Arizona STEM

Acceleration Project

A Very Hungry Robot: Lesson 1

A Very Hungry Robot: Lesson 1

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A 1st Grade Reading and Computer Science Lesson

Liz Reyes

March 2024

Notes for Teachers

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• Context: This lesson takes place in a classroom for at least one hour.
• An emphasis on sequencing a story and designing a coded program.
• Creative solutions should be encouraged.
• Facilitate students as they go through the design process and the development of solutions.

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List of Materials:

• Sphero indi Robots (incl. colored, coding tiles).
• A Very Hungry Caterpillar story or story video
• A Very Hungry Caterpillar story cards
• 3 Dixie Cups (med or large size)
• Scotch or Masking tape

Arizona Ed Tech Standards

Ed Tech Standards:

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K-2.3.c: Knowledge Constructor: Students, with guidance, use a variety of provided tools to organize information and make connections to their learning.

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K-2.4.a & c: Innovative Designer: Students, with guidance, ask questions, suggest solutions, test ideas to solve problems, and share their learning; Students, with guidance, use a design process to develop ideas or creations, test their design, and redesign as necessary.

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K-2.5.c: Computational Thinker: Students, with guidance, break a problem into parts and identify ways to solve the problem.

Arizona ELA Standards

1.RL.2 Retell stories, including key details, and demonstrate understanding of their main idea, central message, or lesson.

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1.RL.7 Use illustrations and details in a story to describe its characters, setting, or events.

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Arizona Science and Engineering Practices

K-2: Developing and Using Models:

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▪ Develop and/or use models (i.e., diagrams, drawings, physical replicas, dioramas, dramatizations, or storyboards) that represent amounts, relationships, relative scales (bigger, smaller), and/or patterns in the natural and designed worlds.

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▪ Develop a simple model that represents a proposed object or tool.

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Objective(s):

Today I can retell a story by describing events in order (beginning, middle, and end) using illustrations.

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Today I can design a path (program) for the indi robot to follow.

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Today I can develop a model of the beginning, middle, and end of a story.

Agenda (60 minutes)

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Read The Very Hungry Caterpillar

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Identify and sequence the main parts of the story using the words first, next, then, also, finally.

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Design a path that takes the indi robot through the main parts of the story.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

After hatching from its egg, the hungry caterpillar goes in search of food! Pay attention to the order of what the caterpillar eats and how this story ends!

Retell: Let’s say the story again, in order, using pictures.

First,

Next,

Then,

Also,

and

Next,

Then,

Finally,

Hands-On Activity Instructions

In a group of 2 use Indi, Indi’s coding tiles, and your story cards to create a model of the Very Hungry Caterpillar story!

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How do we assess our work?

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• Are the story cards in the correct order on our path?
• Did we create a program (coded path) that has a start and it follows a sequence to an end?
• Can we create a different path with the tiles to tell the story?

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Code Assessment

Indi’s path:

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• Did you start with a green tile at the beginning of the story path?
• Did you use either a red or purple tile at the very end of the story path?
• Did you use at least one turn or more in the middle of your story path?

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ELA Assessment

When our story started, what was the first thing that happened?

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What is the caterpillar mostly doing in the middle of the story?

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What happened immediately after the caterpillar got very big and full?

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How exactly did the story end?

Differentiation

The teacher could already have the story cards in order on the floor.

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The teacher could already have a coded path created with the tile and students would have to put the story in order.

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Remediation

Extension/Enrichment

Students who are successful right away can create new story path for Indy to follow that include more tiles than the previous one.

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You can also tie in butterfly life cycles to this lesson. See A Very Hungry Robot: Lesson 2