The Arizona STEM Acceleration Project

Adding and Subtracting to 10 with Botley the Robot

Adding and Subtracting to 10 with Botley the Robot

A 1st grade STEM lesson

Kari Sjursen

January 18, 2024

Notes for teachers

List of Materials

• Robotics Kits (of teacher choice)
• Robotics Mat or taped surface
• Math Number and Symbol Flashcards
• Botley the Robot Coding Cards and Planning Mat (optional)
• Adding and Subtracting with Botley the Robot: Math Worksheet
• Rubric: Adding and Subtracting Up to 10 with Botley

• Context: This lesson took place in a 1st grade gifted pull-out classroom for 60 minutes.
• Robots: Students work in small groups of 2. Students can work independently if there are enough robots.
• My Robot of Choice: Botley the Robot
• Botley the Robot kits include arrow cards to help students make a plan for how they would like their robot to move
• Alternative Robot Options: Code and Go Robot Mouse, Bee-Bots, Dot and Dash Robots
• Prior Knowledge of Computer Science (sequences) is recommended, but not necessary, for this lesson. I always encourage providing an opportunity for students to explore with robots before students use robots for this lesson.

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Arizona Math Standards

1.OA.6: Fluently add and subtract within 10.

Arizona Computer Science Standards

1.AP.A.1: Identify programs with a sequences and simple loops, to express ideas or address a problem.

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1.AP.M.1: Solve a problem by breaking it down into smaller parts.

Objective:

Students will be able to program their robot to successfully solve and addition or subtraction problem.

Agenda (60 minutes)

• Coding Review
• What is a robot? How does a robot work?
• Why are codes important to robots?
• What’s a sequence? What does it tell a robot?
• Review of Robot
• How does the robot work?
• How do we send our robot the directions we want him to follow?
• Partner Coding Math Practice

Intro/Driving Question/Opening

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What is a robot?

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How does a robot work?

Intro/Driving Question/Opening

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Why are codes important to robots?

Intro/Driving Question/Opening

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What is a sequence?

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Why are they important?

Botley the Robot

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How does Botley work?

Botley the Robot

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How do we send our robot the directions we want him to follow?

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STOP

Transmit

Sends your code from the remote to your robot.

Hands-on Activity Instructions

1. Each pair of students will need:
1. Robotics Kit and Mat (mat can be made using a piece of sticky chart paper or with tape on the ground- the size of each square should be the distance the robot travels in one forward movement)
2. Number Flashcards (0-10) and Math Symbol Cards
3. Adding and Subtracting with Botley the Robot: Math Worksheet
4. Optional: Coding Cards
2. Spread the 0-10 flashcards, addition symbol, and equal sign out across the mat.
3. Students will take turns creating an addition problem equal to 10. They will then work together to code their robot to traverse across the mat to solve the addition problem.
4. Students may use the the coding cards to help them plan the commands they will give to their robot to solve the math problem correctly.
5. Once the students have finalized their plan, they may type in their code and transmit, watching what their robot does. If their code successfully solved the math problem, they may write their addition problem on their math worksheet.
6. Then, move the robot back to start and play again.

Adding and Subtracting with Botley the Robot: Math Worksheet

This video shows how a group of students have solved the addition problem “3 + 5 = 8.” Each step of the process was figured out using the coding cards before students tried their code for the first time.

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For the purpose of this video, I had the students pause each time the robot reached a portion of their equation, so the robot stops on 3, +, 5, =, and 8.

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Students then wrote their code (using arrows) on their worksheet.

Assessment

Rubric: Adding and Subtracting Up to 10 with Botley

Differentiation

Students struggling with the robotic aspect of the lesson can use only the arrow coding cards to plan the journey their robot might take to solve the addition or subtraction problem.

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Students can engage in only addition or subtraction practice, or using the flash cards to practice starting in order, based on their current number sense.

Remediation

Extension/Enrichment

Students can add or subtract to make numbers larger than 10, including adding or subtracting more than two numbers to reach their answer.

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Students can plan the route they think their robot should take using the arrow coding cards and then have a partner check to see if their code was correct.