically test and refine

programs using a range of test cases.

2-AP-19 Document programs in order

to make them easier to follow, test,

and debug.

VOCABULARY

Function

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

Direct students to the BUILD section in the SPIKE App. Here students can

access the building instructions for the Hopper model. Ask students to build

the model. The building instructions are also available at

https://education.lego.com/en-us/support/spike-prime/building-instructions.

In this lesson, the hopper will represent a sea turtle.

Direct students to open a new project in the Python programming canvas. Ask

students to erase any code that is already in the programming area. Students

should connect their hub.  

Get Moving

Prompt students to think about how they can program the sea turtle to move

its flippers to swim or walk on land. Remember, turtles move slowly.

Ask students to write a program that will make the turtle’s flippers move.

Sample Program:

from hub import port

import runloop

import motor_pair

async def main():

# pair motors E and F

motor_pair.pair(motor_pair.PAIR_1, port.E, port.F)

# move straight for 1440 degrees at a velocity of 500

await motor_pair.move_for_degrees(motor_pair.PAIR_1, 1440, 0, velocity=500)

runloop.run(main())

Allow students time to program their turtles.

Get Moving through Trash

Discuss how turtles move. Turtles do not swim or walk at one speed. When a

turtle is frightened, it will swim faster. When it is struggling to get out of a

plastic bag or other trash found in the ocean, the turtle might move its flippers

back and forth.

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

Ask students to modify their program to allow different reactions or lines of

code to run based on the situation. One way to do this is through using a

function. A function is a block of reusable code that can be called at any time

in the program.

Explain to students to set up, or define, a function start with a def line of code

followed by a name for the function, parenthesis, and end with a colon. (Remind

students to name the function something that makes sense to the action in the

function.)

For example:

async def frightened():

await motor_pair.move_for_degrees(motor_pair.PAIR_1, 1440, 0, velocity=1000)

Explain the sample program to students to see how the function is defined and

then called in the program to be used.

Sample program:

from hub import port

import runloop

import motor_pair

# a function to move turtle quickly

async def frightened():

# move straight for 1440 degrees at a velocity of 1000

await motor_pair.move_for_degrees(motor_pair.PAIR_1, 1440, 0, velocity=1000)

# the main function

async def main():

# pair motors E and F

motor_pair.pair(motor_pair.PAIR_1, port.E, port.F)

await frightened()

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runloop.run(main())

3. Explain

Discuss with students how the program worked.

Ask students questions like:

 Explain your function and how functions work?

 What is the benefit of using a function in your program?

 What is the difference between defining a function and calling a function?

Functions are used when a block of code needs to be repeated multiple times in

a program. In our program, we created a function and called it one time. We can

call this function as many times as we wish throughout the program. By creating

a function, we shorten the program by using lines of code over and over again.

4. Elaborate

Challenge students to add two more functions to program the turtle to

swim/walk at a normal speed and to struggle when getting trapped in a plastic

bag.

Ask students to call each function when needed in the program.

Sample code:

from hub import port

import runloop

import motor_pair

async def frightened():

# move straight for 1440 degrees at a velocity of 1000

await motor_pair.move_for_degrees(motor_pair.PAIR_1, 1440, 0, velocity=1000)

async def normal():

# move straight for 1440 degrees at a velocity of 250

await motor_pair.move_for_degrees(motor_pair.PAIR_1, 1440, 0, velocity=250)

async def struggle():

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# move straight forward for 1440 degrees at a velocity of 1000 and then repeat backwards

await motor_pair.move_for_degrees(motor_pair.PAIR_1, 1440, 0, velocity=1000)

await motor_pair.move_for_degrees(motor_pair.PAIR_1, -1440, 0, velocity=1000)

async def main():

# pair motors E and F

motor_pair.pair(motor_pair.PAIR_1, port.E, port.F)

await frightened()

await struggle()

await normal()

runloop.run(main())

5. Evaluate

Teacher Observation:

Discuss the program with students.

Ask students questions like:

 What happened when you called the functions?

 Does it matter which order the functions are defined? Why or why not?

 What are the benefits of using functions?

Self-Assessment:

Have students answer the following in their journals:

 What did you learn today about using functions?

 What characteristics of a good teammate did I display today?

 Ask students to rate themselves on a scale of 1-3, on their time

management today.

 Ask students to rate themselves on a scale of 1-3, on their materials

(parts) management today.

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or

copyrights of the LEGO Group,

LEGO® Education SPIKE™ Prime

Clean Up with Multiple Functions

Grade 6-8 45 minutes Beginner

Clean Up with Multiple Functions

Students will investigate using a grabber to pick up

items.

Questions to investigate

 How can grabber be programmed to pick

up trash using multiple functions?

Materials needed

 SPIKE Prime sets ready for student use. Prior to

the first lesson, please visit the following website

for help with set up, kit organization and SPIKE

App https://education.lego.com/en-

us/start/spike-prime/intro

 Devices with the SPIKE App installed.

 Student journals

 Various items to pick up with the grabber

(items that can simulate trash are ideal)

Prepare

 Ensure SPIKE Prime hubs are charged, especially

if connecting through Bluetooth.

1. Engage

Engage students in a discussion about trash and how trash affects

our environment.

Consider showing images and videos of trash in different types of environments

like the ocean, rivers, parks, etc. Have students think about how this trash affects

the things that live in these environments.

Ask students to consider ways to clean up trash.

KEY OBJECTIVES

Students will:

 Build and program a grabber

to pick up items



Modify the program to include

multiple functions

STANDARDS

CSTA

2-CS-02 Design projects that combine

hardware and software components

to collect and exchange data.

2-AP-13 Decompose problems and

subproblems into parts to facilitate the

design, implementation, and review

of programs.

2-AP-17 Systematically test and refine

programs using a range of test cases.

VOCABULARY

Function

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or

copyrights of the LEGO Group,

2. Explore

Students will investigate how to use more than one function in a program.

Direct students to the BUILD section in the SPIKE App. Here students can

access the building instructions for the Super Cleanup model. Ask students

to build the model. The building instructions are also available at

https://education.lego.com/en-us/support/spike-prime/building-

instructions.   

Direct students to open a new project in the Python programming canvas. Ask

students to erase any code that is already in the programming area. Students

should connect their hub.  

Prompt students to think about how they program a tool to help them pick

up trash.

Sample Program:

from hub import port

import runloop

import motor

import force_sensor

def is_pressed():

return force_sensor.pressed(port.E)

def is_released():

return not force_sensor.pressed(port.E)

async def main():

while True:

await runloop.until(is_pressed)

#motor will close grabber

await motor.run_to_absolute_position(port.A, 345, 500,

direction=motor.COUNTERCLOCKWISE )

await runloop.until(is_released)

#motor will release grabber

await motor.run_to_absolute_position(port.A, 25, 500,

direction=motor.SHORTEST_PATH)

runloop.run(main())

Allow students to test the program by experimenting picking up a variety of

materials with both grabbers. Discuss as a group which materials each grabber

is best suited for picking up.

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

Using Multiple Functions

Prompt students to modify the program to include a function for a stronger grip

and a second function for the lighter grip.

Discuss with students how to include functions that can be called based on

which grabber attachment is being used. Students will want to make sure that

the grabber opens and closes as needed depending on which attachment is

used. Therefore, students can create a separate function for each.

Sample Program:

from hub import port

import runloop

import motor

import force_sensor

def is_pressed():

return force_sensor.pressed(port.E)

def is_released():

return not force_sensor.pressed(port.E)

async def grab_and_release(grip):

await runloop.until(is_pressed)

# motor will close grabber

await motor.run_to_absolute_position(port.A, 345, grip,

direction=motor.COUNTERCLOCKWISE )

await runloop.until(is_released)

# motor will release grabber

await motor.run_to_absolute_position(port.A, 25, grip)

async def main():

while True:

await grab_and_release(1000)

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

runloop.run(main())

Note: Students will have to change grabber arms depending on which is being

used at the time.

Allow students time to test their program using both grabbers to see if the

functions are working properly. Remind students of the importance of how they

call their functions to be used in their program to ensure they use the right

function at the right time.

3. Explain

Discuss with students how each of the programs worked.

Ask students questions like:

 How do the two functions compare?

 Why might someone want to add a function to a program?

 What do you need to consider when using multiple functions in your

program?

4. Elaborate

Challenge students to modify their programs to allow for picking up objects

differently with each grabber.

Students should modify their program to include a function specific to each

grabber. This will allow students to call the function depending on which

grabber arm is being used rather than using the same program for each grabber

arm.

5. Evaluate

Teacher Observation:

Discuss the program with students.

Ask students questions like:

 Why would you need a separate function for each grabber arm?

 What did you change about the function for each grabber arm to make

it more specific to the way that grabber arm worked?

 Why is it helpful to define multiple functions in a program that can be

called later as needed?

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

Self-Assessment:

Have students answer the following in their journals:

 What did you learn today about using multiple functions in your

program?

 What characteristics of a good teammate did I display today?

 Ask students to rate themselves on a scale of 1-3, on their time

management today.

 Ask students to rate themselves on a scale of 1-3, on their materials

(parts) management today.

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or

copyrights of the LEGO Group,

LEGO® Education SPIKE™ Prime

Clean Indicator

Grade 6-8 45 minutes Intermediate

Clean Indicator

Students will investigate the role of parameters in

functions.

Questions to investigate

 How can you use parameters within your

functions?

Materials needed

 SPIKE Prime sets ready for student use. Prior to

the first lesson, please visit the following website

for help with set up, kit organization and SPIKE

App https://education.lego.com/en-

us/start/spike-prime/intro

 Devices with the SPIKE App installed.

 Student journals

Prepare

 Ensure SPIKE Prime hubs are charged, especially

if connecting through Bluetooth.

1. Engage

Engage students in a discussion about creating graphs

and ways to visualize information or data.

Ask students to stand up and be ready to vote by

moving their feet. Pose a question to students that has

several options that students can chose from. Students

will indicate their answer by moving to the spot that is

for their choice. This could be different corners in the

room or any area you designate. Once students have made their vote,

have them move together in a line to create a human bar graph.

Some example questions might be:

 What is your favorite ice cream flavor? ( choose 4 flavors to list)

KEY OBJECTIVES

Students will:

 Create functions that use

parameters

 Investigate debugging

functions and functions that

use parameters

STANDARDS

CSTA

2-CS-02 Design projects that combine

hardware and software components to

collect and exchange data.

2-AP-10 Use flowcharts and/or

pseudocode to address complex

problems as algorithms

2-AP-13 Decompose problems and

subproblems into parts to facilitate the

design, implementation, and review of

programs.

2-AP-16 Incorporate existing code,

media, and libraries into original

programs, and give attribution.

2-AP-17 Systematically test and refine

programs using a range of test cases.

2-AP-19 Document programs in order

to make them easier to follow, test,

and debug.

VOCABULARY

function

parameter

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

 What is your favorite book genre? ( choose 3-4 to list)

 Which character are you most like? ( choose a book or movie)

2. Explore

Students will investigate using parameters in their functions.

Direct students to the BUILD section in the SPIKE App. Here students can access

the building instructions for the Wind Indicator model. Ask students to build the

model. The building instructions are also available at

https://education.lego.com/en-us/support/spike-prime/building-

instructions.

Ask students to make a change to the model design. Ask students to change the

stack of two yellow and two blue bricks to the side should be replaced with red

on the bottom, then yellow, then blue, and green at the top. Students also need

to add the color sensor in a place that will not obstruct the movement of the

wind indicator.

Direct students to open a new project in the Python programming canvas. Ask

students to erase any code that is already in the programming area. Students

should connect their hub.  

Prompt students to think about how they can use a function for the indicator

to show if the environment is clean (at the green level) or not (at the red level).

The indicator should move to the appropriate color brick in the stack to show

the level.

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

Ask students to write a pseudocode program for what the function could look

like in the program. Pseudocode is writing in words what you want the program

to do.

Sample Pseudocode:

 Define function

 Color sensor detect level of clean

 Move motor to the position based on color reading

 Print the color in the console

Discuss Pseudocode together.

Adding Parameters

Challenge students to add parameters to their program and “scan” their

environment to indicate how clean it is.

Students will need a red, violet, yellow, and green 2x4 bricks from their set that

will be scattered on the table as their environment to scan. Additionally, ask

students to add the color sensor to their model by connecting it to the hub, but

not attaching it to the model.

Ask students to modify their program to set parameters in their function for

“scanning” the environment (extra bricks) using their color sensor. A parameter

is like a variable but can only be used in a function. The parameter is data that is

inputted from the user. It acts as a place holder for the new information that can

be added when the function is called.

Sample Program:

from hub import port, button

import runloop

import motor

import color_sensor

import color

# define function for reporting the clean level

def report(height, color):

runloop.run(motor.run_to_absolute_position(port.A, height, 500))

print('Clean Level', color)

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

async def main():

while True:

await runloop.until(lambda: button.pressed(button.LEFT))

#when sensing a color, the height is set

if color_sensor.color(port.E) is color.RED:

report(70, 'Red')

elif color_sensor.color(port.E) is color.YELLOW:

report(60, 'Yellow')

elif color_sensor.color(port.E) is color.BLUE:

report(50, 'Blue')

elif color_sensor.color(port.E) is color.GREEN:

report(25, 'Green')

#if it doesn't sense a color, it moves to the 0 position

else:

await motor.run_to_absolute_position(port.A, 0, 1000)

print("No Reading")

runloop.run(main())

Allow students time to explore their program and take multiple readings of the

environment.

3. Explain

Discuss with students how the program worked.

Ask students questions like:

 Why did we add parameters to our function?

 What is the different between a parameter and a variable?

 How did using a function in your program make the program more

efficient?

4. Elaborate

Challenge students to try a new game where they are not detecting colors but

checking for bugs.

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

Show students each program and error message. Have students discuss what

needs to change in each code to fix the bug or add the missing code. Consider

making

the changes as a class and ensuring the program runs correctly after each change.

Debug activity 1:

from hub import port, button

import runloop

import motor

import color_sensor

import color

# define function for reporting the clean level

def report( ):

runloop.run(motor.run_to_absolute_position(port.A, height, 500))

print('Clean Level', color)

async def main():

while True:

await runloop.until(lambda: button.pressed(button.LEFT))

#when sensing a color, the height is set

if color_sensor.color(port.E) is color.RED:

report(70, 'Red')

elif color_sensor.color(port.E) is color.YELLOW:

report(60, 'Yellow')

elif color_sensor.color(port.E) is color.BLUE:

report(50, 'Blue'

)

elif color_sensor.color(port.E) is color.GREEN:

report(25, 'Green')

#if it doesn't sense a color, it moves to the 0 position

else:

await motor.run_to_absolute_position(port.A, 0, 1000)

print("No Reading")

runloop.run(main())

Traceback (most recent call last):

File "Project 6", line 26, in <module>

File "Project 6", line 20, in main

TypeError: function takes 0 positional arguments but 2 were given

The error should draw attention to line 20, which does not seem to have an error.

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

The actual error is occurring in line 5 where the function is defined. When

defining the function, the parameters must be set so that when the function is

called the value for the parameter can be provided. The value for the parameter

provided now is not able to reference a parameter provided.

Debug activity 2:

from hub import port, button

import runloop

import motor

import color_sensor

import color

# define function for reporting the clean level

def report(height, color):

runloop.run(motor.run_to_absolute_position(port.A, height, 500))

print('Clean Level', color)

async def main():

while True:

await runloop.until(lambda: button.pressed(button.LEFT))

#when sensing a color, the height is set

if color_sensor.color(port.E) is color.RED:

report(70)

elif color_sensor.color(port.E) is color.YELLOW:

report(60, 'Yellow')

elif color_sensor.color(port.E) is color.BLUE:

report(50, 'Blue')

elif color_sensor.color(port.E) is color.GREEN:

report(25, 'Green')

#if it doesn't sense a color, it moves to the 0 position

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

else:

await motor.run_to_absolute_position(port.A, 0, 1000)

print("No Reading")

runloop.run(main())

Traceback (most recent call last):

File "Project 6", line 26, in <module>

File "Project 6", line 14, in main

TypeError: function takes 2 positional arguments but 1 were given

Note: the line reference in this error message will depend on which color you

scan.

This error should indicate to students to check line 14. Students should recognize

that the function is being called with a reference to the parameter. However,

there should be two arguments but only 1 is given, which is causing the error.

The 70 is the first, but it also needs a color.

Ask students to consider other comment errors that might occur in this type

of program and ideas for debugging when they do get errors.

5. Evaluate

Teacher Observation:

Discuss the program with students.

Ask students questions like:

 What type of errors should you watch for when programming with

functions and parameters?

 What are ways that you can use parameters within your functions?

Self-Assessment:

Have students answer the following in their journals:

 What did you learn today about using parameters in functions?

 What characteristics of a good teammate did I display today?

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or

copyrights of the LEGO Group,

 Ask students to rate themselves on a scale of 1-3, on their time

management today.

 Ask students to rate themselves on a scale of 1-3, on their materials

(parts) management today.

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or

copyrights of the LEGO Group,

LEGO® Education SPIKE™ Prime

Automate the Clean Up

Grade 6-8 90 minutes Intermediate

Automate the Clean Up

Students will investigate how to create a sorting robot

and program it to use functions for an automated

clean-up process.

Questions to investigate

 How can functions be used in

programming for efficiency?

Materials needed

 SPIKE Prime sets ready for student use. Prior to

the first lesson, please visit the following website

for help with set up, kit organization and SPIKE

App https://education.lego.com/en-

us/start/spike-prime/intro

 Devices with the SPIKE App installed.

 Student journals

Prepare

 Ensure SPIKE Prime hubs are charged, especially

if connecting through Bluetooth.

1. Engage

Engage students in a discussion about how to automate

the clean-up effort.

Discuss with students the ways that they need to work to keep the environment

clean. Think of ways that this can be automated using robotics to help keep

things clean. Discuss that some materials are trash, but many can be recycled.

Have students identify various materials that would be considered trash and

items that could be recycled.

Prompt students to think about ways to sort the materials into trash and

recyclable materials.

KEY OBJECTIVES

Students will:

 Program a sorting robot to

identify if a material is

recyclable or non-recyclable

 Incorporate a second function

into a program to make the

program more efficient

STANDARDS

CSTA

2-CS-02 Design projects that combine

hardware and software components

to collect and exchange data.

2-AP-13 Decompose problems and

subproblems into parts to facilitate the

design, implementation, and review of

programs.

2-AP-14 Create procedures with

parameters to organize code and make

it easier to reuse.

2-AP-17 Systematically test and refine

programs using a range of test cases.

2-AP-19 Document programs in order

to make them easier to follow, test,

and debug.

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or

copyrights of the LEGO Group,

2. Explore

Students will investigate how to automate clean up and sorting materials into

trash and recycling.

Direct students to build the Quality Check Robot model. The building

instructions are available at https://education.lego.com/en-us/support/spike-

prime/building-instructions.

Direct students to open a new project in the Python programming canvas. Ask

students to erase any code that is already in the programming area. Students

should connect their hub.

Prompt students to think about how to program their sorting robot to identify if

a material is trash or recyclable. Students should create a function for checking

the color of materials then sorting the recyclable materials into the blue area in

front

of the robotic sorter while throwing the trash away.

Note: Students will need to assign a color to trash and a color to recycle. The

colors used in the building instructions are yellow and violet. Consider letting

students change these to other colors if they want.

Sample Program:

from hub import port

import runloop

import color_sensor

import motor

import color

from app import sound

async def main():

await motor.run_to_absolute_position(port.A, 0, 500)

await motor.run_to_absolute_position(port.F, 240, 500)

await motor.run_to_absolute_position(port.A, 90, 500)

await motor.run_to_absolute_position(port.F, 25, 500)

await check_color()

await motor.run_to_absolute_position(port.A, 0, 500)

await motor.run_to_absolute_position(port.F, 240, 500)

await motor.run_to_absolute_position(port.A, 270, 500)

await motor.run_to_absolute_position(port.F, 25,

500)

await check_color()

await motor.run_to_absolute_position(port.A, 0, 500)

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

await motor.run_to_absolute_position(port.F, 240, 500)

async def check_color():

await motor.run_to_absolute_position(port.F, 235, 500)

if color_sensor.color(port.D) is color.MAGENTA:

await motor.run_to_absolute_position(port.A, 0, 500)

await motor.run_to_absolute_position(port.F, 25, 500)

await sound.play('Triumph')

await motor.run_to_absolute_position(port.F, 240, 500)

else:

await sound.play('Oops')

await motor.run_to_absolute_position(port.F, 25, 500)

for x in range(3):

await

motor.run_for_degrees(port.F, -100, 1000)

await motor.run_for_degrees(port.F, 100, 1000)

runloop.run(main())

Allow students time to create and run their program. Remind students to watch

the console for error messages during their programming. Students may need to

debug their program as they test it.

3. Explain

Discuss with students how the program worked.

Ask students questions like:

 Why did we use a function in this program? How did it make the program

more efficient?

 What are other ways that functions could be used in your program?

 If students included parameters, what parameters were used and why?

 Show students the sample program used here and ask them to provide

code comments (using the #) that should be included to make the

program easier to ready.

4. Elaborate

Challenge students to modify their program to include a second function in

order to make their program more efficient.

Discuss the idea of making programs more efficient with students. Taking time to

define variables, functions, etc. at the beginning of the program can allow

students to make the body of the program shorter and easier to execute.

Discuss ways to make the program more efficient. One way could be to include

a second function that will help the robotic checker know what to do with the

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

materials after they are checked. Students should try to reduce the lines of code

being used after their function is defined. If there are currently 12 lines of code

after the function, could they cut that in half with a new program. Challenge

students to see how efficient they can make their program. Remind students

to include their code comments.

5. Evaluate

Teacher Observation:

Discuss the program with students.

Ask students questions like:

 What happened when you added an additional function to your

program?

 Why is efficiency important to creating large programs?

 What are the different ways to use functions in your programs? What

did you learn from how other students approached this challenge?

Self-Assessment:

Have students answer the following in their journals:

 What did you learn today about making programs efficient?

 What characteristics of a good teammate did I display today?

 Ask students to rate themselves on a scale of 1-3, on their time

management today.

 Ask students to rate themselves on a scale of 1-3, on their materials

(parts) management today.

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or

copyrights of the LEGO Group,

LEGO® Education SPIKE™ Prime

Taking Care of My Environment

Grade 6-8 90 minutes Advanced

Taking Care of My Environment

Students will investigate local environmental issues and

possible ways to help solve the local environmental

issues.

Questions to investigate

 How can robots be used to help the

environment?

Materials needed

 SPIKE Prime sets ready for student use. Prior to

the first lesson, please visit the following website

for help with set up, kit organization and SPIKE

App https://education.lego.com/en-

us/start/spike-prime/intro

 Devices with the SPIKE App installed.

 Student journals

Prepare

 Ensure SPIKE Prime hubs are charged, especially

if connecting through Bluetooth.

1. Engage

Engage students in a discussion about their local

environments.

Ask students to consider local areas like parks, the school grounds, areas near

water like a lake or river. Prompt a discussion on these areas and the animals

that live there. What are some ways that students could help those living things

by creating a robot that can help their environment?

As a group, discuss students' ideas. Then launch into a brainstorming session.

KEY OBJECTIVES

Students will:

 Design, build, and program an

environmental helper to take

care of a local area

STANDARDS

CSTA

2-CS-02 Design projects that combine

hardware and software components to

collect and exchange data.

2-AP-10 Use flowcharts and/or

pseudocode to address complex

problems as algorithms

2-AP-13 Decompose problems and

subproblems into parts to facilitate the

design, implementation, and review of

programs.

2-AP-14 Create procedures with

parameters to organize code and make

it easier to reuse

2-AP-16 Incorporate existing code,

media, and libraries into original

programs, and give attribution.

2-AP-17 Systematically test and refine

programs using a range of test cases.

2-AP-19 Document programs in order

to make them easier to follow, test,

and debug.

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or

copyrights of the LEGO Group,

Brainstorm

Brainstorm different ideas for a robotic helper that could benefit the

environment and living things in it.

In small groups, students should brainstorm several ideas for creating a new type

of robotic helper, drawing from ideas used in previous lessons. Students might

consider adding something to indicate the cleanliness level, or to sort the trash

and recycling, or pick up items. Students might try to design something new

and create a helper that pushes trash into one area while spreading seeds

behind it. Each group should come up with unique ideas that support their

specific needs.

2. Explore

Students will design, build, and program a robotic helper clean up the

environment.

Design and Choose the Right Idea

Students will design, build, and program a robotic helper for their environment.

The constraints are:

1. It must use the light matrix

2. It must use at least one motor

3. It must use at least one sensor

4. It must include at least one function in the program.

5. It must include parameters to work with the function.

Students should create a sketch of their building idea and a flowchart of their

programming idea.

Test and Iterate

Allow time for students to test and analyze their ideas as they go, making

improvements where needed. Students should test and evaluate their designs

against the design criteria set and their flowcharts as they start making their

solutions.

Ensure students use sketches and photos of their models to record in their

design journey.

Allow students to receive feedback on their designs as time allows. This can

be from other groups or the teacher.

3. Explain

Students should share their design and explain how it works. Conduct an initial

sharing session with students.

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

Ask students questions like:

 How did you program your model to create an environmental helper using

at least one function? Ask students to share their program comments to

explain.

 What decisions did you have to make while creating your design?

 How did you incorporate parameters?

 What were areas that you had to debug or troubleshoot?

 What was difficult about this challenge?

4. Elaborate

Allow students additional time to complete their program after the initial sharing

session.

Students should finalize their design and program. Encourage students

to incorporate any new ideas they get from the sharing session.

Allow students to share out their final designs and explain how they met

the criteria.

Leave the models together if you are completing the lesson on feedback next.

5. Evaluate

Teacher Observation:

Discuss the program with students.

Ask students questions like:

 What was difficult about this challenge?

 What was your approach to solving this challenge?

 What type of functions and parameters did you include and why?

Self-Assessment:

Have students answer the following in their journals:

 What did you learn today about creating your own design based on

given criteria?

 What characteristics of a good teammate did I display today?

 Ask students to rate themselves on a scale of 1-3, on their time

management today.

 Ask students to rate themselves on a scale of 1-3, on their materials

(parts) management today.

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or

copyrights of the LEGO Group,

LEGO

Education SPIKE™ Prime

Ideas to Help with

Taking Care of My Environment

Grade 6-8 30-45 min. Intermediate

Ideas to Help with Taking Care of My Environment

Practice giving and using feedback from others.

Questions to investigate

 How can input from others help me make

a better design and program?

Materials needed

 SPIKE Prime sets ready for student use. Prior to

the first lesson, please visit the following website

for help with set up, kit organization and SPIKE

App https://education.lego.com/en-

us/start/spike-prime/intro

 Devices with the SPIKE App installed

 Student journals

 Models from the Taking Care of My Environment

lesson

Prepare

 Ensure SPIKE Prime hubs are charged, especially if connecting through

Bluetooth.

 Ensure students have their built model from the Taking Care of

My Environment lesson.

1. Engage

Review the model for providing feedback with students.

Explain to students the following guidelines for giving feedback. Consider

posting the guidelines for student reference.

 Feedback is not doing something for someone else.

 You should not rebuild a model for someone else.

 You should not type into someone’s program.

 You should ask questions of each other.

KEY OBJECTIVES

Students will:

 Give specific feedback

on a peer’s project.

 Explore how to use

feedback to improve

a project.

STANDARDS

1B-IC-20 Seek diverse perspectives

for the purpose of improving

computational artifacts.

VOCABULARY

Feedback

Specific

Positive

Negative

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 You should share your ideas and show your own programming, explaining

why and how you did something.

 You should be encouraging and helpful to others and not provide

negative or mean comments.

2. Explore

Have students work together to provide feedback to each other about the

Taking Care of My Environment models.

Have two teams work together to provide feedback to each other. Teachers

should model the process and what specific feedback looks and sounds like.

Review the procedure with students. Then have students take turns providing

feedback.

 Team B will show their working model.

 Team A provides feedback while Team B takes notes in their journal.

 Then teams can switch roles. Team A will show their working model and

take notes while Team B provides feedback.

Feedback should include:

5. Tell something they really like. This could be the model, program, or

design.

6. Tell something that worked well.

7. Share something the group could try differently.

8. Share anything that is confusing, did not work or that could be improved,

 Remind students to be kind and clear in explaining why it is not

clear or could be improved.

 Let the team receiving the feedback ask questions as needed for

more clarity.

 The team giving feedback can also share ideas for improvement.

Teacher tip – Model providing feedback for the class frequently to help

them learn to use positive language instead of negative language when

providing feedback. Also practice taking feedback and thinking about

how to use it rather than becoming defensive.

3. Explain

Have students discuss what they learned from their feedback session.

Ask students questions like:

 What did you notice in models that worked well?

 What ideas did you get from others?

 What is something you can do with your feedback?

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

4. Elaborate

Students should incorporate the feedback they were given.

Give students time to modify their designs and program based on the feedback

they received. Have students document their changes in their journal.

Allow students to share their updated models and programs. Ask students to

share what changes they incorporated and how they were able to make the

changes.

5. Evaluate

Teacher Observation:

Discuss the program with students.

Ask students questions like:

 How did you use the feedback given?

 How did it feel to give feedback to others? And to receive it?

 How did you work to provide good feedback today?

Self-Assessment:

Have students answer the following in their journals:

 What did you learn today about providing good feedback?

 What did you learn today about how feedback can help in your work?

 What characteristics of a good teammate did I display today?

 Ask students to rate themselves on a scale of 1-3, on their time

management today.

 Ask students to rate themselves on a scale of 1-3, on their materials

(parts) management today.

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or

copyrights of the LEGO Group,

Unit Introduction

This unit allows students to explore essential computer science principles and

programming concepts of the text-based coding language, Python, through

investigating aspects of cybersecurity and digital safety. Students will explore

how to keep systems safe through designing, building, and programming models

with security measures while utilizing logic operators and nested conditional

statements. Students will identify the importance of safety by utilizing both

physical and digital security measures. The lessons are designed in an order that

allows students to progress in their skills and knowledge in the following areas:

 Investigate cyber security through setting passwords

 Explore physical security measures

 Investigate nested conditional statements

 Investigate using logic operators to combine conditions

 Investigate using sensors for security

 Create two-step security programs

 Simulate a security device with both physical and digital safety features

Unit Learning Promise

In this unit, students will explore how to program conditional statements and

logic operators. They will develop an understanding for when to use conditional

statements and logic operators as they create different prototypes utilizing both

physical and digital safety measures. Students will incorporate their new

knowledge and skills in a cybersecurity simulation.

Compound Conditionals

and Logic Operators

A LEGO

Education Unit

Investigation Questions:

How can you use conditional statements and logic operators as safety

measures? Why is cybersecurity important for digital wellness?

How can physical and digital safety measures be combined?

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

Unit Lessons

Lesson 1 Lesson 2 Lesson 3 Lesson 4 Lesson 5 Lesson 6

Password

Protection

Time: 45 min.

Make it

Physically Safe

Time: 45 min.

Make a Safer

Safe

Time: 45 min.

Security

Operating with

Logic

Time: 45 min.

Escape Room

Time: 90 min.

Ideas to Help

with the

Escape Room

Time: 45 min.

Assessment: We recommend assessing students on various skills throughout the unit.

 Use the progression of lessons as an opportunity to provide on-going

feedback to prepare students for success for the open-ended project at

the end of the unit.

 Each lesson includes a recommendation for teacher observations, student

self-assessment, evaluation of success.

Unit Standards

CSTA

2-CS-02 Design projects that combine hardware and software components to

collect and exchange data.

2-NI-05 Explain how physical and digital security measures protect electronic

information.

2-AP-10 Use flowcharts and/or pseudocode to address complex problems as

algorithms.

2-AP-13 Decompose problems and subproblems into parts to facilitate the design,

implementation, and review of programs.

2-AP-16 Incorporate existing code, media, and libraries into original programs, and

give attribution.

2-AP-17 Systematically test and refine programs using a range of test cases.

2-AP-19 Document programs in order to make them easier to follow, test, and

debug.

1B-IC-20 Seek diverse perspectives for the purpose of improving computational

artifacts.

2-IC-22 Collaborate with many contributors through strategies such as

crowdsourcing or surveys when creating a computational artifact.

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Integrated Standards

NGSS

MS-ETS1-4 Develop a model to generate data for iterative testing and modification

of a proposed object, tool or process such that an optimal design can be achieved.

Common Core English Language Arts (ELA)

Grade 7

Grade 8

Grade

SL.6.1 Engage effectively in a

range of collaborative

discussions (one-on-one, in

groups, and teacher-led)

with diverse partners on

grade 6 topics, texts, and

issues, building on others'

ideas and expressing their

own clearly

SL.7.1 Engage effectively in a

range of collaborative

discussions (one-on-one, in

groups, and teacher-led)

with diverse partners on

grade 7 topics, texts, and

issues, building on others'

ideas and expressing their

own clearly

SL.8.1 Engage effectively in a

range of collaborative

discussions (one-on-one, in

groups, and teacher-led)

with diverse partners on

grade 8 topics, texts, and

issues, building on others'

ideas and expressing their

own clearly

SL.6.2 Interpret information

presented in diverse media

and formats (e.g., visually,

quantitatively, orally) and

explain how it contributes to

a topic, text, or issue under

study

SL.7.2 Analyze the main

ideas and supporting details

presented in diverse media

and formats (e.g., visually,

quantitatively, orally) and

explain how the ideas clarify

a topic, text, or issue under

study

SL.8.2 Analyze the purpose

of information presented in

diverse media and formats

(e.g., visually, quantitatively,

orally) and evaluate the

motives (e.g., social,

commercial, political) behind

its presentation

SL.6.4 Present claims and

findings, sequencing ideas

logically and using pertinent

descriptions, facts, and

details to accentuate main

ideas or themes; use

appropriate eye contact,

adequate volume, and clear

pronunciation

SL.7.4 Present claims and

findings, emphasizing salient

points in a focused, coherent

manner with pertinent

descriptions, facts, details,

and examples; use

appropriate eye contact,

adequate volume, and clear

pronunciation

SL.8.4 Present claims and

findings, emphasizing salient

points in a focused, coherent

manner with relevant

evidence, sound valid

reasoning, and well-chosen

details; use appropriate eye

contact, adequate volume,

and clear pronunciation

RST.6-8.3 Follow precisely a

multistep procedure when

carrying out experiments,

taking measurements, or

performing technical tasks

RST.6-8.3 Follow precisely a

multistep procedure when

carrying out experiments,

taking measurements, or

performing technical tasks

RST.6-8.3 Follow precisely a

multistep procedure when

carrying out experiments,

taking measurements, or

performing technical tasks.

L.6.6 Acquire and use

accurately grade-

appropriate general

academic and domain-

specific words and phrases;

gather vocabulary

L.7.6 Acquire and use

accurately grade-

appropriate general

academic and domain-

specific words and phrases;

gather vocabulary

L.8.6 Acquire and use

accurately grade-

appropriate general

academic and domain-

specific words and phrases;

gather vocabulary

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

knowledge when

considering a word or

phrase important to

comprehension or

expression

knowledge when

considering a word or

phrase important to

comprehension or

expression

knowledge when

considering a word or

phrase important to

comprehension or

expression

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

LEGO® Education SPIKE™ Prime

Password Protection

Grade 6-8 45 minutes Beginner

Password Protection

Students will create a password using bricks to explore

security measures.

Questions to investigate

 How can you create secure passwords?

Materials needed

 SPIKE Prime sets ready for student use. Prior to

the first lesson, please visit the following website

for help with set up, kit organization and SPIKE

App https://education.lego.com/en-

us/start/spike-prime/intro

 Device with the SPIKE App installed.

 Student journals

Prepare

 Each student will need 5 colors of 2x4 bricks from

the SPIKE Prime Set.

 Ensure SPIKE Prime hubs are charged, especially

if connecting through Bluetooth.

1. Engage

Ignite a discussion around locks. Where do we use

a lock? Why do we use a lock?

Explain to students that sometimes people use a lock when they want to keep

something safe. Ask students the following questions:

 What is a password?

 Where do we use passwords?

 How can a strong password keep our information safe?

 Why do we not share our passwords?

Allow students to share examples of passwords reminding them to not share any

actual passwords.

KEY OBJECTIVES

Students will:

 Investigate cyber security

through setting passwords

 Explore physical security

measures

STANDARDS

CSTA

2-CS-02 Design projects that combine

hardware and software components to

collect and exchange data.

2-NI-05 Explain how physical and

digital security measures protect

electronic information.

2-AP-13 Decompose problems and

subproblems into parts to facilitate the

design, implementation, and review of

programs.

2-AP-16 Incorporate existing code,

media, and libraries into original

programs, and give attribution.

2-AP-19 Document programs in order

to make them easier to follow, test,

and debug.

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

2. Explore

Students will investigate creating more secure passwords.

Ask students to select 5 different colors of 2x4 bricks from their set.

Working in pairs, assign each team a Partner A and a Partner B. Partner A should

write 3 numbers in his/her journal without Partner B seeing what they are

writing. Partner B should guess the first number written. Partner A sees how

many guesses it takes and writes the number of guesses underneath the guessed

number. Repeat for the second and third number.

Switch roles. Partner B writes 3 numbers in his/her journal. Partner A guesses the

numbers and then Partner B writes how many guesses it takes.

Discuss the outcomes together as a class. Ask students how many possible

answers were there for each number. 10 possible answers– 0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9.

How many possible answers are there for a 3-digit passcode? (10 x 10 x 10)

[numbers 000 to 999]

Discuss together how you could make the password even more secure.

Students should recognize that adding another number to make a four-digit

password will be more secure (and more so with each number added).

Brick Password

Challenge

students to create a brick-based password by creating a 5-step

password using their bricks.

Each partner should create a password by first creating a stack of bricks with the

first step of the password or first color being at the bottom of the stack and the

last at the top of the stack. Students can make the stack in any order they want.

3. Explain

Discuss with students how their passwords worked.

Ask students questions like:

 Which password was more difficult to guess, the 3-digit number or the

5-brick password?

 What made guessing the last few colors of the brick password easier?

 What could you do to make the password even stronger?

4. Elaborate

Challenge students to come up with a more secure password.

Ask students to remove the hub from their SPIKE Prime set. Challenge students

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

to create a password and indicate if the password is correct or not on the hub

using images, words, or sounds.

Direct students to open a new project in the Python programming canvas. Ask

students to erase any code that is already in the programming area. Students

should connect their hub.  

Brainstorm ideas for using the hub to create a password. Ideas might include

setting the motion sensor orientation to a certain position (like up, forward, left),

using the motion sensor gestures (like shake or tap), or pressing one of the

buttons. Students might then think about showing a smiley face if the password

is correct or print good job on the hub.

Ask students to write a pseudocode for how they plan to use the hub as part of

their password. Students should then create their program according to the

pseudocode. Remind students to use code comments in the program to

indicate what should happen. Students should also watch the console for error

messages as they create their program.

5. Evaluate

Teacher Observation:

Discuss the program with students.

Ask students questions like:

 What happened when you made your passwords more difficult?

 Why do we use passwords?

 How can you create a physical password?

Self-Assessment:

Have students answer the following in their journals:

 What did you learn today about using passwords?

 What characteristics of a good teammate did I display today?

 Ask students to rate themselves on a scale of 1-3, on their time

management today.

 Ask students to rate themselves on a scale of 1-3, on their materials

(parts) management today.

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

LEGO® Education SPIKE™ Prime

Make it Physically Safe

Grade 6-8 45 minutes Beginner

Make it Physically Safe

Students will use conditional statements to create a

physically protected place to store information.

Questions to investigate

 How can vulnerable information be kept

safe in a physical space?

Materials needed

 SPIKE Prime sets ready for student use. Prior to

the first lesson, please visit the following website

for help with set up, kit organization and SPIKE

App https://education.lego.com/en-

us/start/spike-prime/intro

 Devices with the SPIKE App installed.

 Student journals

Prepare

 Ensure SPIKE Prime hubs are charged, especially

if connecting through Bluetooth.

1. Engage

Engage students in a conversation about safes and

protecting physical items.

Spark a discussion with students about ways to

physically protect important information. Prompt

students to think about where this information could

be kept and how locks might be used.

Ask students questions like:

 What type of devices can be used to lock something away?

 What makes locks strong?

 What are some ways that you can create a lock or a device that locks and

unlocks (i.e. using a key, a password, etc.).

 What can make a locked door or box even stronger?

KEY OBJECTIVES

Students will:

 Investigate nested conditional

statements

 Explore physical security

measures

STANDARDS

CSTA

2-NI-05 Explain how physical and

digital security measures protect

electronic information.

2-CS-02 Design projects that combine

hardware and software components to

collect and exchange data.

2-AP-10 Use flowcharts and/or

pseudocode to address complex

problems as algorithms

2-AP-13 Decompose problems and

subproblems into parts to facilitate the

design, implementation, and review of

programs.

2-AP-16 Incorporate existing code,

media, and libraries into original

programs, and give attribution.

2-AP-17 Systematically test and refine

programs using a range of test cases.

2-AP-19 Document programs in order

to make them easier to follow, test,

and debug.

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

Let students complete research and view images of different types of locks

as needed.

2. Explore

Students will investigate different types of grabbers to consider the best tool for

cleaning up trash.

Direct students to the BUILD section in the SPIKE App. Here students can

access the building instructions for Safe Deposit Box model.  Ask students

to build the model. The building instructions are also available at

https://education.lego.com/en-us/support/spike-prime/building-instructions.   

Note: this model is also used for the next lesson Make a Safer Safe. The

motor attached will not be used in this lesson, but will be in the next.

Direct students to open a new project in the Python programming canvas. Ask

students to erase any code that is already in the programming area. Students

should connect their hub.  

Have students investigate how the safe works to lock and then unlock when the

appropriate action is taken. Ask students to type the sample program into their

programming canvas and run it.

Sample program:

from hub import port, sound, light_matrix, button

import motor

import runloop

def pressed():

return button.pressed(button.LEFT)

async def main():

await sound.beep(262, 200)

await sound.beep(523, 200)

#this locks the safe

motor.stop(port.B)

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motor.reset_relative_position(port.B, 0)

await motor.run_to_absolute_position(port.C, 270, 500)

light_matrix.show_image(light_matrix.IMAGE_NO)

#this unlocks the safe

await runloop.until(pressed)

await sound.beep(523, 200)

await motor.run_for_time(port.C, 1000, 500)

light_matrix.show_image(light_matrix.IMAGE_YES)

await runloop.sleep_ms(5000)

runloop.run(main())

Discuss the program together as a group paying attention to how the safe

currently locks. Ask students to think about how protected any information in

the safe would currently be. Note that there is only one step of protection using

the safe.

Time for an Upgrade

Students will explore a nested loop to create a more secure safe.

Challenge students to change their code to include a nested conditional

statement. Explain to students something is nested when one part is put in

another part. Loops and conditional statements can be nested within each other

to create a more complex program. Ask students to begin by creating a

flowchart to show how the program should work. Allow students time to

complete their flowcharts and discuss them together as a group.

Allow students time to create their new program that includes the nested loop.

Remind students to use code comments in their program to explain what the

program should do. Students should also watch the console for error messages.

Sample Program:

from hub import port, sound, light_matrix, button

import runloop

import motor

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

def pressed():

return button.pressed(button.LEFT)

async def main():

await sound.beep(262, 200)

await sound.beep(523, 200)

#this locks the safe

motor.stop(port.B)

motor.reset_relative_position(port.B, 0)

await motor.run_to_absolute_position(port.C, 270, 500)

light_matrix.show_image(light_matrix.IMAGE_NO)

#this unlocks the safe

while True:

print('Open Me')

if motor.relative_position(port.B) > 180:

await runloop.until(pressed)

await sound.beep(523, 200)

await motor.run_for_time(port.C, 1000, 500)

light_matrix.show_image(light_matrix.IMAGE_YES)

await runloop.sleep_ms(5000)

break

else:

print('Still Locked!')

await runloop.sleep_ms(1000)

print('You may enter!')

runloop.run(main())

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Allow students time to share their final programs.

3. Explain

Discuss with students how the program worked.

Ask students questions like:

 How does the safe work to provide security?

 How safe do you think the safe is?

 How does the nested conditional statement work?

 What was difficult about this challenge? Where did you run into

programming trouble?

 What does the line of code with “break” do?

Explain to students that the break statement terminates the loop.

4. Elaborate

Challenge students to change the order of the two step protection and identify

the error in the program.

Ask students to consider how they can change the order of the steps for

opening the safe. Share the sample program for students to investigate. There

are no errors in this program. However, the program is not working to open the

safe. Ask students to identify where the problem is and debug the program.

Sample Program:

from hub import port, sound, light_matrix, button

import runloop

import motor

def pressed():

return button.pressed(button.LEFT)

async def main():

await sound.beep(262, 200)

await sound.beep(523, 200)

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

#this locks the safe

motor.stop(port.B)

motor.reset_relative_position(port.B, 0)

await motor.run_to_absolute_position(port.C, 270, 500)

light_matrix.show_image(light_matrix.IMAGE_NO)

#this unlocks the safe

while True:

print('Open Me')

await runloop.until(pressed)

if motor.relative_position(port.B) > 180:

await sound.beep(523, 200)

await motor.run_for_time(port.C, 1000, 500)

light_matrix.show_image(light_matrix.IMAGE_YES)

await runloop.sleep_ms(5000)

break

else:

print('Still Locked!')

await runloop.sleep_ms(1000)

print('You may enter!')

runloop.run(main())

Ask students how this program is different?

Note: You must press both buttons at the same time to get the safe to open.

Allow time for students to re-work the program. Ask groups to share their final

program.

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

5. Evaluate

Teacher Observation:

Discuss the program with students.

Ask students questions like:

 What happened when you created a nested conditional statement?

 How does nesting the conditional statements make the program more

complicated and the safe safer?

 What are some errors to watch for when programming compound

conditionals?

Self-Assessment:

Have students answer the following in their journals:

 What did you learn today about using nested conditional statements?

 What characteristics of a good teammate did I display today?

 Ask students to rate themselves on a scale of 1-3, on their time

management today.

 Ask students to rate themselves on a scale of 1-3, on their materials

(parts) management today.

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or

copyrights of the LEGO Group,

LEGO® Education SPIKE Prime

Make a Safer Safe

Grade 6-8 45-90 minutes Intermediate

Make a Safer Safe

Students will investigate using compound conditional

statements with logic operators to create a physically

protected place to store information.

Questions to investigate

 How can multiple conditions be combined

into one single condition?



How can logic operators be used and

outcomes predicted?

Materials needed

 SPIKE Prime sets ready for student use. Prior to

the first lesson, please visit the following website

for help with set up, kit organization and SPIKE

App https://education.lego.com/en-

us/start/spike-prime/intro

 Devices with the SPIKE App installed.

 Student journals

Prepare

 Ensure SPIKE Prime hubs are charged, especially

if connecting through Bluetooth.

 Ensure students have the Safe Deposit Box model

built from the Make it Physically Safe lesson.

1. Engage

Engage students in thinking about how to combine

multiple ideas into one.

Launch a discussion with students about their favorite things to eat. After

students have a minute to think about their own favorites, have students come

together in pairs to compare their lists. Ask students to create a Venn Diagram

showing their favorite foods.

KEY OBJECTIVES

Students will:

 Investigate using logic

operators to combine

conditions

 Explore physical security

measures

STANDARDS

CSTA

2-NI-05 Explain how physical and

digital security measures protect

electronic information.

2-CS-02 Design projects that combine

hardware and software components to

collect and exchange data.

2-AP-10 Use flowcharts and/or

pseudocode to address complex

problems as algorithms

2-AP-13 Decompose problems and

subproblems into parts to facilitate the

design, implementation, and review of

programs.

2-AP-16 Incorporate existing code,

media, and libraries into original

programs, and give attribution.

2-AP-17 Systematically test and refine

programs using a range of test cases.

2-AP-19 Document programs in order

to make them easier to follow, test,

and debug.

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or

copyrights of the LEGO Group,

Discuss the Venn Diagrams together. What did the two students have in

common? Ask students to consider if they were eating lunch together and had to

share, what they would want to eat. Would they want to eat something from one

of the individual lists or something they both like?

Discuss students’ ideas together. Have students think about how they could

describe what they would eat and not eat encourage the use of the words and,

or, and not. For example, I would eat something from my list or the shared list,

not the other person’s list.

2. Explore

Students will investigate combining two conditional statements to create a

compound conditional statement using logic operators.

Direct students to the BUILD section in the SPIKE App. Here students can

access the building instructions for Super Safe Deposit Box model.  Ask students

to build the model. If students have the Safe Deposit Box model built from the

Make it Physically Safe lesson, then the students will only need to build and

attach the arm. The building instructions are also

available at https://education.lego.com/en-us/support/spike-prime/building-

instructions.   

Partner 1

Favorites

Partner 2

Favorites

Shared favorites

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

Direct students to open a new project in the Python programming canvas. Ask

students to erase any code that is already in the programming area. Students

should connect their hub.  

Combine Conditional Statements

Have students investigate how the safe works.

Sample program:

from hub import sound, port, light_matrix, button

import app

import runloop

import time

import motor

async def main():

await sound.beep(262, 200)

await sound.beep(523, 200)

#this locks the safe

await motor.run_for_time(port.C, 1000, -500)

await motor.run_to_absolute_position(port.B, 0, 500, stop=motor.COAST)

motor.reset_relative_position(port.B, 0)

await motor.run_to_absolute_position(port.E, 0, 500)

light_matrix.show_image(light_matrix.IMAGE_NO)

#this unlocks the safe

await unlock()

async def unlock():

start_time = time.ticks_ms()

while not button.pressed(

button.LEFT) and motor.relative_position(port.B) < 180:

await sound.beep(262, 200)

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await motor.run_for_degrees(port.E, 15, 500)

await runloop.sleep_ms(800)

if time.ticks_diff(time.ticks_ms(), start_time) > 5000:

await app.sound.play('Bonk')

return

light_matrix.show_image(light_matrix.IMAGE_NO)

light_matrix.show_image(light_matrix.IMAGE_YES)

await motor.run_to_absolute_position(port.E, 0, 500)

await motor.run_for_time(port.C, 1000, 500)

await app.sound.play('Wand')

runloop.run(main())

Discuss the program together as a group paying attention to how the safe

currently locks. Ask students to think about how protected any information in

the safe would currently be.

Review the sample program carefully to identify new lines of code. Prompt

students to look at the while statement.

if button.pressed(button.LEFT) and not motor.relative_position(port.B) < 180:

Students should recognize that there are two conditional statements being

addressed in this line. Introduce the term compound conditional statement to

students. Explain that a compound conditional statement is a statement that

combines two Boolean expressions. The conditional statement will not be true

unless all conditions listed are met.

Explain to students that logic operators are used to combine conditional

statements. Point out the two logic operators used in this statement – "and”

and “not. “or” is the third type of logical operator.

The program sets two conditions using the and logical operator. Explain to

students the word and (lowercase) is used to indicate that both parts of a

condition must be true for the entire condition to be true. Also explain that a

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logic operator allows you to combine more than one Boolean expression or

values. These will be evaluated in the program as one Boolean value.

Students will need to type this program into the programming canvas. Students

should run the program. Discuss the program together after students run it.

3. Explain

Discuss with students how the program worked. Ask students questions like:

 How can you combine two conditions into one?

 What are the different types of outcomes that you can have using the and

logic operator?

Work together to create a flowchart that explains this program. If one or both

conditions are false, then the entire condition is false.

Introduce truth tables to students. These tables are helpful in Boolean

Expressions to list all possible outcomes of program using logical operators.

Example Truth Tables:

And Truth Table

Condition 1

(true/false)

and

Condition 2

(true/false)

Total

Condition

True and True True

True and False False

False and True False

False and False False

Or Truth Table

Condition 1

(true/false)

Condition 2

(true/false)

Total

Condition

True or True True

True or False True

False or True True

False or False False

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Not Truth Table

Condition

(true/false)

Total

Condition

True False

False True

Create a truth table for the sample program. Fill in the possible outcomes based

on the combination of how each condition is evaluated. Prompt students to

explain why each total condition evaluates as true or false.

Discuss with students how flowcharts and truth tables can be helpful resources

when creating programs with combined conditions.

4. Elaborate

Challenge students to create different conditions to test the logic operator in

their conditional statement.

Using their truth table as reference, ask students to try different combinations to

create security to test the truth. Students should run their program several times

when condition 1 and 2 are changed from true to false in all the combinations in

the table to see if the outcomes are all true.

Discuss the outcomes together as a group.

5. Evaluate

Teacher Observation:

Discuss the program with students.

Ask students questions like:

 What happened when you changed the logic operators in your

program?

 How can truth tables be used to support creating programs with logic operators?

 How does using logic operators allow you to create additional security?

Self-Assessment:

Have students answer the following in their journals:

 What did you learn today about using logic operators and combining

two conditions?

 What characteristics of a good teammate did I display today?

 Ask students to rate themselves on a scale of 1-3, on their time

management today.

 Ask students to rate themselves on a scale of 1-3, on their materials

(parts) management today.

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

LEGO® Education SPIKE™ Prime

Security Operating with Logic

Grade 6-8 45-90 minutes Intermediate

Security Operating with Logic

Students will investigate how to use logic operators

to make a security alarm using sensors.

Questions to investigate

 How can logic operators be used with

sensors to create a more complex

conditional statement?

Materials needed

 SPIKE Prime sets ready for student use. Prior to

the first lesson, please visit the following website

for help with set up, kit organization and SPIKE

App https://education.lego.com/en-

us/start/spike-prime/intro

 Devices with the SPIKE App installed.

 Student journals

Prepare

 Ensure SPIKE Prime hubs are charged, especially

if connecting through Bluetooth.

1. Engage

Engage students in a conversation about security.

Ask students to think about places that they keep secure (i.e. phones,

computers, doors, etc.). Have students share how these areas are kept secure.

Launch a discussion about physical security options and ways to detect “break

ins”. Prompt students to think about ideas like detecting movement or setting

passwords.

2. Explore

Students will investigate using two steps for more security.

KEY OBJECTIVES

Students will:

 Investigate using sensors for

security

 Create two-step security

programs

STANDARDS

CSTA

2-CS-02 Design projects that combine

hardware and software components to

collect and exchange data.

2-AP-10 Use flowcharts and/or

pseudocode to address complex

problems as algorithms

2-AP-13 Decompose problems and

subproblems into parts to facilitate the

design, implementation, and review of

programs.

2-AP-16 Incorporate existing code,

media, and libraries into original

programs, and give attribution.

2-AP-17 Systematically test and refine

programs using a range of test cases.

2-AP-19 Document programs in order

to make them easier to follow, test,

and debug.

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

Direct students to the BUILD section in the SPIKE App. Here students can

access the building instructions for the Quality Check Robot model. Ask students

to build the model. The building instructions are also available at 

https://education.lego.com/en-us/support/spike-prime/building-

instructions.   

Direct students to open a new project in the Python programming canvas. Ask

students to erase any code that is already in the programming area. Students

should connect their hub.  

Ask students to create a security device that alerts your movement and then

requires a color-coded password. Discuss the two sensors included in the

model and how these might be used to create a physical alert device.

Ask students to write a pseudocode program that explains how their program

should work. The program should include:

 using the distance sensor first to detect motion

 then using the color sensor as a pass code

 and include at least one logic operator

Ask students to use their pseudocode to create their program. Remind students

to use code comments in their program to indicate the expected actions.

Allow students time to test and modify their program as needed. Remind

students to watch the console for error messages.

3. Explain

Discuss various program examples together as a class to find what is effective.

Ask students questions like:

 How can sensors be used to create a security device?

 How did the logic operator work in your program?

 How can you create two step security in your device?

4. Elaborate

Challenge students to use a different logic operator in their security device.

Ask students to write a new pseudocode to change the way the program will

work by using a different logic operator. Students can choose to add a second

logic operator to their program or replace the one in their current program.

Allow students time to modify their program according to the new pseudocode.

Students should test and refine their program. Remind students to watch the

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console for error messages while testing their program.

5. Evaluate

Teacher Observation:

Discuss the program with students.

Ask students questions like:

 What happened when you changed the logic operator?

 When adding more than one logic operator, what are potential bugs

to consider?

 How were the sensors used to create security? What are other ways you

could use sensors in your programs (other sensors to use)?

Self-Assessment:

Have students answer the following in their journals:

 What did you learn today about using multiple steps of security?

 What characteristics of a good teammate did I display today?

 Ask students to rate themselves on a scale of 1-3, on their time

management today.

 Ask students to rate themselves on a scale of 1-3, on their materials

(parts) management today.

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or

copyrights of the LEGO Group,

LEGO® Education SPIKE™ Prime

Escape Room

Grade 6-8 90 minutes Advanced

Escape Room

Students will create and program their own escape

room security system.

Questions to investigate

 How can conditions be set to create a

secure “room” to break out of?

Materials needed

 SPIKE Prime sets ready for student use. Prior to

the first lesson, please visit the following website

for help with set up, kit organization and SPIKE

App https://education.lego.com/en-

us/start/spike-prime/intro

 Devices with the SPIKE App installed.

 Student journals

Prepare

Ensure SPIKE Prime hubs are charged, especially

if connecting through Bluetooth.

1. Engage

Engage students in a conversation about escape rooms.

Ask students if they have ever participated in or heard

of a breakout or escape room. Consider showing images

or videos to students. Explain that in these games

participants use clues and complete puzzles to figure

out how to get out of the locked room.

Brainstorm

Brainstorm different ideas of puzzles that could be used in an escape room.

As a group, brainstorm several ideas for creating a secure device that could

be used in a breakout or escape room.

KEY OBJECTIVES

Students will:

 Create a security device to

simulate a break out game

 Design a device that meets

given constraints

STANDARDS

CSTA

2-CS-02 Design projects that combine

hardware and software components to

collect and exchange data.

2-AP-10 Use flowcharts and/or

pseudocode to address complex

problems as algorithms

2-AP-13 Decompose problems and

subproblems into parts to facilitate the

design, implementation, and review of

programs.

2-AP-16 Incorporate existing code,

media, and libraries into original

programs, and give attribution.

2-AP-17 Systematically test and refine

programs using a range of test cases.

2-AP-19 Document programs in order

to make them easier to follow, test,

and debug.

2-IC-22 Collaborate with many

contributors through strategies such as

crowdsourcing or surveys when

creating a computational artifact.

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

Ask students to then work in their smaller groups to create a short survey to ask

other students what they would like in a security system or something to break

out of. Students can share examples they are thinking about using and ask for

other ideas. Students should include 3 questions about what would be fun,

challenging, and ideas of themes. Students want to ensure the user interest

in their escape device and also age-appropriateness of the idea.

Allow students time to create and complete their survey.

2. Explore

Students will design, build, and program a puzzle game to use in an escape

room.

Design and Choose the Right Idea

Students should consider the input from their surveys and start to design their

security device that will be used in a breakout room.

Students will design, build, and program a device that could be used in a

breakout or escape room. The constraints are:

1. It must use the light matrix

2. It must use at least one motor

3. It must use at least one sensor

4. It must include a logic operator in the program

5. It must include at least two steps to crack the code.

Students should create a sketch of their building idea and a flowchart of their

programming idea.

Test and Iterate

Allow time for students to test and analyze their ideas as they go, making

improvements where needed. Students should test and evaluate their designs

against the design criteria set and their flowcharts as they start making their

solutions.

Ensure students use sketches and photos of their models to record in their

design journey.

Allow students to receive feedback on their designs as time allows. This can be

from other groups or the teacher.

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

3. Explain

Students should share their design and explain how it works. Conduct an initial

sharing session with students.

Ask students questions like:

 How did you program your model to create a security device with at least

two steps? Ask students to share their program comments to explain.

 What decisions did you have to make while creating your design?

 What type of conditional statement did you choose?

 What were areas that you had to debug or troubleshoot?

 What was difficult about this challenge?

4. Elaborate

Allow students additional time to complete their program after the initial sharing

session.

Students should finalize their design and program. Encourage students

to incorporate any new ideas they get from the sharing session.

Leave the models together if you are completing the lesson on feedback next.

5. Evaluate

Teacher Observation:

Discuss the program with students.

Ask students questions like:

 What was difficult about this challenge?

 What was your approach to solving this challenge?

 What type of logic operators did you include and why?

Self-Assessment:

Have students answer the following in their journals:

 What did you learn today about creating your own design based on

given criteria?

 What characteristics of a good teammate did I display today?

 Ask students to rate themselves on a scale of 1-3, on their time

management today.

 Ask students to rate themselves on a scale of 1-3, on their materials

(parts) management today.

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

LEGO

Education SPIKE™ Prime

Ideas to Help with the Escape Room

Grade 6-8 30-45 min. Intermediate

Ideas to Help with the Escape Room

Practice giving and using feedback from others.

Questions to investigate

 How can input from others help me make

a better design and program?

Materials needed

 SPIKE Prime sets ready for student use. Prior to

the first lesson, please visit the following website

for help with set up, kit organization and SPIKE

App https://education.lego.com/en-

us/start/spike-prime/intro

 Devices with the SPIKE App installed

 Student journals

 Models from the Escape Room lesson

Prepare

 Ensure SPIKE Prime hubs are charged, especially

if connecting through Bluetooth.

 Ensure students have their built model from the

Escape Room lesson.

1. Engage

Review the model for providing feedback with students.

Explain to students the following guidelines for giving feedback. Consider

posting the guidelines for student reference.

 Feedback is not doing something for someone else.

 You should not rebuild a model for someone else.

 You should not type into someone’s program.

 You should ask questions of each other.

 You should share your ideas and show your own programming, explaining

why and how you did something.

KEY OBJECTIVES

Students will:

 Give specific feedback

on a peer’s project.

 Explore how to use

feedback to improve

a project.

STANDARDS

CSTA

1B-IC-20 Seek diverse perspectives

for the purpose of improving

computational artifacts.

VOCABULARY

Feedback

Specific

Positive

Negative

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 You should be encouraging and helpful to others and not provide

negative or mean comments.

2. Explore

Have students work together to provide feedback to each other about the

Escape Room models.

Have two teams work together to provide feedback to each other. Teachers

should model the process and what specific feedback looks and sounds like.

Review the procedure with students. Then have students take turns providing

feedback.

 Team B will show their working model.

 Team A provides feedback while Team B takes notes in their journal.

 Then teams can switch roles. Team A will show their working model and

take notes while Team B provides feedback.

Feedback should include:

1. Tell something they really like. This could be the model, program, or

design.

2. Tell something that worked well.

3. Share something the group could try differently.

4. Share anything that is confusing, did not work or that could be improved,

 Remind students to be kind and clear in explaining why it is not

clear or could be improved.

 Let the team receiving the feedback ask questions as needed for

more clarity.

 The team giving feedback can also share ideas for improvement.

Teacher tip – Model providing feedback for the class frequently to help

them learn to use positive language instead of negative language when

providing feedback. Also practice taking feedback and thinking about

how to use it rather than becoming defensive.

3. Explain

Have students discuss what they learned from their feedback session.

Ask students questions like:

 What did you notice in models that worked well?

 What ideas did you get from others?

 What is something you can do with your feedback?

4. Elaborate

Students should incorporate the feedback they were given.

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Give students time to modify their designs and program based on the feedback

they received. Have students document their changes in their journal.

Allow students to share their updated models and programs. Ask students to

share what changes they incorporated and how they were able to make the

changes.

5. Evaluate

Teacher Observation:

Discuss the program with students.

Ask students questions like:

 How did you use the feedback given?

 How did it feel to give feedback to others? And to receive it?

 How did you work to provide good feedback today?

Self-Assessment:

Have students answer the following in their journals:

 What did you learn today about providing good feedback?

 What did you learn today about how feedback can help in your work?

 What characteristics of a good teammate did I display today?

 Ask students to rate themselves on a scale of 1-3, on their time

management today.

 Ask students to rate themselves on a scale of 1-3, on their materials

(parts) management today.

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

Unit Introduction

This unit allows students to explore essential computer science principles and

programming concepts of the text-based coding language, Python, through

exploring different types of transportation. Students will investigate data types

and mathematical functions and how they can be utilized in programming. The

lessons are designed in an order that allows students to progress in their skills

and knowledge in the following areas:

 Investigate types of variables and data

 Investigate ways to take in data from sensors

 Utilize mathematical functions in a program

 Use conditional statements in a program using sensors and motors

 Apply sensors to real-life problems

Unit Learning Promise

In this unit, students will explore different data types while investigating various

types of transportation. Students will look at ways to gather data and how to use

data collected from sensors. Students will also explore different mathematical

functions and how to integrate into their programs. Students will experience

how to effectively make conditional statements in a program using sensors and

motors. Students will explore the real-world use of sensors as a method of data

collection.

Data and Math Functions

A LEGO

Education Unit

Investigation Questions:

How can you integrate mathematical functions into programs?

What are ways to gather and use data in your programs?

How can data be used to solve real-world problems?

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

Unit Lessons

Lesson 1 Lesson 2 Lesson 3 Lesson 4 Lesson 5 Lesson 6 Lesson 7

Getting

Moving

to Get Data

Time: 45 min.

Bike Riding for

Data

Time: 45 min.

Counting

Your Steps

Time: 45 min.

Make It Move

Time: 45 min.

Parking Lot

Time: 45 min.

Transportation

Time: 45 min.

Ideas to Help

with My

Transportation

Time: 45 min.

Assessment: We recommend assessing students on various skills throughout the unit.

 Use the progression of lessons as an opportunity to provide on-going

feedback to prepare students for success for the open-ended project at

the end of the unit.

 Each lesson includes a recommendation for teacher observations, student

self-assessment, evaluation of success.

Unit Standards

CSTA

2-CS-02 Design projects that combine hardware and software components to

collect and exchange data.

2-AP-10 Use flowcharts and/or pseudocode to address complex problems as

algorithms.

2-AP-12 Design and iteratively develop programs that combine control structures,

including nested loops and compound conditionals.

2-AP-13 Decompose problems and subproblems into parts to facilitate the design,

implementation, and review of programs.

2-AP-16 Incorporate existing code, media, and libraries into original programs, and

give attribution.

2-AP-17 Systematically test and refine programs using a range of test cases.

2-AP-18 Distribute tasks and maintain a project timeline when collaboratively

developing computational artifacts.

2-AP-19 Document programs in order to make them easier to follow, test, and

debug.

1B-IC-20 Seek diverse perspectives for the purpose of improving computational

artifacts.

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

Integrated Standards

NGSS

MS-ETS1-4 Develop a model to generate data for iterative testing and modification

of a proposed object, tool or process such that an optimal design can be achieved.

Common Core English Language Arts (ELA)

Grade 7

Grade 8

Grade

SL.6.1 Engage effectively in a

range of collaborative

discussions (one-on-one, in

groups, and teacher-led)

with diverse partners on

grade 6 topics, texts, and

issues, building on others'

ideas and expressing their

own clearly

SL.7.1 Engage effectively in a

range of collaborative

discussions (one-on-one, in

groups, and teacher-led)

with diverse partners on

grade 7 topics, texts, and

issues, building on others'

ideas and expressing their

own clearly

SL.8.1 Engage effectively in a

range of collaborative

discussions (one-on-one, in

groups, and teacher-led)

with diverse partners on

grade 8 topics, texts, and

issues, building on others'

ideas and expressing their

own clearly

SL.6.2 Interpret information

presented in diverse media

and formats (e.g., visually,

quantitatively, orally) and

explain how it contributes to

a topic, text, or issue under

study

SL.7.2 Analyze the main

ideas and supporting details

presented in diverse media

and formats (e.g., visually,

quantitatively, orally) and

explain how the ideas clarify

a topic, text, or issue under

study

SL.8.2 Analyze the purpose

of information presented in

diverse media and formats

(e.g., visually, quantitatively,

orally) and evaluate the

motives (e.g., social,

commercial, political) behind

its presentation

SL.6.4 Present claims and

findings, sequencing ideas

logically and using pertinent

descriptions, facts, and

details to accentuate main

ideas or themes; use

appropriate eye contact,

adequate volume, and clear

pronunciation

SL.7.4 Present claims and

findings, emphasizing salient

points in a focused, coherent

manner with pertinent

descriptions, facts, details,

and examples; use

appropriate eye contact,

adequate volume, and clear

pronunciation

SL.8.4 Present claims and

findings, emphasizing salient

points in a focused, coherent

manner with relevant

evidence, sound valid

reasoning, and well-chosen

details; use appropriate eye

contact, adequate volume,

and clear pronunciation

RST.6-8.3 Follow precisely a

multistep procedure when

carrying out experiments,

taking measurements, or

performing technical tasks

RST.6-8.3 Follow precisely a

multistep procedure when

carrying out experiments,

taking measurements, or

performing technical tasks

RST.6-8.3 Follow precisely a

multistep procedure when

carrying out experiments,

taking measurements, or

performing technical tasks.

L.6.6 Acquire and use

accurately grade-

appropriate general

academic and domain-

specific words and phrases;

gather vocabulary

L.7.6 Acquire and use

accurately grade-

appropriate general

academic and domain-

specific words and phrases;

gather vocabulary

L.8.6 Acquire and use

accurately grade-

appropriate general

academic and domain-

specific words and phrases;

gather vocabulary

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knowledge when

considering a word or

phrase important to

comprehension or

expression

knowledge when

considering a word or

phrase important to

comprehension or

expression

knowledge when

considering a word or

phrase important to

comprehension or

expression

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

LEGO® Education SPIKE™ Prime

Get Moving to Get Data

Grade 6-8 45 minutes Beginner

Get Moving to Get Data

Students will investigate gathering, displaying, and

using data.

Questions to investigate

 How can you gather and display data?

Materials needed

 SPIKE Prime sets ready for student use. Prior to

the first lesson, please visit the following website

for help with set up, kit organization and SPIKE

App https://education.lego.com/en-

us/start/spike-prime/intro

 Devices with the SPIKE App installed.

 Student journals

Prepare

 Ensure SPIKE Prime hubs are charged, especially

if connecting through Bluetooth.

1. Engage

Engage students in a conversation about transportation

and ways that people get around.

Prompts students to share the different ways they get

from one place to another. Have them think about what

types of transportation they take regularly. Discuss the situations that require the

use of different types of transportation.

Provide different examples of places to discuss what transportation types might

be used in each place. Be sure to include walking, biking, different types of

vehicles, boats, planes, etc.

KEY OBJECTIVES

Students will:

 Investigate ways to take in data

from sensors

 Create a new program that will

provide data using the force

sensor

STANDARDS

CSTA

2-CS-02 Design projects that combine

hardware and software components to

collect and exchange data.

2-AP-10 Use flowcharts and/or

pseudocode to address complex

problems as algorithms

2-AP-13 Decompose problems and

subproblems into parts to facilitate the

design, implementation, and review of

programs.

2-AP-16 Incorporate existing code,

media, and libraries into original

programs, and give attribution.

2-AP-17 Systematically test and refine

programs using a range of test cases.

2-AP-19 Document programs in order

to make them easier to follow, test,

and debug.

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

Ask students to consider when they want to get to these places what is

important information or data to have. Discuss ideas like knowing the distance,

how long it will take, and how fast they need to move.

2. Explore

Students will investigate ways to take in data from sensors and manage their

data.

Direct students to the BUILD section in the SPIKE App. Here students can

access the building instructions for Smart Kettlebell model. Ask students to build

the model. The building instructions are also available at

 https://education.lego.com/en-us/support/spike-prime/building-

instructions.      

Direct students to open a new project in the Python programming canvas. Ask

students to erase any code that is already in the programming area. Students

should connect their hub.  

Prompt students to think about how to use their sensor to take in information.

Students should look at the upper left area of the programming canvas. Point out

where the live sensor data is displayed. Ask students to move their model

around and press the force sensor to see the live data stream. Discuss how

moving the model provides different data. Have students indicate ways that

they could program the distance sensor to provide data.

Ask students to review the three sample programs. Discuss which will be the

best to gather and manage data in the console. Allow students to investigate

the programs as needed.

Sample Program 1:

from hub import port

import runloop

import distance_sensor

async def main():

#read the distance from the sensor

dist_mm = distance_sensor.distance(port.F)

print('mm:', dist_mm)

runloop.run(main())

Sample Program 2:

from hub import port

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import runloop

import distance_sensor

async def main():

#read the distance from the sensor

while True:

dist_mm = distance_sensor.distance(port.F)

print('mm:', dist_mm)

runloop.run(main())

Sample Program 3:

from hub import port

import runloop

import distance_sensor

import force_sensor

async def main():

#read the distance from the sensor

while True:

if force_sensor.pressed(port.B):

dist_mm = distance_sensor.distance(port.F)

print('mm:', dist_mm)

await runloop.sleep_ms(1000)

runloop.run(main())

Allow students time to investigate the three programs. Please note that the

distance sensor returns a value in millimeters, not centimeters. Students can

convert from millimeters to centimeters by changing this line of code by adding

a /10 at the end to divide by 10.

dist_cm = distance_sensor.distance(port.F)/10

from hub import port

import runloop

import distance_sensor

import force_sensor

async def main():

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#read the distance from the sensor

while True:

if force_sensor.pressed(port.B):

dist_cm = distance_sensor.distance(port.F)/10

print('cm:', dist_cm)

await runloop.sleep_ms(1000)

runloop.run(main())

3. Explain

Discuss with students how each program worked. Ask students questions like:

 What did the data output in the console look like for each program?

 Which program would provide the best way to gather different data

points?

 What are some ways that you could organize your data outside the

console?

Prompt students to display their data in a table.

Remind students that there are different data types: integer, float, and string.

Consider referencing the Knowledge Base under the distance sensor to help

students decide what type of data is being used here. Discuss what type of data

has been provided from their sensor.

4. Elaborate

Challenge students to create a new program that will provide data using the

force sensor.

Ask students to look at the ways that they can get data from the force sensor.

Discuss ideas for getting the number of Newtons from pressing the force sensor

and displaying the data so students can easily gather and organize the

information into a table. Consider ideas for displaying in the console or on the

hub.

Allow students time to explore and develop their program. Encourage students

to share their ideas and data with other groups.

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or

copyrights of the LEGO Group,

5. Evaluate

Teacher Observation:

Discuss the program with students.

Ask students questions like:

 What is the difference between the three sample programs you

investigated? What is the same?

 What happened when you were adding the force sensor?

 What are some ways you can display data to reference or capture

to create a table?

Self-Assessment:

Have students answer the following in their journals:

 What did you learn today about gathering data using your robot?

 What characteristics of a good teammate did I display today?

 Ask students to rate themselves on a scale of 1-3, on their time

management today.

 Ask students to rate themselves on a scale of 1-3, on their materials

(parts) management today.

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or

copyrights of the LEGO Group,

LEGO® Education SPIKE™ Prime

Bike Riding for Data

Grade 6-8 45 minutes Beginner

Students will investigate using mathematical functions

in a program.

Questions to investigate

 How can we use mathematical functions

in our program?

Materials needed

 SPIKE Prime sets ready for student use. Prior to

the first lesson, please visit the following website

for help with set up, kit organization and SPIKE

App https://education.lego.com/en-

us/start/spike-prime/intro

 Devices with the SPIKE App installed.

 Student journals

Prepare

 Ensure SPIKE Prime hubs are charged, especially

if connecting through Bluetooth.

1. Engage

Engage students in a conversation about riding

a bicycle as a mode of transportation.

Ask students to specifically talk about riding a bicycle

to get from place to place, making sure to talk about

the pros and cons of bicycle transportation.

Discuss places you might ride a bike, especially places that might make more

sense to ride a bike than walk or take another type of transportation. Prompt

students with examples if needed.

2. Explore

Students will investigate riding a bicycle as a mode of transportation.

KEY OBJECTIVES

Students will:

 Program a bike model to move

forward at a constant speed

 Create a program increase and

decrease the speed of the bike

model using math functions

STANDARDS

CSTA

2-CS-02 Design projects that combine

hardware and software components to

collect and exchange data.

2-AP-10 Use flowcharts and/or

pseudocode to address complex

problems as algorithms

2-AP-13 Decompose problems and

subproblems into parts to facilitate the

design, implementation, and review of

programs.

2-AP-16 Incorporate existing code,

media, and libraries into original

programs, and give attribution.

2-AP-17 Systematically test and refine

programs using a range of test cases.

2-AP-19 Document programs in order

to make them easier to follow, test,

and debug.

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or

copyrights of the LEGO Group,

Direct students to the BUILD section in the SPIKE App. Here students can

access the building instructions for the Smart Bike model. Ask students to build

the model.

The building instructions are also available at https://education.lego.com/en-

us/support/spike-prime/building-instructions.   

Direct students to open a new project in the Python programming canvas. Ask

students to erase any code that is already in the programming area. Students

should connect their hub.  

Prompt students to think about how they program their Smart Bike to move.

Students should write a program that allows the bike to move forward at a

constant speed.

Sample Program:

from hub import port

import runloop

import motor_pair

async def main():

#pair motors

motor_pair.pair(motor_pair.PAIR_1, port.C, port.E)

#move 720 degrees, steering straight, at a velocity of 250

await motor_pair.move_for_degrees(motor_pair.PAIR_1, 720, 0, velocity=250)

runloop.run(main())

Moving with Math

Once students have their bike moving, challenge them to add to their program

to change the velocity of their bike to move faster and slower. However, they

should not just add new movements to the program. Instead, students should

use variables and math functions to change the velocity.

Introduce the following math functions that can be used. These should all be

common and familiar to students. Remind students that the order of operations

will be followed in complex lines of math code.

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or

copyrights of the LEGO Group,

Function Symbol Sample Output

Addition + print (10+2) 12

Subtraction - print (10-2) 8

Multiplication * print (10*2) 20

Division / print (10/2) 5

Using these math functions, students should be able to create a program that

will increase and decrease the velocity of the bike.

Sample Program:

from hub import port, light_matrix, button

import runloop

import motor_pair

async def ride(bike_velocity):

#defines the ride function to write the velocity on the hub and move the bike farward

await light_matrix.write(str(bike_velocity))

await motor_pair.move_for_degrees(motor_pair.PAIR_1, 720, 0, velocity=bike_velocity)

async def main():

bike_velocity = 250

#pair motors

motor_pair.pair(motor_pair.PAIR_1, port.C, port.E)

#move 720 degrees, steering straight, at a velocity of 250

while True:

#if the left button is pressed the velocity is reduced by 50

if button.pressed(button.LEFT):

bike_velocity -= 50

await ride(bike_velocity)

await runloop.sleep_ms(2000)

#if the right button is pressed the velocity is increaded by 50

if button.pressed(button.RIGHT):

bike_velocity += 50

await ride

(bike_velocity)

await runloop.sleep_ms(2000)

runloop.run(main())

Allow students time to explore the program and try different values to add and

subtract. Note that in line 15 you find this code:

await

light_matrix.write(str(bike_velocity))

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or

copyrights of the LEGO Group,

The str before the bike_velocity tells the program to cast the integer to a string

to allow it to be written on the hub. Casting is a way to convert data from one

type to another in a particular situation. In this program, it doesn’t permanently

change the data type, it converts it just to write on the hub. The variable is still

an integer.

3. Explain

Discuss with students how the program worked.

Ask students questions like:

 How can we use math functions in our program?

 How did using the math functions change the way your program worked?

 What is the benefit of controlling the speed with a variable?

The function ride was created to allow the same code to be run in two different

places in the program. Creating functions helps to keep the program length

at a minimum and it also allows us to make our program more efficient.

4. Elaborate

Allow students to continue modifying their program to try new math functions

based on what was shared from other students.

Challenge students to try adding new functions to their program to see how

it changes the movements. Ask students to share their programs.

Sample program:

from hub import port, light_matrix, button

import runloop

import motor_pair

async def ride(bike_velocity):

#defines the ride function to write the velocity on the hub and move the bike farward

await light_matrix.write(str(bike_velocity))

await motor_pair.move_for_degrees(motor_pair.PAIR_1, 720, 0, velocity=bike_velocity)

async def main():

bike_velocity = 250

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

#pair motors

motor_pair.pair(motor_pair.PAIR_1, port.C, port.E)

#move 720 degrees, steering straight, at a velocity of 250

while True:

#if the left button is pressed the velocity is reduced by 50

if button.pressed(button.LEFT):

bike_velocity /= 2

await ride(int(bike_velocity))

await runloop.sleep_ms(2000)

#if the right button is pressed the velocity is increaded by 50

if button.pressed(button.RIGHT):

bike_velocity *= 2

await ride(bike_velocity)

await runloop.sleep_ms(2000)

runloop.run(main())

Allow time for students to explore the program and use different math functions.

Note: When a number is divided it automatically gets converted to a float,

a decimal number. The velocity parameter must be an integer. This requires the

casting of an integer for the velocity parameter.

5. Evaluate

Teacher Observation:

Discuss the program with students.

Ask students questions like:

 What happened when we added mathematical functions to our

program?

 What did you learn about programming mathematical functions?

 What issue was discovered when division was used?

 Why was a motor pair used when there is only one motor moving the

bicycle?

 What iterations can be made to our program?

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or

copyrights of the LEGO Group,

Self-Assessment:

Have students answer the following in their journals:

 What did you learn today about using math functions in your program?

 What characteristics of a good teammate did I display today?

 Ask students to rate themselves on a scale of 1-3, on their time

management today.

 Ask students to rate themselves on a scale of 1-3, on their materials

(parts) management today.

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or

copyrights of the LEGO Group,

LEGO® Education SPIKE™ Prime

Counting Your Steps

Grade 6-8 45 minutes Beginner

Students will investigate using variables and data while

counting their steps.

Questions to investigate

 How can you add mathematical

calculations within a program?

Materials needed

 SPIKE Prime sets ready for student use. Prior to

the first lesson, please visit the following website

for help with set up, kit organization and SPIKE

App https://education.lego.com/en-

us/start/spike-prime/intro

 Devices with the SPIKE App installed.

 Student journals

Prepare

 Ensure SPIKE Prime hubs are charged, especially

if connecting through Bluetooth.

1. Engage

Engage students in a conversation about walking and

counting their steps. How many students have a device

that can do that? How many students use the apps

available to them?

Have small groups of students stand shoulder to

shoulder and take 5-10 steps forward. Why do they end up at different locations?

How would the applications deal with that? Is a step the same for everyone?

2. Explore

Students will investigate using a smart device to track their steps as they use

walking as a mode of transportation.

KEY OBJECTIVES

Students will:

 Integrate mathematical

calculations into their programs

using variables

 Create a program that will

measure footsteps

STANDARDS

CSTA

2-CS-02 Design projects that combine

hardware and software components to

collect and exchange data.

2-AP-10 Use flowcharts and/or

pseudocode to address complex

problems as algorithms

2-AP-13 Decompose problems and

subproblems into parts to facilitate the

design, implementation, and review of

programs.

2-AP-16 Incorporate existing code,

media, and libraries into original

programs, and give attribution.

2-AP-17 Systematically test and refine

programs using a range of test cases.

2-AP-19 Document programs in order

to make them easier to follow, test,

and debug.

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or

copyrights of the LEGO Group,

Direct students to the BUILD section in the SPIKE App. Here students can

access the building instructions for the Pedometer model. Students will only

need to build the Pedometer and not the stand.  Ask students to build the model.

The building instructions are also available at https://education.lego.com/en-

us/support/spike-prime/building-instructions.   

Direct students to open a new project in the Python programming canvas. Ask

students to erase any code that is already in the programming area. Students

should connect their hub.  

Prompt students to think about how to determine how many steps they have

taken. Ask students to brainstorm which sensor(s) could be used to determine

the number of steps taken. Guide students to the motion sensor. Specifically,

have the students think about the roll, pitch, and yaw of the hub.

Discuss the ways the model can move when attached to your body. The pitch

of the hub is the hub’s front side tilted forward or backward. (Like tips of the

fingers of your outstretched hand tilting up or down.) The roll of the hub is

hub’s front side moving down to the right or down to the left. (Like your

outstretched hand rolling so the little finger rolls down or up.) The yaw of the

hub is the top of the hub moving to the right or left at an angle. (Like turning

your outstretched hand so the fingers start pointing forward but move to point

to the right or left.)

Students need to create a program that will measure their steps.

Sample Program:

from hub import light_matrix, motion_sensor, button

import runloop

async def main():

step = 0

# reset the yaw angle to 0

motion_sensor.reset_yaw(0)

await light_matrix.write('Walk!')

while True:

# get the tilt values

tilt = motion_sensor.tilt_angles()

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or

copyrights of the LEGO Group,

# store the yaw value from the tilt tuple

yaw = tilt[0]

if yaw > 75:

step += 1

elif yaw <-75:

step += 1

elif button.pressed(button.LEFT):

await light_matrix.write(str(step))

break

runloop.run(main())

Allow students time to explore the program and try different values.

Introduce some new math functions to students that can be used when creating

and comparing their data.

Function Symbol

Less than <

Less than or equal to ≤

Greater than >

Greater than or equal to ≥

Equal to ==

Not equal !=

Discuss how these new functions were used in the program to get your steps.

Refining your Program

When getting the yaw angle, the pedometer collected data multiple times per

second. The program doesn’t know that the angle is part of your stride. To help,

we can add a variable used for the purpose of identifying when the stride so the

yaw angle is only collected once which will add only one step for the students.

Sample Program:

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

from hub import light_matrix, motion_sensor, button

import runloop

import time

def time_since(some_time):

return time.ticks_diff(time.ticks_ms(), some_time)

async def main():

# define your variables

step = 0

true_step = False

await light_matrix.write('Walk!')

while True:

# get the tilt values

tilt = motion_sensor.tilt_angles()

# store the yaw value from the tilt tuple

yaw = tilt[0]

if yaw > 75 and true_step is False:

step += 1

true_step = True

elif yaw <-75 and true_step is True:

step += 1

true_step = False

elif

button.pressed(button.LEFT):

await light_matrix.write(str(step))

break

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or

copyrights of the LEGO Group,

runloop.run(main())

Allow students time to explore the program.

3. Explain

Discuss with students how the program worked.

Ask students questions like:

 What was used to count the steps?

 How accurate is your pedometer? Explain.

 Why do you think the pedometer counted too many steps?

4. Elaborate

Challenge students to add to the program mathematical computations that will

calculate the speed. Remember that speed is measured in distance over time.

While testing a program it is good practice to print information into the console

to verify the data is accurate and to make sure the program is running as

planned.

Sample Program:

from hub import light_matrix, motion_sensor, button

import runloop

import time

def time_since(some_time):

return time.ticks_diff(time.ticks_ms(), some_time)

async def main():

# define your variables

step = 0

true_step = False

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

stride = 3

distance_walked = 0

time_walked = 0

speed = 0

start_time = 0

elasped = 0

await light_matrix.write('Walk!')

# start the timer

start_time = time.ticks_ms()

while True:

# get the tilt values

tilt = motion_sensor.tilt_angles()

# store the yaw value from the tilt tuple

yaw = tilt[0]

if yaw > 75 and true_step is False:

step += 1

true_step = True

elif yaw <-75 and true_step is True:

step += 1

true_step = False

elif button.pressed(button.LEFT):

await light_matrix.write(str(step))

break

# stop timer

elasped = time_since(start_time)

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

# make calculations

distance_walked = step * stride

time_walked = elasped/1000

speed = distance_walked / time_walked

# round the time walked and speed to two decimal places

time_walked = str(round(time_walked, 2))

speed = str(round(speed, 2))

# output the data by casting the variables to a string to add the units

print('You took ' + str(step) + ' steps')

print('Your stride is ' + str(stride) + ' feet')

print('You walked for ' + str(time_walked) + ' seconds')

print('You walked ' + str(distance_walked) + ' feet')

print('Your speed is ' + str(speed) + ' feet per second')

runloop.run(main())

5. Evaluate

Teacher Observation:

Discuss the program with students.

Ask students questions like:

 What happened when you added the true_step variable?

 How does the true_step variable keep the motion sensor from

collecting

a reading?

 What did you learn about programming calculations?

 What iterations can you make to improve your pedometer?

Self-Assessment:

Have students answer the following in their journals:

 What did you learn today about using calculations in your program?

 What characteristics of a good teammate did I display today?

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or

copyrights of the LEGO Group,

 Ask students to rate themselves on a scale of 1-3, on their time

management today.

 Ask students to rate themselves on a scale of 1-3, on their materials

(parts) management today.

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or

copyrights of the LEGO Group,

LEGO® Education SPIKE™ Prime

Make It Move

Grade 6-8 45 minutes Beginner

Make It Move

Students will investigate how an automobile-like model

can move forward and change directions using

mathematical functions.

Questions to investigate

 How can use mathematical functions

to change directions?

Materials needed

 SPIKE Prime sets ready for student use. Prior to

the first lesson, please visit the following website

for help with set up, kit organization and SPIKE

App https://education.lego.com/en-

us/start/spike-prime/intro

 Devices with the SPIKE App installed.

 Student journals

Prepare

 Ensure SPIKE Prime hubs are charged, especially

if connecting through Bluetooth.

1. Engage

Engage students in a conversation about how the driver

causes an automobile to move.

Guide students in a discussion on the different ways a driver controls the

movement of an automobile. For example, the driver can make the automobile

move forward and in reverse. The driver can stop the vehicle. The driver can also

turn left and right at a variety of degrees.

Show students a video of the driving base model they will work with in the

explore moving to see how it can move similar to an automobile. The engage

video from the Training Camp 1 lesson can be used. The video is available at

KEY OBJECTIVES

Students will:

 Program a driving base to

move forward and change

directions

 Create a program with

mathematical functions

STANDARDS

CSTA

2-CS-02 Design projects that combine

hardware and software components to

collect and exchange data.

2-AP-10 Use flowcharts and/or

pseudocode to address complex

problems as algorithms

2-AP-13 Decompose problems and

subproblems into parts to facilitate the

design, implementation, and review of

programs.

2-AP-16 Incorporate existing code,

media, and libraries into original

programs, and give attribution.

2-AP-17 Systematically test and refine

programs using a range of test cases.

2-AP-19 Document programs in order

to make them easier to follow, test,

and debug.

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or

copyrights of the LEGO Group,

https://education.lego.com/en-us/lessons/prime-competition-ready/training-

camp-1-driving-around#ignite-a-discussion.

Discuss the video with the students.

2. Explore

Students will investigate an automobile-like model as a type of transportation.

Direct students to the BUILD section in the SPIKE App. Here students can access

the building instructions for the Driving Base model. Ask students to build the

driving base model. The building instructions are also available at

https://education.lego.com/en-us/support/spike-prime/building-

instructions.

Direct students to open a new project in the Python programming canvas. Ask

students to erase any code that is already in the programming area. Students

should connect their hub.  

Prompt students to think about how they program their driving base to move.

Students should write a program that allows the vehicle to move forward,

backward and turn by programming the motors. If students need inspiration for

their program, suggest they look at the sample program from the Bike Riding for

Data lesson. Similar to this program, students should include a method for

adding (speeding up) and subtracting (slowing down) speed.

Remind students that when driving a vehicle like a car there is a speed limit

restriction that must be followed. In addition to driving forward, challenge

students to display the speed of their driving base on the hub of the model

to act as a speedometer.

Sample Program:

from hub import port, light_matrix, button

import runloop

import motor_pair

async def main():

driving_velocity = 250

# pair motors

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

motor_pair.pair(motor_pair.PAIR_1, port.C, port.D)

# define the ride function

async def ride():

await light_matrix.write(str(driving_velocity))

await motor_pair.move_for_degrees(motor_pair.PAIR_1, 720, 0, velocity =

driving_velocity)

# set conditions for moving forward and setting velocity

while True:

if button.pressed(button.LEFT):

driving_velocity -= 50

await ride()

await runloop.sleep_ms(3000)

elif button.pressed(button.RIGHT):

driving_velocity += 50

await ride()

await runloop.sleep_ms(3000)

runloop.run(main())

Allow students time to explore the program. Prompt them to continue pushing

the right and/or left buttons while running the program to see how the driving

base will continue to move adding or subtracting 50. Students will be able to

see the new speed each time on the hub.

Driving Around

Since automobiles do not often drive in a straight line only, challenge students

to modify their program to include moving in different directions. Encourage

students to use their math functions to help set how they make turns.

Sample Program:

from hub import port, light_matrix, button

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or

copyrights of the LEGO Group,

import runloop

importmotor_pair

import motor

async def main():

# define the initial driving velocity

driving_velocity = 250

# defining the turn distance

turning_left = -360

turning_right = 360

# pair motors

motor_pair.pair(motor_pair.PAIR_1, port.C, port.D)

#define the ride and turn functions

async def ride():

await light_matrix.write(str(driving_velocity))

await motor_pair.move_for_degrees(motor_pair.PAIR_1, 720, 0, velocity =

driving_velocity)

async def turn_left():

await light_matrix.write(str(turning_left/4))

await motor.run_for_degrees(port.C, turning_left, 250)

async def turn_right():

await light_matrix.write(str(turning_right/

4))

await motor.run_for_degrees(port.D, turning_right, 250)

# set conditions for moving forward and setting velocity

while True:

await ride()

if button.pressed(button.LEFT):

driving_velocity -= 50

turning_left -= 360

await turn_left()

await runloop.sleep_ms(3000)

elif button.pressed(button.RIGHT):

driving_velocity += 50

turning_right += 360

await turn_right()

await runloop.sleep_ms(3000)

runloop.run(main())

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or

copyrights of the LEGO Group,

3. Explain

Discuss with students how the program worked. Ask students questions like:

 Why did the program allow you to continue to add or subtract speeds?

 How were you able to modify your program to include turning and moving

in different directions?

 Why did the drive base continue to drive when the buttons were not

pressed?

When displaying the turns a math function was used to convert the actual

degrees of wheel rotation to how much the drive base turned. In this case, when

the single motor rotates 360 degrees it makes a full wheel rotation which turns

the drive base 90 degrees. Using math, you can determine the answer to

360/n=90. In this case n=4. Thus, you see this math function used in the line

light_matrix.write(str(turning_left/4)) and light_matrix.write(str(turning_right/4)).

4. Elaborate

Challenge students to recognize bugs in their programs.

Show students each program below and its error message. Have students

discuss what needs to change in each code to fix the bug or add the missing

code. Students can type in the program or review together as a whole class.

Consider making the changes as a class and ensuring the program runs correctly

after each change.

Debug Activity 1:

Find the error in the program. Remind students sometimes that error is not found

until the program is running and an action is taken to read that part of the

program.

from hub import port, light_matrix, button

import runloop

import motor_pair

async def main():

driving_velocity = 250

# pair motors

motor_pair.pair(motor_pair.PAIR_1, port.C, port.D)

# define the ride function

async def ride():

await light_matrix.write(str(driving_velocity))

await motor_pair.move_for_degrees(motor_pair.PAIR_1, 0, velocity = driving_velocity)

# set conditions for moving forward and setting velocity

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

while True:

if button.pressed(button.LEFT):

driving_velocity -= 50

await ride()

await runloop.sleep_ms(3000)

elif button.pressed(button.RIGHT):

driving_velocity += 50

await ride()

await runloop.sleep_ms(3000)

runloop.run(main())

Error Message:

Traceback (most recent call last):

File "drive base 1", line 27, in <module>

File "drive base 1", line 19, in main

File "drive base 1", line 13, in ride

TypeError: function missing 1 required positional arguments

The error message references several lines that are incorrect. However, it does

not actually point to the one line that has the error. In line 13, the amount of

degrees were removed that tell the driving base how far to move forward. This

line of code should read await motor_pair.move_for_degrees(motor_pair.PAIR_1, 720, 0,

velocity = driving_velocity)

When the button is pressed for the driving base to move, it references the

function and does not have the degrees needed to know how to move forward.

Debug Activity 2:

Find the error in the program. Remind students sometimes that error is not found

until the program is running and an action is taken to read that part of the

program.

from hub import port, light_matrix, button

import runloop

import motor_pair

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or

copyrights of the LEGO Group,

driving_velocity = 250

async def main():

# pair motors

motor_pair.pair(motor_pair.PAIR_1, port.C, port.D)

# define the ride function

async def ride():

await light_matrix.write(str(driving_velocity))

await motor_pair.move_for_degrees(motor_pair.PAIR_1, 720, 0, velocity =

driving_velocity)

# set conditions for moving forward and setting velocity

while True:

if button.pressed(button.LEFT):

driving_velocity -= 50

await ride()

await runloop.sleep_ms(3000)

elif button.pressed(button.RIGHT):

driving_velocity += 50

await ride()

await runloop.sleep_ms(3000)

runloop.run(main())

Error Message:

Traceback (most recent call last):

File "drive base 1", line 29, in <module>

File "drive base 1", line 25, in main

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NameError: local variable referenced before assignment

The error message will not appear until students press one of the buttons.

Students should recognize that the error is occurring in line 20. The error

message indicates that local variable is referenced before the assignment. This is

a typo in the program where the program is trying to reference a variable that is

set in the wrong place. The variable should be defined in the main function.

5. Evaluate

Teacher Observation:

Discuss the program with students.

Ask students questions like:

 How were you able to use math functions to change how the driving

base moved both in straight lines and when turning?

 What errors can occur when creating complex programs? What are

strategies to debug these errors?

 How could you use the drive base to turn instead of a single motor?

Self-Assessment:

Have students answer the following in their journals:

 What did you learn today about using multiple math functions in one

program?

 What characteristics of a good teammate did I display today?

 Ask students to rate themselves on a scale of 1-3, on their time

management today.

 Ask students to rate themselves on a scale of 1-3, on their materials

(parts) management today.

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

LEGO® Education SPIKE™ Prime

Parking Lot

Grade 6-8 90 minutes Advanced

Parking Lot

Students will investigate programming a vehicle to park

autonomously.

Questions to investigate

 How can math functions support the

creation of autonomous vehicles?

Materials needed

 SPIKE Prime sets ready for student use. Prior to

the first lesson, please visit the following website

for help with set up, kit organization and SPIKE

App https://education.lego.com/en-

us/start/spike-prime/intro

 Devices with the SPIKE App installed.

 Parking lot – printed or taped on floor

 Student journals

Prepare

 Ensure SPIKE Prime hubs are charged, especially

if connecting through Bluetooth.

 Ensure students have the driving base model

built previously used in the Make It Move Lesson.

1. Engage

Engage students in a discussion about autonomous vehicles focusing on

self-parking.

Show videos or images of vehicles that are autonomous parking. Then ignite

a discussion with the students about how these vehicles work and how they are

currently being used.

Focus on the example of cars that can park themselves. There are several models

of cars that can parallel park themselves. Discuss how sensors play a role in how

KEY OBJECTIVES

Students will:

 Use conditional statements in

a program using sensors and

motors.

 Apply sensors to real-life

problems.

STANDARDS

CSTA

2-AP-18 Distribute tasks and maintain

a project timeline when

collaboratively developing

computational artifacts.

2-AP-12 Design and iteratively

develop programs that combine

control structures, including nested

loops and compound conditionals.

2-CS-02 Design projects that

combine hardware and software

components to collect and exchange

data.

2-AP-10 Use flowcharts and/or

pseudocode to address complex

problems as algorithms.

2-AP-13 Decompose problems and

subproblems into parts to facilitate

the design, implementation, and

review of programs.

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

these vehicles work.

2. Explore

Students will plan and program their driving base to park without assistance.

Provide each team with an assigned parking space (1-12) and an assigned street

to enter the parking lot from.

Show students a picture of the parking lot. You may use this example or use one

taped on the floor. All students will need to see the parking lot for a class

discussion, so it may be easier to show a picture on an overhead projector.

Review the rules with students:

 Both cars must enter at the same time into the parking lot

 Neither car can stop except in a parking space

 No one can touch the vehicle once it enters the parking lot.

 Cars can only back up when they are backing out of a space

 No part of the car can move over any of the lines

Discuss as a class how both cars be parked safely. Consider what happens if the

vehicles need to move past each other. Go through each pair of cars entering

at the same time.

Parking Challenge

Students will program their vehicles to autonomous park in their assigned space

without colliding into another vehicle.

Direct students to add a distance sensor to their driving base in a position that

Main Street

A Street

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the sensor is pointing down. Students can use the build section of the app for

inspiration if needed.

Direct students to open a new project in the Python programming canvas. Ask

students to erase any code that is already in the programming area. Students

should connect their hub.

Allow students time to program their vehicles to park. Provide students with the

following elements that must be included in their program:

 The distance of the entire parking lot must be used

 More than one math function must be used

 The distance sensor must be used

Ask students to program their robots and work together as two teams to perfect

the parking of the autonomous vehicles.

3. Explain

Discuss with students how the program worked. Ask students questions like:

 Ask students to explain how they determined how to handle the

movement into the correct parking spaces. Was it easier to park in an

empty parking lot or a full one? Did it matter?

 What issues were the most difficult to overcome?

 What was easy about the challenge?

4. Elaborate

Now that all the robots are in the parking lot, it’s time for them all to leave.

The class has a choice to make, they can choose one of the following scenarios

to empty the parking lot:

A. All robots exit to the street from which they entered in the order they

entered.

B. All robots exit to the street opposite from where they entered in the

opposite order in which they entered.

C. All robots exit at the same time to Main Street in a synchronous

movement.

D. All robots in odd numbered spaced exit to Main Street in a

synchronous movement followed by all robots in even numbered

spaces exiting to A Street in a synchronous movement.

Have the class discuss and choose a scenario. Then, write pseudocode and

program the robot. When everyone is ready. Set up the parking lot and have all

robots exit the parking lot.

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

5. Evaluate

Teacher Observation:

Discuss the program with students.

Ask students questions like:

 How were you able to come up with multiple ways to solve a problem?

 How were you able to use a sensor as part of your autonomous vehicle?

 How were you able to incorporate math functions in your program?

Self-Assessment:

Have students answer the following in their journals:

 What did you learn today about using multiple math functions in one

program?

 What characteristics of a good teammate did I display today?

 Ask students to rate themselves on a scale of 1-3, on their time

management today.

 Ask students to rate themselves on a scale of 1-3, on their materials

(parts) management today.

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

LEGO® Education SPIKE™ Prime

My Transportation

Grade 6-8 90 minutes Advanced

My Transportation

Students will create and program their own method of

transportation to get them to school from their house.

Questions to investigate

 How can a vehicle be designed with

programming math functions in mind?

Materials needed

 SPIKE Prime sets ready for student use. Prior to

the first lesson, please visit the following website

for help with set up, kit organization and SPIKE

App https://education.lego.com/en-

us/start/spike-prime/intro

 Devices with the SPIKE App installed

 Student journals

Prepare

Ensure SPIKE Prime hubs are charged, especially if

connecting through Bluetooth.

1. Engage

Engage students in a conversation about how students

get to school from their homes.

Ask students what the path to school looks like for them

each day. Consider putting students into small groups

based on location to discuss. Students might also want

to create a map or share images with each other when describing the path.

As a whole group discuss what students’ travel to school looks like. Do students

need to travel across bodies of water or across a bridge? Over mountains or

through a city? Ask students what other examples they can share.

KEY OBJECTIVES

Students will:

 Design, build, and program a

transportation vehicle to bring

them to school

STANDARDS

CSTA

2-CS-02 Design projects that combine

hardware and software components to

collect and exchange data.

2-AP-10 Use flowcharts and/or

pseudocode to address complex

problems as algorithms

2-AP-13 Decompose problems and

subproblems into parts to facilitate the

design, implementation, and review of

programs.

2-AP-16 Incorporate existing code,

media, and libraries into original

programs, and give attribution.

2-AP-17 Systematically test and refine

programs using a range of test cases.

2-AP-19 Document programs in order

to make them easier to follow, test,

and debug.

2-IC-22 Collaborate with many

contributors through strategies such as

crowdsourcing or surveys when

creating a computational artifact.

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

Brainstorm

Brainstorm different ideas for a vehicle that could be used to travel to school

across all the different types of terrain.

In their small groups, brainstorm several ideas for creating a new type of vehicle

to travel to school in that will easily travel over the needed terrain. Each group

should come up with unique ideas that support their specific travel needs.

To further their ideas, ask students to work in their smaller groups to create a

short survey to ask other students what they would like in a transportation

vehicle to get to school. Students can share examples they are thinking about

using and ask for other ideas. Students should include 3 questions about what

would be effective, fun, and necessary to get to school safely.

Allow students time to create and complete their survey. Students can add

additional ideas to their brainstorming list from the survey results.

2. Explore

Students will design, build, and program a transportation vehicle to bring them

to school.

Design and Choose the Right Idea

Students should consider the input from their surveys and start to design their

vehicle.

Students will design, build, and program a transportation vehicle that could

be used to bring them to school. The constraints are:

1. It must use the light matrix

2. It must use at least one motor

3. It must use at least one sensor

4. It must include a math function in the program

5. It must work for at least two types of terrain

Students should create a sketch of their building idea and a flowchart of their

programming idea.

Test and Iterate

Allow time for students to test and analyze their ideas as they go, making

improvements where needed. Students should test and evaluate their designs

against the design criteria set and their flowcharts as they start making their

solutions.

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

Ensure students use sketches and photos of their models to record in their

design journey.

Allow students to receive feedback on their designs as time allows. This can be

from other groups or the teacher.

3. Explain

Students should share their design and explain how it works. Conduct an initial

sharing session with students.

Ask students questions like:

 How did you program your model to create a transportation vehicle that

will work for at least two types of terrain? Ask students to share their

program comments to explain.

 What decisions did you have to make while creating your design?

 What type of math functions did you choose?

 What were areas that you had to debug or troubleshoot?

 What was difficult about this challenge?

4. Elaborate

Allow students additional time to complete their program after the initial sharing

session.

Students should finalize their design and program. Encourage students to

incorporate any new ideas they get from the sharing session.

Allow students to share out their final designs and explain how they met the

criteria.

Leave the models together if you are completing the lesson on feedback next.

5. Evaluate

Teacher Observation:

Discuss the program with students.

Ask students questions like:

 What was difficult about this challenge?

 What was your approach to solving this challenge?

 What type of math functions did you include and why?

Self-Assessment:

Have students answer the following in their journals:

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

 What did you learn today about creating your own design based on

given criteria?

 What characteristics of a good teammate did I display today?

 Ask students to rate themselves on a scale of 1-3, on their time

management today.

 Ask students to rate themselves on a scale of 1-3, on their materials

(parts) management today.

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

LEGO

Education SPIKE™ Prime

Ideas to Help with My Transportation

Grade 6-8 30-45 min. Intermediate

Ideas to Help with My Transportation

Practice giving and using feedback from others.

Questions to investigate

 How can input from others help me make

a better design and program?

Materials needed

 SPIKE Prime sets ready for student use. Prior to

the first lesson, please visit the following website

for help with set up, kit organization and SPIKE

App https://education.lego.com/en-

us/start/spike-prime/intro

 Devices with the SPIKE App installed

 Student journals

 Models from the My Transportation lesson

Prepare

 Ensure SPIKE Prime hubs are charged, especially if connecting through

Bluetooth.

 Ensure students have their built model from the My Transportation

lesson.

1. Engage

Review the model for providing feedback with students.

Explain to students the following guidelines for giving feedback. Consider

posting the guidelines for student reference.

 Feedback is not doing something for someone else.

 You should not rebuild a model for someone else.

 You should not type into someone’s program.

 You should ask questions of each other.

 You should share your ideas and show your own programming, explaining

why and how you did something.

KEY OBJECTIVES

Students will:

 Give specific feedback on a

peer’s project.

 Explore how to use

feedback to improve a

project.

STANDARDS

1B-IC-20 Seek diverse perspectives

for the purpose of improving

computational artifacts.

VOCABULARY

Feedback

Specific

Positive

Negative

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 You should be encouraging and helpful to others and not provide

negative or mean comments.

2. Explore

Have students work together to provide feedback to each other about the My

Transportation models.

Have two teams work together to provide feedback to each other. Teachers

should model the process and what specific feedback looks and sounds like.

Review the procedure with students. Then have students take turns providing

feedback.

 Team B will show their working model.

 Team A provides feedback while Team B takes notes in their journal.

 Then teams can switch roles. Team A will show their working model and

take notes while Team B provides feedback.

Feedback should include:

1. Tell something they really like. This could be the model, program, or

design.

2. Tell something that worked well.

3. Share something the group could try differently.

4. Share anything that is confusing, did not work or that could be improved,

a. Remind students to be kind and clear in explaining why it is not

clear or could be improved.

b. Let the team receiving the feedback ask questions as needed for

more clarity.

c. The team giving feedback can also share ideas for improvement.

Teacher tip – Model providing feedback for the class frequently to help

them learn to use positive language instead of negative language when

providing feedback. Also practice taking feedback and thinking about

how to use it rather than becoming defensive.

3. Explain

Have students discuss what they learned from their feedback session.

Ask students questions like:

 What did you notice in models that worked well?

 What ideas did you get from others?

 What is something you can do with your feedback?

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

4. Elaborate

Students should incorporate the feedback they were given.

Give students time to modify their designs and program based on the feedback

they received. Have students document their changes in their journal.

Allow students to share their updated models and programs. Ask students to

share what changes they incorporated and how they were able to make the

changes.

5. Evaluate

Teacher Observation:

Discuss the program with students.

Ask students questions like:

 How did you use the feedback given?

 How did it feel to give feedback to others? And to receive it?

 How did you work to provide good feedback today?

Self-Assessment:

Have students answer the following in their journals:

 What did you learn today about providing good feedback?

 What did you learn today about how feedback can help in your work?

 What characteristics of a good teammate did I display today?

 Ask students to rate themselves on a scale of 1-3, on their time

management today.

 Ask students to rate themselves on a scale of 1-3, on their materials

(parts) management today.

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

Unit Introduction

This unit allows students to explore essential computer science principles and

programming concepts of the text-based coding language, Python, through

stretching their mind with games and muscles with movements. Students will

investigate how to create and use lists in their programs. Students will use

sensors to gather data and then organize the data into lists. Students will learn

how to make lists as well as how to modify lists. The lessons are designed in an

order that allows students to progress in their skills and knowledge in the

following areas:

 Create and utilize lists

 Code with compound conditionals using lists

 Create and compare two lists within one program

 Locate a given position or index value within a list

 Explore ways to generate data to include in lists

 Modify programs to add two lists together to make one list

Unit Learning Promise

In this unit, students will explore how to create and utilize lists in their programs

that allow them to work their mind and muscles through stretches and games.

Students will experience how to effectively utilize, compare, and combine lists

with an emphasis on the importance of naming variables and lists to easily tell

them apart as they program. Students will utilize sensors to assist them in

gathering data for their lists as they explore different types of movement and

mind games in this unit.

Lists

A LEGO

Education Unit

Investigation Questions:

How are lists used in programs? What information can be used from lists?

How can information be generated from sensors to use in lists?

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Unit Lessons

Lesson 1 Lesson 2 Lesson 3 Lesson 4 Lesson 5 Lesson 6

Listing Letters

Time: 45 min.

Stretch Your

Muscles and

Lists

Time: 90 min.

Mind Games

Time: 90 min.

Jumping for

Lists

Time: 90 min.

Word Games

with Lists

Time: 90 min.

Ideas to Help

with Word

Games with Lists

Time: 45 min.

Assessment: We recommend assessing students on various skills throughout the unit.

 Use the progression of lessons as an opportunity to provide on-going

feedback to prepare students for success for the open-ended project at

the end of the unit.

 Each lesson includes a recommendation for teacher observations, student

self-assessment, evaluation of success.

Unit Standards

CSTA

2-CS-01 Recommend improvements to the design of computing devices, based on

an analysis of how users interact with the devices.

2-CS-02 Design projects that combine hardware and software components to

collect and exchange data.

2-DA-09 Refine computational models based on the data they have generated.

2-AP-10 Use flowcharts and/or pseudocode to address complex problems as

algorithms.

2-AP-11 Create clearly named variables that represent different data types and

perform operations on their values.

2-AP-12 Design and iteratively develop programs that combine control structures,

including nested loops and compound conditionals.

2-AP-13 Decompose problems and subproblems into parts to facilitate the design,

implementation, and review of programs.

2-AP-16 Incorporate existing code, media, and libraries into original programs, and

give attribution.

2-AP-17 Systematically test and refine programs using a range of test cases.

2-AP-18 Distribute tasks and maintain a project timeline when collaboratively

developing computational artifacts.

2-AP-19 Document programs in order to make them easier to follow, test, and

debug.

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

1B-IC-20 Seek diverse perspectives for the purpose of improving computational

artifacts.

Integrated Standards

NGSS

MS-ETS1-4 Develop a model to generate data for iterative testing and modification

of a proposed object, tool or process such that an optimal design can be achieved.

Common Core English Language Arts (ELA)

Grade 7

Grade 8

Grade

SL.6.1 Engage effectively in a

range of collaborative

discussions (one-on-one, in

groups, and teacher-led)

with diverse partners on

grade 6 topics, texts, and

issues, building on others'

ideas and expressing their

own clearly

SL.7.1 Engage effectively in a

range of collaborative

discussions (one-on-one, in

groups, and teacher-led)

with diverse partners on

grade 7 topics, texts, and

issues, building on others'

ideas and expressing their

own clearly

SL.8.1 Engage effectively in a

range of collaborative

discussions (one-on-one, in

groups, and teacher-led)

with diverse partners on

grade 8 topics, texts, and

issues, building on others'

ideas and expressing their

own clearly

SL.6.2 Interpret information

presented in diverse media

and formats (e.g., visually,

quantitatively, orally) and

explain how it contributes to

a topic, text, or issue under

study

SL.7.2 Analyze the main

ideas and supporting details

presented in diverse media

and formats (e.g., visually,

quantitatively, orally) and

explain how the ideas clarify

a topic, text, or issue under

study

SL.8.2 Analyze the purpose

of information presented in

diverse media and formats

(e.g., visually, quantitatively,

orally) and evaluate the

motives (e.g., social,

commercial, political) behind

its presentation

SL.6.4 Present claims and

findings, sequencing ideas

logically and using pertinent

descriptions, facts, and

details to accentuate main

ideas or themes; use

appropriate eye contact,

adequate volume, and clear

pronunciation

SL.7.4 Present claims and

findings, emphasizing salient

points in a focused, coherent

manner with pertinent

descriptions, facts, details,

and examples; use

appropriate eye contact,

adequate volume, and clear

pronunciation

SL.8.4 Present claims and

findings, emphasizing salient

points in a focused, coherent

manner with relevant

evidence, sound valid

reasoning, and well-chosen

details; use appropriate eye

contact, adequate volume,

and clear pronunciation

RST.6-8.3 Follow precisely a

multistep procedure when

carrying out experiments,

taking measurements, or

performing technical tasks

RST.6-8.3 Follow precisely a

multistep procedure when

carrying out experiments,

taking measurements, or

performing technical tasks

RST.6-8.3 Follow precisely a

multistep procedure when

carrying out experiments,

taking measurements, or

performing technical tasks.

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

L.6.6 Acquire and use

accurately grade-

appropriate general

academic and domain-

specific words and phrases;

gather vocabulary

knowledge when

considering a word or

phrase important to

comprehension or

expression

L.7.6 Acquire and use

accurately grade-

appropriate general

academic and domain-

specific words and phrases;

gather vocabulary

knowledge when

considering a word or

phrase important to

comprehension or

expression

L.8.6 Acquire and use

accurately grade-

appropriate general

academic and domain-

specific words and phrases;

gather vocabulary

knowledge when

considering a word or

phrase important to

comprehension or

expression

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

LEGO® Education SPIKE™ Prime

Listing Letters

Grade 6-8 45 minutes Beginner

Listing Letters

Students will investigate how to create lists through an

unplugged activity then transfer this knowledge to creating

a list and displaying letters on the hub.

Questions to investigate

Why would we need to provide more than one value for

a variable?

Materials needed

 SPIKE Prime sets ready for student use. Prior to

the first lesson, please visit the following website

for help with set up, kit organization and SPIKE

App https://education.lego.com/en-

us/start/spike-prime/intro

 Devices with the SPIKE App installed.

 Student journals

Prepare

 Ensure SPIKE Prime hubs are charged, especially

if connecting through Bluetooth.

1. Engage

Engage students in a conversation about lists.

Spark a discussion with students about ways that they use

lists or see others use lists. Ask students to list types of

lists (such as a grocery list, a to-do list, a roster or list of

players).

Ask students to think about:

 Why do we use lists?

 What does a list provide us?

 How do we reference items on a list?

 How can we organize lists?

KEY OBJECTIVES

Students will:

 Create and utilize lists.



Code with compound

conditionals using lists.

STANDARDS

CSTA

2-CS-01 Recommend improvements

to the design of computing

devices, based on an analysis of

how users interact with the

devices.

2-DA-09 Refine computational

models based on the data they

have generated.

2-AP-10 Use flowcharts and/or

pseudocode to address complex

problems as algorithms.

2-AP-12 Design and iteratively

develop programs that combine

control structures, including nested

loops and compound conditionals.

2-AP-18 Distribute tasks and

maintain a project timeline when

collaboratively developing

computational artifacts.

2-AP-16 Incorporate existing code,

media, and libraries into original

programs, and give attribution.

2-CS-02 Design projects that

combine hardware and software

components to collect and

exchange data.

2-AP-13 Decompose problems and

subproblems into parts to facilitate

the design, implementation, and

review of programs.

VOCABULARY

List

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

As time allows, challenge students to create different types of lists and then

share the lists seeing if others have items or elements to add to the list. Types

of lists could include: types of fruit or food, colors, types of places to live, types

of music, etc.

2. Explore

Students will investigate how to create lists through an unplugged activity.

Creating Lists: Unplugged

Direct students to take all the 2x4 bricks from the set. Each person will have

5 bricks (yellow, green, violet, red, and blue) and needs to have 5 small pieces

of paper or sticky notes with one number from 1-5 written on each.

Ask students to list or name each color that they have represented by the 5

bricks from their set. Students should each identify yellow, green, violet, red, and

blue as their colors.

Explain to students that these are the values of their list. A list is a variable that

can store multiple values. To program a list in python, students will need to

provide

a name to the list, list the items or elements included, and then be aware of the

position or index value of each element in the list.

Ask students to arrange their five bricks on one of the numbered pieces of paper

or sticky notes. There is no particular order that they have to follow. Ask each

person to write out the full list in the order they have chosen including the

numbered position or index value of each brick in the list.

Round 1

Working together, have students play a game to create a stack of bricks using

the different indexes in their lists.

Each partner will randomly select a number from a bag, bowl, or similar object

holding the slips of paper or sticky notes from their own list. The number,

representing the index in the list, will provide the order in which to stack their

bricks. Each student should have a stack of 5 bricks at the end.

After the partners create their stacks, have them compare the color patterns.

Ask students if the color patterns are the same or different. Encourage them

to discuss why.

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

Round 2

Ask students to now place both sets of paper or sticky notes into the bag, bowl

or similar object. Now they will work together to create a stack of 5 bricks using

both sets of papers, which will allow for repeated items. Have the students

select 1 of the two lists to follow and then repeat the stacking game.

Once students have finished, have them examine their new pattern. Ask students

to identify if any colors are repeated. Discuss why this happened.

Programming Lists: Listing Letters

Students will program the hub to display a random letter from the alphabet.

Direct students to obtain the hub from their SPIKE Prime set. Then ask students

to open a new project in the Python programming canvas. Ask students to erase

any code that is already in the programming area. Students should connect their

hub.

Discuss with students how to create a list in python. Show students the sample

code to support your discussion. Ask students to type this code into their

programming canvas and run the program.

Sample code:

from hub import light_matrix, button

import runloop

async def main():

#define your list

letters = ['A', 'B', 'C', 'D', 'E', 'F', 'G', 'H', 'I', 'J', 'K', 'L', 'M', 'N', 'O', 'P', 'Q', 'R', 'S', 'T', 'U', 'V', 'W',

'X', 'Y', 'Z']

#write the fourth index in the list

await light_matrix.write(letters[4])

runloop.run(main())

Students should see the letter D printed on their hub. Discuss the program

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

together. Share with students the [4] is the index. In Python, the first item

is a list is in index 0, which makes index 4 the fifth item in the list.

3. Explain

Discuss with students how their lists and program worked.

Ask students questions like:

 How did we create a list during our unplugged activity? How did we use

the list to create our stacks?

 How can we program a list in python?

 What determined the letter shown on the hub?

 How could you make a random letter appear on the hub?

Review lists and their components again with students to ensure they

understand what is needed to create a list.

4. Elaborate

Challenge students to a game of Brick-tionary using their lists to randomly

generate a letter that their item need to begin with.

Each group will need to modify their code to allow for a random letter to be

generated when the left button is pushed. Introduce the random.choice line of

code to students and discuss how this is generating a random letter for them.

Sample code:

from hub import light_matrix, button

import runloop

import random

async def main():

#define your list

letters = ['A', 'B', 'C', 'D', 'E', 'F', 'G', 'H', 'I', 'J', 'K', 'L', 'M', 'N', 'O', 'P', 'Q', 'R', 'S', 'T', 'U', 'V', 'W',

'X', 'Y', 'Z']

while True:

if button.pressed(button.LEFT):

await runloop.sleep_ms(500)

#write the fourth index in the list

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

await light_matrix.write(random.choice(letters))

runloop.run(main())

Working in groups of 4, allow students to play several rounds of the game. Each

student will take a turn playing the Brain Game Master, whose job is to run the

program to randomly generate a letter. Each of the other students will then have

2 minutes to build an item that starts with that letter using bricks from their sets.

The Brain Game Master will then try to guess what each item is at the end.

5. Evaluate

Teacher Observation:

Discuss the program with students.

Ask students questions like:

 What happened when we created the random letter generator?

 How can lists be used?

 What is important to remember when creating lists in Python?

Self-Assessment:

Have students answer the following in their journals:

 What did you learn today about using lists?

 What characteristics of a good teammate did I display today?

 Ask students to rate themselves on a scale of 1-3, on their time

management today.

 Ask students to rate themselves on a scale of 1-3, on their materials

(parts) management today.

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or

copyrights of the LEGO Group,

LEGO® Education SPIKE™ Prime

Stretch Your Muscles and Lists

Grade 6-8 90 minutes Intermediate

Stretch Your Muscles and Lists

Students will investigate using lists to determine

the moves they will make.

Questions to investigate

How can a physical fitness trainer create a list

of movements?

Materials needed

 SPIKE Prime sets ready for student use. Prior to

the first lesson, please visit the following website

for help with set up, kit organization and SPIKE

App https://education.lego.com/en-

us/start/spike-prime/intro

 Devices with the SPIKE App installed.

 Student journals

Prepare

 Ensure SPIKE Prime hubs are charged, especially

if connecting through Bluetooth.

1. Engage

Engage students in a conversation about stretching.

Discuss different ways that we can stretch our muscles. Consider showing images

or video clips of people stretching to help students visualize what stretching

looks like.

Prompt students to get up and move in order to stretch their muscles. Play a

follow-the-leader type game where students have to match your movements

exactly as you either demonstrate from the front or move around the room.

Consider selecting a student to act as the leader and then passing the role to

another student.

KEY OBJECTIVES

Students will:

 Create a program using values

for the motion sensor as the

variables in their list

 Use a list to create a yoga

routine

STANDARDS

CSTA

2-CS-02 Design projects that combine

hardware and software components

to collect and exchange data.

2-AP-10 Use flowcharts and/or

pseudocode to address complex

problems as algorithms

2-AP-13 Decompose problems and

subproblems into parts to facilitate the

design, implementation, and review

of programs.

2-AP-17 Systematically test and refine

programs using a range of test cases.

2-AP-19 Document programs in order

to make them easier to follow, test,

and debug.

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or

copyrights of the LEGO Group,

Now that students are all stretched out, have them think about ways that they

moved their body. Discuss ways to create lists of the movements or muscles

used and how they might be categorized.

2. Explore

Students will investigate different ways to move and stretch their muscles.

Direct students to the BUILD section in the SPIKE App. Here students can access

the building instructions for the Yoga Ring model.  Ask students to build the

model. The building instructions are also available at

https://education.lego.com/en-us/support/spike-prime/building-

instructions.   

Direct students to open a new project in the Python programming canvas. Ask

students to erase any code that is already in the programming area. Students

should connect their hub.  

Work with students to create a program that uses the values for the motion

sensor as the variables in their list. Direct students to find motion sensor in the

knowledge base. Under up_face, students can reference the values that can be

used for the motion sensors orientation. Allow students time to try their program

in with different options from the list.

Sample Program:

from hub import motion_sensor

import runloop

async def main():

# Create a list with the hub's orientation

yoga_moves = [motion_sensor.FRONT, motion_sensor.BACK, motion_sensor.LEFT,

motion_sensor.RIGHT]

orientation = motion_sensor.up_face()

while True:

await runloop.until(lambda: motion_sensor.up_face() != orientation)

orientation = motion_sensor.up_face()

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

if orientation == yoga_moves[3]:

print('Good Job!')

await runloop.sleep_ms(1000)

runloop.run(main())

Note: The speaker side is motion_sensor.FRONT, the USB side is

motion_sensor.BACK, the A, C, E port side is motion_sensor.LEFT, the B, D, F port

side is motion_sensor.ROGHT, the light matirx is motion_sensor.TOP, the battery

side is motion_sensor.BOTTOM.

Discuss the program with students. Ask students to identify what each position

or index value is in the list. For example, the motion_sensor.LEFT is index value 3

and motion_sensor.BAXK is index value 1. Explain to students that the index

values always start with 0 in Python.

Create a Yoga Routine

Challenge students to create a yoga routine by creating a list of the options and

then printing the moves in order chosen in the console.

Ask students to modify their programs to include several moves from their list.

They should print the list of moves in the console so that another team could

follow their yoga routine. Allow students time to practice their moves.

Sample Program:

from hub import motion_sensor, light_matrix

import runloop

async def main():

# Create a list with the hub's orientation

yoga_moves = [motion_sensor.FRONT, motion_sensor.BACK, motion_sensor.LEFT,

motion_sensor.RIGHT]

# Follow this routine

print('LEFT')

print('RIGHT')

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

print('BACK')

print('FRONT')

print('READY GO!')

orientation = motion_sensor.up_face()

while True:

await runloop.until(lambda: motion_sensor.up_face() != orientation)

orientation = motion_sensor.up_face()

if orientation == yoga_moves[2]:

print('Left Side')

light_matrix.show_image(light_matrix.IMAGE_ARROW_W)

elif orientation == yoga_moves[3]:

print('Right Side')

light_matrix.show_image(light_matrix.IMAGE_ARROW_E)

elif orientation == yoga_moves[1]:

print('Back')

light_matrix.show_image(light_matrix.IMAGE_ARROW_N)

elif orientation == yoga_moves[0]:

print('Front')

light_matrix.show_image(light_matrix.IMAGE_ARROW_S)

runloop.run(main())

Encourage students to mix up the moves and have several steps in their routine.

Get Random with Your Moves

After students practice their routine, challenge them to add a random choice

line of code to change the routine with an unexpected move.

Sample Program:

from hub import motion_sensor, light_matrix

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or

copyrights of the LEGO Group,

import runloop

import random

async def main():

# Create a list with the hub's orientation

yoga_moves = [motion_sensor.FRONT, motion_sensor.BACK, motion_sensor.LEFT,

motion_sensor.RIGHT]

random_move = random.choice(yoga_moves)

# Follow this routine

print('LEFT')

print('RIGHT')

print(random_move)

print('BACK')

print('FRONT')

print(random_move)

print('READY GO!')

orientation = motion_sensor.up_face()

while True:

await runloop.until(lambda: motion_sensor.up_face() != orientation)

orientation = motion_sensor.up_face()

if orientation == yoga_moves[2]:

print('Left Side')

light_matrix.show_image(light_matrix.IMAGE_ARROW_W)

elif orientation == yoga_moves[3]:

print('Right Side')

light_matrix.show_image(light_matrix.IMAGE_ARROW_E)

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or

copyrights of the LEGO Group,

elif orientation == random_move:

print('Random')

light_matrix.show_image(light_matrix.IMAGE_SILLY)

elif orientation == yoga_moves[1]:

print('Back')

light_matrix.show_image(light_matrix.IMAGE_ARROW_N)

elif orientation == yoga_moves[0]:

print('Front')

light_matrix.show_image(light_matrix.IMAGE_ARROW_S)

runloop.run(main())

Allow time for students to try their programs and play with different ways

to include the random choice line of code.

3. Explain

Ask students to demonstrate their routine and discuss with students how the

program worked. Ask students questions like:

 How did you use a list to create your yoga routine?

 What happened when you added random moves to your routine?

 What are some ideas for how you could change your program to create

a new routine?

4. Elaborate

Challenge students to stretch this list and their routine to add some new moves.

Ask students to modify their program to include some new moves. First,

students will need to add two new options to their list that allows for the motion

sensor to be oriented in the top and bottom position. However, students need to

insert these new moves without changing the current list programed (i.e. they

cannot just add the two elements to the end of the existing list).

Introduce the insert line of code list_name.insert(index location, value) to the

students and then ask them to add the sample program below to the end of

their current program. Students should run the program to see how the newly

inserted lines work.

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or

copyrights of the LEGO Group,

Sample Program:

from hub import motion_sensor, light_matrix

import runloop

async def main():

# Create a list with the hub's orientation

yoga_moves = [motion_sensor.FRONT, motion_sensor.BACK, motion_sensor.LEFT,

motion_sensor.RIGHT]

yoga_moves.insert(0, motion_sensor.TOP)

yoga_moves.insert(1, motion_sensor.BOTTOM)

orientation = motion_sensor.up_face()

while True:

await runloop.until(lambda: motion_sensor.up_face() != orientation)

orientation = motion_sensor.up_face()

if orientation == yoga_moves[0]:

print('Top')

light_matrix.show_image(light_matrix.IMAGE_TRIANGLE)

elif orientation == yoga_moves[1]:

print('Bottom')

light_matrix.show_image(light_matrix.IMAGE_SQUARE)

runloop.run(main())

Point out to students where the new value is inserted into the list.

After practicing their own new yoga routine, allow groups to challenge each

other in preforming their yoga routines.

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or

copyrights of the LEGO Group,

Consider also sharing with students how to delete an element from their list

using the del listname[index value] line of code, which in this example might

look like del yoga_moves[1] to remove ‘motion_sensor.BOTTOM’ from the list.

yoga_moves = [motion_sensor.FRONT, motion_sensor.BACK,

motion_sensor.LEFT, motion_sensor.RIGHT]

print(yoga_moves)

del yoga_moves[1]

print yoga_moves

5. Evaluate

Teacher Observation:

Discuss the program with students.

Ask students questions like:

 How are you able to add new elements to or delete elements from your

list?

 How were you able to create your yoga plan using your list?

 How were you able to use lists and sensors together?

Self-Assessment:

Have students answer the following in their journals:

 What did you learn today about using lists to create a plan, like a yoga

routine, to follow?

 What characteristics of a good teammate did I display today?

 Ask students to rate themselves on a scale of 1-3, on their time

management today.

 Ask students to rate themselves on a scale of 1-3, on their materials

(parts) management today.

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or

copyrights of the LEGO Group,

LEGO® Education SPIKE™ Prime

Mind Games

Grade 6-8 90 minutes Intermediate

Mind Games

Students think outside the box to discover how to use

multiple lists and compare lists.

Question to investigate

 How can indexing compare two lists for

common components?

Materials needed

 SPIKE Prime sets ready for student use. Prior to

the first lesson, please visit the following website

for help with set up, kit organization and SPIKE

App https://education.lego.com/en-

us/start/spike-prime/intro

 Devices with the SPIKE App installed.

 Student journals

Prepare

 Ensure SPIKE Prime hubs are charged, especially

if connecting through Bluetooth.

1. Engage

Engage students in a conversation about stretching

their mind to think about how different lists are similar.

Ask students to remove all 10 of the 2x4 colored bricks in their set. Ask each

student in the group to take 1 of each color including red, magenta, yellow, blue,

and green.

Partner 1 should create a stack of their 5 bricks in any order without showing

Partner 2. Ask Partner 1 to describe the build to Partner 2 in order to create the

same stack (i.e. show the build, tell the order without showing, etc.). Once the

pair thinks the stacks are the same, they are finished.

KEY OBJECTIVES

Students will:

 Create two lists in one program

 Compare two lists within the

program

STANDARDS

CSTA

2-CS-02 Design projects that combine

hardware and software components to

collect and exchange data.

2-AP-10 Use flowcharts and/or

pseudocode to address complex

problems as algorithms

2-AP-13 Decompose problems and

subproblems into parts to facilitate the

design, implementation, and review of

programs.

2-AP-16 Incorporate existing code,

media, and libraries into original

programs, and give attribution.

2-AP-17 Systematically test and refine

programs using a range of test cases.

2-AP-19 Document programs in order

to make them easier to follow, test,

and debug.

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or

copyrights of the LEGO Group,

Ask the partners to switch and do the exercise again. This time, the partners have

to come up with a new way to communicate about the stack (i.e. different than

their first approach which could be describing in a different way, not using

words, etc.).

After groups complete several rounds, discuss together as a class how the game

is played and ask students to write a pseudocode program for this game.

2. Explore

Students will investigate programs that include multiple lists and how to locate

a given position or index value in the list.

Direct students to the BUILD section in the SPIKE App. Here students can

access the building instructions for Game Master model.  Ask students to build

the model. The building instructions are also available at

https://education.lego.com/en-us/support/spike-prime/building-

instructions.   

Direct students to open a new project in the Python programming canvas. Ask

students to erase any code that is already in the programming area. Students

should connect their hub.  

Students will use the Game Master model to read the colors of the candy stick

bricks. Provide students with the sample program below. Review the program

together to discuss what the program does. Ask students to run the program

and then feed one of the candy sticks into the model.

Sample Program:

from hub import light_matrix, button, port

import runloop

import motor

import color_sensor

import color

from app import sound

def feed_candy_1():

return button.pressed(button.LEFT)

def feed_candy_2():

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

return button.pressed(button.RIGHT)

async def main():

# create lists

candy1 = []

candy2 = []

# this makes the Game Master eat candy stick 1

await runloop.until(feed_candy_1)

light_matrix.clear()

candy1.clear()

await motor.run_for_time(port.A, 2000, -500)

await sound.play('Bite')

# this will read and record its sequence of colors in the list called candy 1

for x in range(5):

candy1.append(color_sensor.color(port.B))

await runloop.sleep_ms(1000)

await motor.run_for_degrees(port.A, 95, 500)

# this makes the Game Master eat candy stick 2

await runloop.until(feed_candy_2)

light_matrix.clear

()

candy2.clear()

await motor.run_for_time(port.A, 2000, -500)

await sound.play('Bite')

# this will read and record its sequence of colors in the list called candy 2

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

for x in range(5):

candy2.append(color_sensor.color(port.B))

await runloop.sleep_ms(1000)

await motor.run_for_degrees(port.A, 95, 500)

# light up the position of red bricks if it is in the same position in both candy sticks

candy1_red_index = -1

If color.RED in candy1:

candy1.index = candy1.index(color.RED)

candy2_red_index = -1

If color.RED in candy2: candy2_red_index = candy2.index(Color.RED)

for x in range(5):

print(candy1[x])

if candy1_red_index == candy2_red_index:

for x in range(5):

light_matrix.set_pixel(x, candy1_red_index, 100)

await sound.play('Win')

else:

light_matrix.show_image(light_matrix.IMAGE_NO)

await sound.play('Oops')

runloop.run(main())

Allow students time to investigate the program.

3. Explain

Discuss with students how the program worked.

Ask students questions like:

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

 How did the program work?

 How is this program using lists?

 How does this program index and compare the two lists?

4. Elaborate

Challenge students to create a new program that indexes and compares all of

the colors to check for identical block stacks.

Discuss with students how to modify their program in order to check for the

other four colors.

1. Need to index the other colors

2. Need to compare the lists for the other colors

3. Need to set the pixels for the other colors if both are in identical location

on the stack.

Sample Program:

from hub import light_matrix, button, port

import runloop

import motor

import color_sensor

from app import sound

def feed_candy_1():

return button.pressed(button.LEFT)

def feed_candy_2():

return button.pressed(button.RIGHT)

async def main():

# create lists

candy1 = []

candy2 = []

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

# this makes the Game Master eat candy stick 1

await runloop.until(feed_candy_1)

light_matrix.clear()

candy1.clear()

await motor.run_for_time(port.A, 2000, -500)

await sound.play('Bite')

# this will read and record its sequence of colors in the list called candy 1

for x in range(5):

candy1.append(color_sensor.color(port.B))

await runloop.sleep_ms(1000)

await motor.run_for_degrees(port.A, 95, 500)

# this makes the Game Master eat candy stick 2

await runloop.until(feed_candy_2)

light_matrix.clear()

candy2.clear()

await motor.run_for_time(port.A, 2000, -500)

await sound.play('Bite')

await sound.play(

'Bite')

# this will read and record its sequence of colors in the list called candy 2

for x in range(5):

candy2.append(color_sensor.color(port.B))

await runloop.sleep_ms(1000)

await motor.run_for_degrees(port.A, 95, 500)

# light up the position of red bricks if it is in the same postion in both candy sticks

# the number correlates to the color

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

candy1_red_index = candy1.index(color.RED) if color.RED in candy1 else -1

candy2_red_index = candy2.index(color.RED) if color.RED in candy1 else -1

candy1_yellow_index = candy1.index(color.YELLOW) if color.YELLOW in candy1 else -1

candy2_yellow_index = candy2.index(color.YELLOW) if color.YELLOW in candy1 else -1

candy1_green_index = candy1.index(color.GREEN) if color.GREEN in candy1 else -1

candy2_green_index = candy2.index(color.GREEN) if color.GREEN in candy1 else -1

candy1_magenta_index = candy1.index(color.MAGENTA) if color.MAGENTA in candy1 else -1

candy2_magenta_index = candy2.index(color.MAGENTA) if color.MAGENTA in candy1 else -

candy1_blue_index = candy1.index(color.BLUE) if color.BLUE in candy1 else -1

candy2_blue_index = candy2.index(color.BLUE) if color.BLUE in candy1 else -1

for x in range(5):

print(candy1[x])

if candy1_red_index == candy2_red_index:

for x in range(5):

light_matrix.set_pixel(x, candy1_red_index, 100)

await sound.play('Win')

if candy1_yellow_index == candy2_yellow_index:

for x in range(5):

light_matrix.set_pixel(x, candy1_yellow_index, 100)

await sound.play('Win')

if candy1_green_index == candy2_green_index:

for x in range

(5):

light_matrix.set_pixel(x, candy1_green_index, 100)

await sound.play('Win')

if candy1_magenta_index == candy2_magenta_index:

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

for x in range(5):

light_matrix.set_pixel(x, candy1_magenta_index, 100)

await sound.play('Win')

if candy1_blue_index == candy2_blue_index:

for x in range(5):

light_matrix.set_pixel(x, candy1_blue_index, 100)

await sound.play('Win')

if candy1_red_index == candy2_red_index and candy1_yellow_index ==

candy2_yellow_index and candy1_green_index == candy2_green_index and

candy1_magenta_index == candy2_magenta_index and candy1_blue_index ==

candy2_blue_index:

await sound.play('Triumph')

runloop.run(main())

Allow students time to investigate the program.

5. Evaluate

Teacher Observation:

Discuss the program with students.

Ask students questions like:

 What happened when you elaborated on the original program?

 How did the program index and compare lists?

Self-Assessment:

Have students answer the following in their journals:

 What did you learn today about using indexing to compare lists?

 What characteristics of a good teammate did I display today?

 Ask students to rate themselves on a scale of 1-3, on their time

management today.

 Ask students to rate themselves on a scale of 1-3, on their materials

(parts) management today.

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or

copyrights of the LEGO Group,

LEGO® Education SPIKE™ Prime

Jumping for Lists

Grade 6-8 90 minutes Intermediate

Jumping for Lists

Students will create a program using lists to capture

data of physical performance.

Questions to investigate

 How can you create a list that represents

your personal statistics for performance?

Materials needed

 SPIKE Prime sets ready for student use. Prior to

the first lesson, please visit the following website

for help with set up, kit organization and SPIKE

App https://education.lego.com/en-

us/start/spike-prime/intro

 Devices with the SPIKE App installed.

 Student journals

Prepare

 Ensure SPIKE Prime hubs are charged, especially

if connecting through Bluetooth.

1. Engage

Engage students in a conversation about the motion of

your body when you do a squat. (For example, your legs

bend, and your torso gets closer to the ground.) Have

students stand up and do a squat.

Next, have students jump in place straight up. Ask

students what body movements were made doing the

jump.

What are ways to measure how low a body gets during a squat or how high

a body is at the apex of a jump?

KEY OBJECTIVES

Students will:

 Create data from the force and

distance sensors to use in a list

 Program a list based on the

data gathered from the

jumping trials (i.e., height of

jumps)

STANDARDS

CSTA

2-CS-02 Design projects that combine

hardware and software components to

collect and exchange data.

2-AP-10 Use flowcharts and/or

pseudocode to address complex

problems as algorithms

2-AP-11 Create clearly named variables

that represent different data types and

perform operations on their values.

2-AP-13 Decompose problems and

subproblems into parts to facilitate the

design, implementation, and review of

programs.

2-AP-16 Incorporate existing code,

media, and libraries into original

programs, and give attribution.

2-AP-17 Systematically test and refine

programs using a range of test cases.

2-AP-19 Document programs in order

to make them easier to follow, test,

and debug.

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or

copyrights of the LEGO Group,

2. Explore

Students will investigate ways to generate data to include in lists.

Direct students to the BUILD section in the SPIKE App. Here students can

access the building instructions for Smart Kettlebell model.  Ask students to

build the model. The building instructions are also available at

https://education.lego.com/en-us/support/spike-prime/building-

instructions.   

Direct students to open a new project in the Python programming canvas. Ask

students to erase any code that is already in the programming area. Students

should connect their hub.  

Part 1: Create data for your list

Students should program their Kettlebell model to provide several heights for

their jumps. Students will use this information to create a list to use later.

Review the sample program with students. Discuss the way that the force and

distance sensors are used in this program. Students will use the force sensor to

indicate when the jump happens and the distance sensor to measure the height

of the jump. Ask students to run the program and see what values they get for

their heights.

Sample Program:

from hub import port, light_matrix

import runloop

import distance_sensor

import force_sensor

def is_force_sensor_pressed():

# collect input from force sensor

return force_sensor.pressed(port.B)

def is_force_sensor_released():

# collect input from force sensor

return not force_sensor.pressed(port.B)

async def main():

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

runloop.until(is_force_sensor_pressed)

await light_matrix.write('JUMP!')

runloop.until(is_force_sensor_released)

dist_cm = distance_sensor.distance(port.F)/10

print(str(dist_cm) + ' cm')

runloop.run(main())

Note: students should press the force sensor, hold it, jump, and then release the

sensor when they are at the height of their jump. The distance sensor may not

read properly when looking at some carpet floors. If the jump reads –0.1 cm, try

a different location.

After students explore the program, ask each person on the team to complete

three jumps. Students should record the values for each jump in a table.

Example Table:

Person 1 Person 2

Trial 1

Trial 2

Trail 3

Part 2: Create your list

Students will create two lists in a new program using the data they generated in

part 1.

Discuss with students how to create a new program that will include a list for

each student and the data from each of their jumping trials as the values in the

list. Remind students of the importance of naming variables and lists to easily tell

them apart as they program. Here students might use their own names for their

individual lists.

Ask students to create their program including both lists, indicating what the

maximum value from each list is and then sharing each value on the hub.

Introduce the max(name1)

line of code to students to indicate their max value in

their list.

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or

copyrights of the LEGO Group,

Sample program (Students should use their own names and data from their

table):

from hub import port, light_matrix

import runloop

import force_sensor

def is_force_sensor_pressed():

# collect input from force sensor

return force_sensor.pressed(port.B)

async def main():

#create a list for each person using the values from the table

name1 = [trial1, trial2, trial3]

name2 = [trial1, trial2, trial3]

#print the maximum value from each person's list

print('Name 1: ' + str(max(name1)))

print('Name 2: ' + str(max(name2)))

#display the max values on the hub when the force sensor is pressed

await runloop.until(is_force_sensor_pressed)

await light_matrix.write(str(max(name1)))

await runloop.sleep_ms(2000)

light_matrix.show_image(light_matrix.IMAGE_YES)

await

runloop.sleep_ms(1000)

await light_matrix.write(str(max(name2)))

await runloop.sleep_ms(2000)

light_matrix.show_image(light_matrix.IMAGE_YES)

runloop.run(main())

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or

copyrights of the LEGO Group,

Allow students time to investigate the program trying different ways to show the

output or the max value for each list.

Part 3: Putting lists together

Students will modify their program to add their two lists together to make one

list.

Explain to students that concatenating lists allows two lists to be combined into

one using the + sign. Share with students the example line of code list3 = list1 +

list 2 as a way to add lists together. Challenge students to concatenate their lists

and find the new max or highest number from both lists.

Sample program:

from hub import port, light_matrix

import runloop

import force_sensor

def is_force_sensor_pressed():

# collect input from force sensor

return force_sensor.pressed(port.B)

async def main():

#create a list for each person using the values from the table

name1 = [trial1, trial2, trial3]

name2 = [trial1, trial2, trial3]

#print the maximum value from each person's list

print('Name 1: ' + str(max(name1)))

print('Name 2: ' + str(max(name2)))

#combine the lists when the force sensor is pressed

#display the sum of the new list

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

await runloop.until(is_force_sensor_pressed)

combo_list = name1 + name2

print(combo_list)

await light_matrix.write(str(sum(combo_list)))

print(sum(combo_list))

light_matrix.show_image(light_matrix.IMAGE_YES)

runloop.run(main())

Allow students time to investigate the program trying different ways to show the

output of the sum value for the combined list. Students might also try showing

the sum of each list as well as the combined sum.

3. Explain

Discuss with students how the program worked.

Ask students questions like:

 How were you able to generate your own data to include in a list?

 How were you able to incorporate using the force sensor as a button to

push for an action to happen?

 How were you able to find different information about your lists (such as

sum or max)? What other values do you think you could find?

 How can you combine lists together? When might this be useful?

4. Elaborate

Challenge students to indicate if a certain number is included in their list.

Discuss with students how to look for information within their lists. While

students can easily see the list in their program, there are times when you might

need to investigate what has been included in a list. Discuss ways and reasons

this could happen as a group.

Ask students to modify their program that has the combo list to identify if the

number 20 is included in the combo list. Note: select an appropriate number

according to students' data.

Share the sample program with students and have them identify how the

program is checking the list to see if the number is included.

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or

copyrights of the LEGO Group,

Sample program:

from hub import port, light_matrix

import runloop

import force_sensor

def is_force_sensor_pressed():

# collect input from force sensor

return force_sensor.pressed(port.B)

async def main():

#create a list for each person using the values from the table

name1 = [trial1, trial2, trial3]

name2 = [trial1, trial2, trial3]

#print the maximum value from each person's list

print('Name 1: ' + str(max(name1)))

print('Name 2: ' + str(max(name2)))

#combine the lists when the force sensor is pressed

#display the sum of the new list

await runloop.until(is_force_sensor_pressed)

combo_list = name1 + name2

print(combo_list)

await light_matrix.write(str(sum(combo_list)))

print(sum(combo_list))

light_matrix.show_image(light_matrix.IMAGE_YES)

await runloop.sleep_ms(2000)

light_matrix.clear()

if (20 in combo_list):

print('The number 20 is in the list.')

light_matrix.show_image(light_matrix.IMAGE_YES)

else:

print('The number 20 is not in the list')

light_matrix.show_image(light_matrix.IMAGE_NO)

runloop.run(main())

Ask students to modify their program similar to the sample program and search

for various values to see what is included or not in the program. Students can

modify the program in additional ways to indicate if it is or is not included.

5. Evaluate

Teacher Observation:

Discuss the program with students.

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

Ask students questions like:

 What are some ways that you can see using multiple lists?

 What are some ways that lists can benefit you in a program?

 What are different types of information you can take from your lists?

Self-Assessment:

Have students answer the following in their journals:

 What did you learn today about using multiple lists?

 What characteristics of a good teammate did I display today?

 Ask students to rate themselves on a scale of 1-3, on their time

management today.

 Ask students to rate themselves on a scale of 1-3, on their materials

(parts) management today.

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or

copyrights of the LEGO Group,

LEGO® Education SPIKE™ Prime

Word Games with Lists

Grade 6-8 90 minutes Advanced

Word Games with Lists

Students will create lists in order to complete a story

based on a word game.

Questions to investigate

 How can multiple lists be used and

accessed at the same time?

Materials needed

 SPIKE Prime sets ready for student use. Prior to

the first lesson, please visit the following website

for help with set up, kit organization and SPIKE

App https://education.lego.com/en-

us/start/spike-prime/intro

 Devices with the SPIKE App installed.

 Student journals

Prepare

 Ensure SPIKE Prime hubs are charged, especially

if connecting through Bluetooth.

1. Engage

Engage students in a word game where they have to

provide certain types of words that will later be used

to finish a story.

Ask students to provide example words for the following examples:

 Place

 Adjective

 Tool or Machine

 Color

 Type of animal

KEY OBJECTIVES

Students will:

 Create multiple lists within a

program to complete a word

game

 Program a color sensing model

to coordinate with their word

game

STANDARDS

CSTA

2-CS-02 Design projects that combine

hardware and software components to

collect and exchange data.

2-AP-10 Use flowcharts and/or

pseudocode to address complex

problems as algorithms

2-AP-13 Decompose problems and

subproblems into parts to facilitate the

design, implementation, and review of

programs.

2-AP-17 Systematically test and refine

programs using a range of test cases.

2-AP-19 Document programs in order

to make them easier to follow, test,

and debug.

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or

copyrights of the LEGO Group,

Read the sample story to the class including some of the words they chose in

place of the blanks.

Kate and Kyle decided to go fishing one day while sitting around in the

__(place)______. Kate really wanted to catch a ___(Adjective)___ fish. First,

they needed to find a ___(tool or machine)____ to catch the fish with.

Luckily, Kyle knows his neighbor has a __(color)_____ fishing net. They ask

to borrow the net and go straight to the pond where instead of fish they

see a ___(animal)___.

Consider reading the story a couple of times using different words for fun.

Challenge students to create their own story with at least 5 words that can

become the words that need added in during the game. Be sure to set the

expectation for how long the story should be, if it should be on a certain topic,

or if certain types of words (noun, verb, adjective, etc.) should be the ones left

blank.

2. Explore

Students will investigate using lists with sensors to create their own word game.

Direct students to the BUILD section in the SPIKE App. Here students can be

inspired by the building instructions from several models in order to design their

own color detector to use in completing their word game. Ask students to

design and build their model.

Program your Story

Direct students to open a new project in the Python programming canvas. Ask

students to erase any code that is already in the programming area. Students

should connect their hub.  

Challenge students to create a program where they can use lists of the word

types like nouns, verbs, and adjectives to have word options to substitute in the

blanks in their story. Remind students that the lists should match the types of

words that need to be used in their individual stories which means everyone will

not create the same lists.

Additionally, students will need to program their color sensing model to

coordinate with their word game. Using five different colors, students should

create a conditional statement that allows each different color sensed to

provide a word for your story (i.e. blue is a noun, red is a verb, etc.).

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or

copyrights of the LEGO Group,

Test and Iterate

Allow time for students to test and analyze their ideas as they go, making

improvements where needed. Students should test and evaluate their designs

against the design criteria set and their flowcharts as they start making their

solutions.

Ensure students use sketches and photos of their models to record in their

design journey.

Allow students to receive feedback on their designs as time allows. This can be

from other groups or the teacher.

3. Explain

Discuss with students how the program worked.

Ask students questions like:

 How does your color sensing model work?

 How does your model interact with your story?

 What decisions did you have to make while programing your story?

 What was difficult about this challenge?

4. Elaborate

Allow students additional time to complete their program after the initial sharing

session.

Students should finalize their design and program. Encourage students

to incorporate any new ideas they get from the sharing session.

Leave the models together if you are completing the lesson on feedback next.

5. Evaluate

Teacher Observation:

Discuss the program with students.

Ask students questions like:

 What was difficult about this challenge?

 What was your approach to solving this challenge?

 How can sensors and lists work together?

Self-Assessment:

Have students answer the following in their journals:

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

 What did you learn today about creating lists and working with sensors?

 What characteristics of a good teammate did I display today?

 Ask students to rate themselves on a scale of 1-3, on their time

management today.

 Ask students to rate themselves on a scale of 1-3, on their materials

(parts) management today.

LEGO, the LEGO logo, the minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or

copyrights of the LEGO Group,

LEGO

Education SPIKE™ Prime

Ideas to Help with

Word Games with Lists

Grade 6-8 30-45 min. Intermediate

Ideas to Help with Word Games with Lists

Practice giving and using feedback from others.

Questions to investigate

 How can input from others help me make

a better design and program?

Materials needed

 SPIKE Prime sets ready for student use. Prior to

the first lesson, please visit the following website

for help with set up, kit organization and SPIKE

App https://education.lego.com/en-

us/start/spike-prime/intro

 Devices with the SPIKE App installed

 Student journals

 Models from the Word Games with Lists lesson

Prepare

 Ensure SPIKE Prime hubs are charged, especially

if connecting through Bluetooth.

 Ensure students have their built model from the

Word Games with Lists lesson.

1. Engage

Review the model for providing feedback with students.

Explain to students the following guidelines for giving feedback. Consider

posting the guidelines for student reference.

 Feedback is not doing something for someone else.

 You should not rebuild a model for someone else.

 You should not type into someone’s program.

 You should ask questions of each other.

 You should share your ideas and show your own programming, explaining

why and how you did something.

KEY OBJECTIVES

Students will:

 Give specific feedback on a

peer’s project.

 Explore how to use

feedback to improve a

project.

STANDARDS

1B-IC-20 Seek diverse perspectives

for the purpose of improving

computational artifacts.

VOCABULARY

Feedback

Specific

Positive

Negative

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

 You should be encouraging and helpful to others and not provide

negative or mean comments.

2. Explore

Have students work together to provide feedback to each other about the Word

Games with Lists models.

Have two teams work together to provide feedback to each other. Teachers

should model the process and what specific feedback looks and sounds like.

Review the procedure with students. Then have students take turns providing

feedback.

 Team B will show their working model.

 Team A provides feedback while Team B takes notes in their journal.

 Then teams can switch roles. Team A will show their working model and

take notes while Team B provides feedback.

Feedback should include:

1. Tell something they really like. This could be the model, program, or

design.

2. Tell something that worked well.

3. Share something the group could try differently.

4. Share anything that is confusing, did not work or that could be improved,

a. Remind students to be kind and clear in explaining why it is not

clear or could be improved.

b. Let the team receiving the feedback ask questions as needed for

more clarity.

c. The team giving feedback can also share ideas for improvement.

Teacher tip – Model providing feedback for the class frequently to help

them learn to use positive language instead of negative language when

providing feedback. Also practice taking feedback and thinking about

how to use it rather than becoming defensive.

3. Explain

Have students discuss what they learned from their feedback session.

Ask students questions like:

 What did you notice in models that worked well?

 What ideas did you get from others?

 What is something you can do with your feedback?

4. Elaborate

Students should incorporate the feedback they were given.

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copyrights of the LEGO Group,

Give students time to modify their designs and program based on the feedback

they received. Have students document their changes in their journal.

Allow students to share their updated models and programs. Ask students to

share what changes they incorporated and how they were able to make the

changes.

5. Evaluate

Teacher Observation:

Discuss the program with students.

Ask students questions like:

 How did you use the feedback given?

 How did it feel to give feedback to others? And to receive it?

 How did you work to provide good feedback today?

Self-Assessment:

Have students answer the following in their journals:

 What did you learn today about providing good feedback?

 What did you learn today about how feedback can help in your work?

 What characteristics of a good teammate did I display today?

 Ask students to rate themselves on a scale of 1-3, on their time

management today.

 Ask students to rate themselves on a scale of 1-3, on their materials

(parts) management today.