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The Arizona STEM Acceleration Project

Sphero Halloween Costume Parade

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Sphero

Halloween

Costume Parade

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A 4-6th Grade STEAM Lesson

Amanda Greene

November 2023

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Notes for Teachers

Students will use engineering, art, technology, and 21st century skills to create Halloween costumes for their Sphero robots. Costumes will be showcased in a Halloween parade where students will code their robot through!

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To consider:

-Small groups preferred (depends on number of robots)

List of Materials

  • Sphero Mini (or Bolt)
  • Laptops/iPads
  • Sphero EDU app
  • Small size Dixie Cups
  • Various Craft Materials
    • construction paper
    • color pencils/markers
    • googly eyes
    • etc.
  • Masking Tape

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Standards

ISTE:

1.4. Innovative Designer Students use a variety of technologies within a design process to identify and solve problems by creating new, useful or imaginative solutions. Students:

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1.4.c. develop, test and refine prototypes as part of a cyclical design process.

CSTA K-12 Standards:

1B-AP-15

3-5

Test and debug (identify and fix errors) a program or algorithm to ensure it runs as intended.

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Arizona Educational Technology Standards:

Standard 4. Innovative Designer - Students use a variety of technologies within a design process to identify and solve problems by creating new, useful or imaginative solutions.

3-5.4.a. Students, in collaboration with an educator, explore and practice a design process by generating ideas to solve a problem by planning, creating and testing innovative products that are shared with others.

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Objective(s):

Students will use the engineering design process to create Halloween costumes for their Sphero robots.

Students will code their Sphero robots to drive through the parade course.

Students will present/showcase their costumes designs in a parade.

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Agenda (lesson time)

Day 1(45 mins.):

Ask, Imagine and Plan

-Plan template attached

Day 2(45 mins.):

Create Costume

Day 3(45 mins.):

Test(code), Improve

Day 4(45 mins.):

Share

-Parade and optional costume contest

Reflection

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What was your favorite Halloween costume?

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Hands-on Activity Instructions- Day 1

  • Groups of 2 or more (depending on how many robots you have)
  • Hand out the engineering design process planning/reflection papers. Talk through the planning process and what you expect (detailed drawing, list of materials, etc.)

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Hands-on Activity Instructions- Day 2

  • Students will use their plans from the day before to start building/creating their costumes for their robots.
  • Use the dixie cups so the robots are not ruined.
  • Conversations about weight of costumes may be beneficial as the robots only have so much power.

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Hands-on Activity Instructions- Day 3

  • Complete costumes
  • Begin coding their robots through provided ‘course’
  • Test and improve code and/or costumes as needed.

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Hands-on Activity Instructions- Day 4

  • Have students prepare for the parade
  • Line up Spheros or go through the parade in small groups at a time
  • Celebrate robots/groups that made it to the end of the parade.
  • *optional- vote on best costume

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Assessment

Complete the reflexion page of the EDP paper.

  • What worked well?
  • What could have been improved?
  • Did my code work?

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Differentiation

If you have students who do not celebrate Halloween, they can just make a costume. It does not have to be Halloween-themed.

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If students are having trouble with the code blocks, it may be beneficial to have a similar example visible for them.

Remediation

Extension/Enrichment

Students who are done early or having an easier time with the programming of their Sphero minis can take their code a step further. They could have their robot do a “dance” while at the end of the parade.