The Arizona STEM Acceleration Project

Edison Spider Trap - Part 1

Edison and the Spiralling Spider Trap - Part 1 (adapted from Edison Lesson Plan - Edison and the Spiralling Spider Trap Teacher Lesson,Edison Spider Trap Student Lesson )

A 5th-8th Grade STEM Lesson

Cori Long

February 2023

Notes for Teachers

• Context: This lesson takes place in a classroom for one or more hours
• Students may work in small groups of 2.
• An emphasis on being able to determine what a variable is and to trace a program to figure out the value of a variable at different points in the program by looking at an outward spiralling program (part 1).
• Facilitate student discussion/reflection on variables and how they are impacted at various points in the program.
• Links to additional lessons in the Speaker Notes below.

List of Materials:

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• Edison Materials:
• Edison robots (1 for each pair), AAA batteries, Edcomm cables

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• Chromebooks

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• Pencil

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• Edison Spider Trap Students Sheet

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• 5th - 6th MP.1 - MP.8

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• 5.OA.A.2 Writes, reads, and evaluates algebraic expressions in real-world context.
• 6.EE.A.2 Apply and extend previous understanding of arithmetic to algebraic expressions.
• 6.EE.B.8 Reason about and solve one variable equations and inequalities.
• 7.EE.B Solve mathematical problems and problems in real-world context using numerical and algebraic expressions and equations.

• 7.CS.T.1
• 7.AP.V.1
• 7.AP.A.1
• 7.AP.M.1
• 7.AP.M.2
• 7.AP.PD.1
• 7.AP.PD.2
• 7.AP.PD.3
• 7.AP.PD.4

Arizona Computer Science Standards

• 8.CS.T.1
• 8.AP.V.1
• 8.AP.A.1
• 8.AP.M.1
• 8.AP.M.2
• 8.AP.PD.1
• 8.AP.PD.2
• 8.AP.PD.3
• 8.AP.PD.4

• 6.CS.T.1
• 6.AP.V.1
• 6.AP.A.1
• 6.AP.M.1
• 6.AP.M.2
• 6.AP.PD.1
• 6.AP.PD.2
• 6.AP.PD.3
• 6.AP.PD.4

• 5.CS.T.1
• 5.AP.V.1
• 5.AP.A.1
• 5.AP.C.1
• 5.AP.M.1
• 5.AP.M.2
• 5.AP.PD.3
• 5.AP.PD.4

Arizona Math Standards

5th Grade 6th Grade

7th Grade 8th Grade

Edison Challenges

Vocabulary:

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Variable- a bit of memory that is used to store a value in a program.

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Increment/Decrement - to increase or decrease by 1.

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Tracing Code - working through a program line by line, recording important values.

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As you go:

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Think about a spiralling spider web and how it looks.

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Today’s Learning Outcomes:

1. I will understand what a variable is and will be able to trace a program using a variable to understand the value of that variable at different points in the program.
2. I will be able to use algebra to figure out missing values of variables.
3. I will be able use Edscratch to program Edison to do an outward-spiral.

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LOOK at the Spider Web

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What do you SEE

What do you THINK

What do you WONDER

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Agenda (60 minutes)

Introduction:

• Explore spiderwebs and math.

Trace the program and find the variables.

• Students learn what a variable is and how to trace a program to figure out the value of a variable at different points in the program by looking at an outward spiralling program.
• Share and discuss

Edison and the Spiralling Spider Trap

What do you notice about the spider web?

"Math in the World Around Us: Spiderwebs and Geometry"

by Adventure Academy

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Vocabulary

Variable - a bit of memory that is used to store a value in a program. It is like a container for a value or expression that can be used repeatedly throughout a program. Located in the “Data” category.

Increment/Decrement - to increase or decrease by 1.

Tracing Code - working through a program line by line, recording important values.

Go to

edscratchapp.com

Trace It!

That will depend on where you are in the program, how many times the repeat loop has run.

Trace It!

Why?

One of the main reasons we use variables in programs is that a variable can hold a piece of information, even when the value of that information changes.

You have a variable called and the bit of information it holds is your age.

At your 1st birthday, was set to 1.

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After that, every year on your birthday, is incremented, which changes it to a new value: + 1 =

What Happens?

Wait Block

The value of the “Wait” block will change depending on the value of , but this does not change the value of .

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The wait block is in milliseconds because Edison thinks in milliseconds and this helps make it possible to do computations which Edison will be able to understand.

**Remember, 1 second =1000 milliseconds

Trace It

Trace the program to work out the values. Fill out the table with what the starting value of the variable will be at the beginning of each loop repetition, what the input value of the “wait” will be in that loop, and what the new value of will be after the increment block inside the loop runs.

Trace It

Answers

Predict?

What do you think the program is going to make the robot do when you run it in Edison?

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Hint:

• Think about the spider web from the beginning.

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• Think about each step in the program.

Try It?

Go to

edscratchapp.com

The set block sets the variable to be 1 at the beginning.

• Enter the program into EdScratch. (Hint: You will need to create the variable.)

Creating a Variable

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We need to create a variable for our program.

Try It?

The set block sets the variable to be 1 at the beginning.

• Continue entering in each line of code. Don’t forget to change the inputs.

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• Download to your Edison.

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• What do you see? Did it do what you thought?

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Try It?

1. Now you need to download your code to your robot. Plug the Edcomm cord to your computer headphone jack. Plug the other end to Edison robot.

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1. Make sure your computer volume is ALL the way up.

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1. Press ONLY once, the round “Record” button on the Edison. (You should see two solid red lights - if the lights are flashing, press “Record” again).

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1. Click Program Edison (top right). Press “Program Edison” in orange letters.

Download Reminders

5) You should hear a whirring sound and a beep when the download has completed.

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6) Press play and watch your Edison go.

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Did the Edison travel the way you wanted it to?

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Do you need to make any adjustments?

Download Reminders

What did you learn?

What was challenging?

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What did you do to figure out a problem you had?

Bonus Challenge

• Can you make Edison leave a “sticky spider thread” train behind the robot as it drives?

Early Finishers

• Can you add sound or LED outputs to your program?

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• Can you make another shape using variables and Edison?

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• See if any of your classmates need help. Remember, help guide them but don’t do it for them.

Assessment

Test our program:

• Did you figure out the variables?
• Did you write your program?
• Were you able to download your program to Edison?
• Did Edison do what you expected?
• If not, what did you have to do to fix it?
• If yes, how can you improve or expand on your program to make it better?

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Math Assessment

• Students completed variable sheets and participate in discussion about what is occurring.

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• Students wrote the code to include the variables.

Differentiation

One way to differentiate in this lesson is to provide some groups paper copies of the code they need as they learn to program Edison. This can help students who struggle with the “getting started” phase.

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Another option is to provide some of the code for students for each challenge or provide them a template or the coding blocks and allowing them to put them in order.

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Remediation

Extension/Enrichment

Students who are successful right away can complete the extension/additional challenges at the end of the slide deck for students to work on if they have time.