S.T.E.A.M. Cubelets Rock

STEAM LAB
1st Grade STEAM

1a. Demonstrating Knowledge of Content & Pedagogy (standard)
3.2.1.B7:
• Distinguish between scientific fact and opinion.
• Ask questions about objects, organisms, and events.
• Understand that all scientific investigations involve asking and answering questions and comparing the answer with what is already known.
• Plan and conduct a simple investigation and understand that different questions require different kinds of investigations.
• Use simple equipment (tools and other technologies) to gather data and understand that this allows scientists to collect more information than relying only on their senses to gather information.
• Use data/evidence to construct explanations and understand that scientists develop explanations based on their evidence and compares them with their current scientific knowledge.
• Communicate procedures and explanations giving priority to evidence and understanding that scientists make their results public, describe their investigations so they can be reproduced, and review and ask questions about the work of other scientists.

1b. Demonstrating Knowledge of Students (differentiation)
1c. Selecting Instructional Outcomes Students engage in understanding and building robots with Cubelets to evoke natural curiosity about what their robots do and how they act.
While students observe and understand behavior they build scientific skills relevant to biology, psychology, robotics and artificial intelligence and develop general critical thinking ability related to scientific inquiry, categorization, considering properties and characteristics and prediction.
1d. Demonstrating Knowledge of Resources (materials) One Cubelet set per student, one “Dud Light” card per student, Cubelet Journal for students to record observations, iPad with Explain Everything app
1e. Designing Coherent Instruction (activities/procedures) Anticipatory Set: 2-3 minutes
1. Teacher and students brainstorm famous robots.
Investigation Part 1: 8-10 minutes
2. Teacher says, “I have these robot blocks and you can make different robot creatures with them. Today, we’re going to use some of the scientific techniques of biologists, psychologists, and anthropologists to investigate and understand the robots we make and test. Our robots will do different things and behave in different ways. You’ll learn to collect data and keep track of what they do, and also the things we do that they react to try and better understand our robots.”
3. “Let’s take a closer look at these cubes. Find the gray/blue block. What do you notice about it?” It has circles on it; it’s metal and plastic, etc. Try to elicit a response about it having a switch. “It has a switch. So, what do you think that means? What happens when you flip the switch?... Yes, a green light comes on.” Have students turn the switch off and put that cube down.
4. “Let’s look at the green cube. What do you notice about it?” It has circles on it; it’s metal and plastic, etc. It doesn’t have a switch.
5. “Let’s look at the black cubes now. What do you notice about them?” It has circles on it; it’s metal and plastic, etc. They don’t have switches. Try to elicit a response like one of them looks like it has one big eye and the other one looks like it has two small eyes. “What do our eyes do?” They provide us with our sense of sight. “The black cubes are going to be our sense cubes.”
6. “Let’s look at the clear cubes. What do you notice about them?” It has circles on it; it’s metal and plastic, etc. One has rollers and the other has a concave circle with a yellow dot in the middle.
Investigation & Discovery: 10-12 minutes
7. “Now I want you to try to put some of these cubes together… What do you notice? Is it easy or hard? What makes it easy/hard?” Magnets make it easy to connect, but where there are sensors or special things, there are no magnets.
8. “Let’s go back to that gray/blue cube. What did we notice about it? Yes, it has a switch. Did any of the other cubes have a switch? No, so what do you think that means? It is going to be our power source for our robots. Keep that in mind as you work with these cubes right now. I want you to put cubes together and see if you can get them to do anything. Record your successful and unsuccessful attempts on your iPad!” Give students time experiment with the Cubelets. They should take photos/record their experiments using the Explain Everything app on their iPad.
Guided Discovery: 10-12 minutes
9. “Some of you may have discovered this on your own, but using these cubes, we are able to make a flashlight robot.” Pass out the square, red “Dud Light” cards and encourage the students to mimic the picture to make a flashlight.
10. Ask the students if the flashlight robot would still work if the configuration of the cubes was different and allow them to try it. Students can use the iPad to record their work. No, it doesn’t matter what order they are in, as long as they have those three cubes.
11. “The Cubelets can be placed into three categories. The black cubes are sense cubes (distance, brightness); the clear cubes are action cubes (drive, flashlight); and the colored cubes are thinking cubes (battery). As long as you have at least one of each of the categories you can potentially build a robot that does something. We’re going to build more robots in the next few weeks, but for now we need to put everything back the way we found it.”
Closure: 2-3 minutes
12. Have them switch off their battery cube and place all Cubelets back into the boxes.
1f. Designing Student Assessments Teacher observation of inquiry, class discussion, Explain Everything app entries on iPad


STEAM LAB 1st Grade STEAM
Music Teacher
1a. Demonstrating Knowledge of Content & Pedagogy (standard)
3.2.1.B7
1b. Demonstrating Knowledge of Students (differentiation)
1c. Selecting Instructional Outcomes Students engage in understanding and building robots with Cubelets to evoke natural curiosity about what their robots do and how they act.
While students observe and understand behavior they build scientific skills relevant to biology, psychology, robotics and artificial intelligence and develop general critical thinking ability related to scientific inquiry, categorization, considering properties and characteristics and prediction.
1d. Demonstrating Knowledge of Resources (materials)
1e. Designing Coherent Instruction (activities/procedures) Introduction 3-5 minutes:
1. “Sensing is when we get information about things around us from our bodies like touching something rough or smelling something good. What other senses do we have? (Try to get students participating by naming their senses- sight, hearing, touch, taste, smell.) What parts on our bodies do our sensing? What sees? What do we use to smell? We sense thing, animals sense things, and today we’re also going to find out about robots sensing. First, let’s think about how senses work by testing our own senses and find out more about robot senses.”
Part 1 10 minutes:
2. “We’re going to play a game where you have to use your ears to decide if you should act.”
3. “Our senses collect information about what’s going on around us. For this game, let’s use our ears to collect information. The first rule of this game is to wave our arms if we hear music. I’m going to play something, and when you hear it, you should wave your arms.” Play music.
4. “Our senses can also tell if there’s a small amount of information or a large amount of information. One example is how we can hear big noises and small noises. So, now, when I play music, listen for a change in HOW MUCH you can hear. If it gets louder, wave your arms more. If it gets quieter, wave your arms less.” Play music, changing the volume up and down.
5. “But with our senses we can collect information on more than one thing. Now, if I clap, you should sit down as I’m clapping. Let’s practice.”
6. What do you think should happen if I am clapping AND playing music? (Sitting down, but waving hands) And what should happen if you’re sitting down and I stop clapping? (Stand up) And what happens if the music stops? (Stop waving hands) And what happens if the music gets loud? (Wave hands more) And what happens if it gets quieter? (Change and wave hands less). “Let’s play!”
7. “Robots are computers that can sense, think and act. Our robot senses are in these black sense cubes. Our robot actions parts are in these clear cubes. Also, all robots need power, and the gray blocks are the battery or power blocks. The simplest robot we could make here has to have at least one black cube, one clear cube and one battery cube. I’m going to make our first robot using these three Cubelets. (Demonstrate with Battery, Distance and Drive, in that order.) Now let’s see what we can find out about this robot sense.”
8. “Let’s think about what it is sensing by seeing what makes the robot stop and what makes it go. What should we try? Does anyone have an idea of what our robot is sensing? Let’s hear your ideas and test them out. What could our robot be sensing? Raise your hand with a suggestion and I’ll call on some of you to come and test it out.” Prompt students to try different ideas: Can they clap to get it to move? Tell it to move using words? Help them notice that whenever the come close to the black Sense Cubelet the robot moves! “Remember, robots might be sensing different things than human’s sense.”
9. “Now that you’ve seen me build a robot, I’d like for you to use the same three Cubelets and see if you can build a robot that works. What do you think it is sensing? Try different things. Is there anything that works over and over for it to move? How close objects get to it. This is most powerfully demonstrated when the Distance Sense Cubelet gets close to a variety of objects, not just hands.
10. Have students turn off their Battery Cubelets and put them back into the boxes.
1f. Designing Student Assessments Teacher observation of inquiry, class discussion




STEAM LAB 1st Grade STEAM STEAM Lesson Plan Cubelets

1a. Demonstrating Knowledge of Content & Pedagogy (standard)
3.2.1.B7
1b. Demonstrating Knowledge of Students (differentiation)
1c. Selecting Instructional Outcomes Students engage in understanding and building robots with Cubelets to evoke natural curiosity about what their robots do and how they act.
While students observe and understand behavior they build scientific skills relevant to biology, psychology, robotics and artificial intelligence and develop general critical thinking ability related to scientific inquiry, categorization, considering properties and characteristics and prediction.
1d. Demonstrating Knowledge of Resources (materials) One Cubelet set per student or small group, iPad loaded with Explain Everything app
1e. Designing Coherent Instruction (activities/procedures) Cubelets: Cause and Effect of the changes students impose on their robots
10 minutes in homeroom
Anticipatory set can be done with your class before entering the STEAM Lab.
Teacher:
First, let’s think about cause and effect in our everyday lives.
We see things that happen (cause) and then see the result of that (effect). We can use “If/Then” statements to talk about cause and effect. Let’s practice making If/Then statements, (elicit responses from students)
If=Cause and Then=Effect
If it rains/Then plants get wet
If we skip breakfast /Then we will be hungry

STEAM Lab- 40 min:
1. Let’s review what we learned last time about building robots with Cubelets. First of all, the robot has to sense its surroundings. This is going to be done with the Distance Cubelet today. The robot we’re going to make today needs to have movement in this exploration. It is the Drive cubelet that is going to move our robot. Lastly, a robot needs energy to be able to power itself. In this case it is the battery Cubelet.

2. I want you to find these three Cubelets (Drive, Battery and Distance) in your kit, and using just these three, produce as many different robots as you can. Start by building one robot and test what it does. Use the iPad to document your work and write an if/then statement describing the cause and effect relationship. Here are some questions to ask yourselves as you work:

- What is the effect? The action of the Cubelet
- What is the cause? The cause is the “what” the robot is sensing, in this case distance/proximity.
- Does the robot move toward or away from the object that is being detected by the sensors?
- Does the robot move in a straight line or a circular motion?
- How do the rollers move on the Drive Cubelet? One direction (Forward OR backward)? Two directions (Forward AND backward)?
- Does the distance/proximity of an object being detected by the sensors affect the speed of the robot?
- An example statement: If something gets close to the robot, then it moves away.
3. Next, move these same three cubelets around to make at least one more robot where the cause and effect statement is different. Record your work on your iPad.
4. When time is up, have students turn off the battery cube and place all Cubelets back into the box.



1f. Designing Student Assessments Teacher observation of inquiry, class discussion, iPad Explain Everything entries



STEAM LAB 1st Grade STEAM 5th Session

1a. Demonstrating Knowledge of Content & Pedagogy (standard) Students will demonstrate an understanding of science, technology, engineering and math content.
Students will apply this content to answer complex questions, to investigate issues and to problem solve with cubelets.
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1b. Demonstrating Knowledge of Students (differentiation) Students will apply and identify appropriate vocabulary;
Concepts Presented: Compare/contrast, similarities, differences, properties
Vocabulary: Sense, action, similarities, differences, properties:
When communicating and experimenting with the cubelets.
Students will engage in critical reading and thinking while journaling and using the Explain Everything App.
Students will develop an evidence based opinion or argument for their results.
Students will communicate effectively with others.

1c. Selecting Instructional Outcomes Students engage in understanding and building robots with Cubelets to evoke natural curiosity about what their robots do and how they act.
While students observe and understand behavior they build scientific skills relevant to biology, psychology, robotics and artificial intelligence and develop general critical thinking ability related to scientific inquiry, categorization, considering properties and characteristics and prediction.
1d. Demonstrating Knowledge of Resources (materials) One Cubelet set per student, one set of task cards per student, iPad loaded with Explain Everything app
1e. Designing Coherent Instruction (activities/procedures) Anticipatory set: 3-5 minutes
1. Ask students if they recall making their first Cubelet robot- the flashlight robot. Have the students take out their set of Cubelets and see if the students can remake that robot without a picture cue.
Guided Discovery:
2. Give the students the “Dud Light” square task cards. If students were unable to recreate the flashlight, they can use the task card to do it. Once the flashlight is built, ask if the students can make the light shine more or less by changing the input to the sense.
3. Give the students the “Fraidy Bot” task card. Students will use their four cubelets to create a robot that is afraid of everything.

1f. Designing Student Assessments Students will demonstrate understanding of experiments by completing the following :
“Dud Light” Assessment:
Students demonstrate mastery of the use the Battery, Brightness and Flashlight
Teacher led group observation assessment :At first, build robots using just this sense and this action. How many different ways can you build with just these three blocks? Try to keep all the blocks on the table as you move and rebuild. Try to make the light shine more or less by changing the input to the sense.”
● Level 2: Once students have mastered this, have them switch to the Distance sense but don’t tell them what the input to this sense is. “ Can you test out how this robot reacts to its environment by trying different inputs to this sense? What do you think this robot is sensing? “ Once they have a theory prompt them to practice changing how much information this Distance Cubelet gets by controlling the light toshine more or less by showing the Distance Cubelet objects close and far. “What do you notice about
how to control making the light be brighter or dimmer?”
● Level 3: Now, have students now switch action Cubelets to use the Drive with the Battery and the Distance Cubelets. “Test your theory about what input this sense uses and build a robot that drives. Can you use the Distance sense to control the Drive action. There are many ways to put these three Cubelets
together ‐ does configuration change how the input and output produce a sense‐act relationship? Can you control it by using inputs to this sense? Can you drive it across this table?”

Teacher led observation assessment:”Fraidy Bot”

“Now, let’s swap the Action Cubelet. What is the same as our robots with
The other black Cubelet? What is different?” As a group, have students note properties that are the same (Robot still has three components, same colors are represented, still reacting to the same
Thing.) Have the group then consider differences ‐ instructor can swap back and forth to demonstrate two robots (Battery, Distance, Drive and Battery, Distance, Flashlight.) “Now, what is different?” (The Action)
● Have students swap the Action Cubelet. “What is the same from the
three Cubelet robots we were building before? What is different? What properties and characteristics are the same? What are different? Are there more differences or more similarities?
Are any of these properties more important than the others? How do we decide?”
● Have students swap the Action Cubelet. “What is the same from the three
Cubelet robots we were building before? What is different? What properties and characteristics are the same? What are different?” Prompt students to swap the Sense Cubelet. “What is different?
What properties and characteristics are the same? What are different?” Are there more differences or more similarities? Are any of these properties more important than the others? How do we decide?”
This final challenge is a chance for students to continue comparing and contrasting, while also testing out
Their ideas of what properties are most important and why in creating categories or “families” of robots.
STEAM Lesson Plan 1st Grade Cubelets

1a. Demonstrating Knowledge of Content & Pedagogy (standard)
3.2.1.B7
1b. Demonstrating Knowledge of Students (differentiation)
1c. Selecting Instructional Outcomes Students engage in understanding and building robots with Cubelets to evoke natural curiosity about what their robots do and how they act.
While students observe and understand behavior they build scientific skills relevant to biology, psychology, robotics and artificial intelligence and develop general critical thinking ability related to scientific inquiry, categorization, considering properties and characteristics and prediction.
1d. Demonstrating Knowledge of Resources (materials)
1e. Designing Coherent Instruction (activities/procedures)
1f. Designing Student Assessments Cubelets Robots, Similarities and Differences
Students build their first robots and consider their characteristics. Students will
Demonstrate the benefits from how the robot moves and reacts are the relevant properties.

Materials: KT06 kits, groups of 1­4 students using each kit. For this assessment, all groups use only the Distance, Drive, and Battery Cubelet
Teacher Assessment Instruction and Directions:

“Today, we’re going to build some robots. All robots must have sense and act components. Every robot also needs power. The simplest robot we could make would have to use this grey Cubelet for power, a black sensing block, and a clear action block. So, to start, I’m going to build a very small robot with this Battery Cubelet, this black Distance Sense Cubelet, and this clear Drive Cubelet.”
Teacher will group led robot building session building with three different robots with the Battery, Distance, and Drive Cubelets.

Teacher will observe which students can demonstrate the following:
First, let’s turn on the battery. Then, pick up the clear Drive Cubelet, and the black Distance sensor. Can you put them all together? Now test it out and see if you can name the important properties of this robot.” After each robot is built, students will name the important properties of the robot. (Which way it moves ‐ straight, sideways, circular. And, does it “follow” or “run away.”) Students follow along with you and demonstrate changing the orientation of the Drive and/or Distance Cubelet, to show, there are many different robots to make.
● After having students build three robots and name their important properties or characteristics, have them compare and contrast ‐ what is the same and what is different?
● Enrichment: After having students build three robots and name their important properties or characteristics, have them compare and contrast ‐ what is the same and what is different? What properties distinguish these robots from one another?
How can we decide what counts as a unique robot?”
Students will match cubelet pictures with meanings/function (s)
In written assessment.
Concepts presented: Robots, sense, properties, characteristics, reaction, compare/contrast
Vocabulary: Reaction, properties, similarities, differences, unique, distinguish