The Arizona STEM Acceleration Project

Meet Indi the Robot

Meet Indi the Robot

A K-2nd grade STEM lesson

Introduction to Indi

Cori Long

October 2023

Notes for teachers

• Make sure that the Indi robots are fully charged each day before beginning the lesson.
• This is a series of 4 lessons designed to introduce students to coding with Indi. Depending on time you may wish to complete one or two lessons a day.
• Students may work in small groups of 2.
• An emphasis on being able to code Indi.
• Creative solutions should be encouraged.
• Facilitate student discussion/reflection on what robots are, coding, coding vocabulary, and why and how.

List of Materials

• Class set of Indi robots with charging case (enough for one Indi for each group)
• Tiles for coding Indi
• Class set of chromebooks
• Meet Indi lesson slide deck

Standards

AZ Computer Science Standards:

K.AP.C.1/ 1.AP.C.1/2.AP.C.1 Identify and develop programs with sequences and simple loops, to express ideas or address a problem.

K.AP.PD.3/1.AP.PD.3/2.AP.PD.3 Debug (identify and fix errors) in an algorithm or program that includes sequences and simple loops.

• Apply problem-solving strategies to find solutions to problems and tasks
• Demonstrate understanding of basic computer science concepts and practices
• Use technology tools and resources to gather and analyze data

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Standards

AZ Educational Technology Standards:

• 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.
• 5. Computational Thinker - Students develop and employ strategies for understanding and solving problems in ways that leverage the power of technological methods to develop and test solutions.

Vocabulary

Electric motor

LED light

Color sensor

Speaker

Traffic sign

Celebration

Turn

Obstacle

90 Degree

45 Degree

• Electric motor - a machine that uses electric energy to create mechanical energy (make something move).

• LED light - (L)ight (E)mitting (D)iode, a light source that emits (shines) light when electricity flows through it.

• Color sensor - a type of sensor that shines a bright light and detects the light (the color) reflected back.

• Speaker - a device that converts an electrical audio signal into a specific sound.

• Traffic sign - a sign that shows information, instructions, or a warning to those on the roads.

• Celebration - recognizing a special occasion or event.

• Turn - to change the direction of your movement

• Obstacle - Something that blocks your way

• 90 Degree - a corner that looks like a perfect "L". It is the angle between two lines that are perpendicular to each other, which means they are straight up and down or straight left and right from each other.

45 Degree - a corner that turns halfway ( a little turn) between facing directly in front of you and facing to the side is a 45-degree angle.

Coding Vocabulary

Algorithm

Program

Programming

Code

• Algorithm - a list of steps to complete a task.

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• Program - an algorithm that contains a series of coded instructions to be followed by a computer or other machine.

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• Programming - designing and creating a program.

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• Code - the language the computers speak.

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Objectives:

• Students will be able to identify the parts of Indi.
• Students will identify what each color tile tells indi to do.
• Students will create different sequences or patterns for indi to travel using the color tiles.
• Students will practice problem-solving skills and critical thinking.
• Students will demonstrate collaboration and teamwork skills.

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Agenda (two or more days)

• Lesson 1 - Meet Indi
• Introduction/Robot Exploration (10-15 minutes)
• Green and Yellow Tile Exploration (20 minutes)
• Reflect & Share (5 - 10 minutes)

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• Lesson 2 - Stops & Celebrations
• Introduction/Review - (10 minutes)
• Red tile (5 minutes)
• Purple tile (5 minutes)
• Challenge & Explore (15 minutes)
• Reflect & Share (5 minutes)

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• Lesson 3 - Left or Right Part 1: 90 Degrees
• Introduction/Review (5 minutes)
• Explore the pink and blue tiles (10 minutes)
• Create your own path (15 minutes)
• If time complete the challenges
• Reflect & Share (5 - 10 minutes)

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• Lesson 4 - Left or Right Part 2: 45 Degrees
• Introduction/Review - (5 minutes)
• Orange tile (5 minutes)
• Teal tile (5 minutes)
• Challenge & Explore (15 minutes)
• Reflect & Share (5 minutes)

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Intro/Driving Question/Opening

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Essential Question: What is Indi and how can we program it?

Intro/Opening: To get students excited about the lesson/project, the teacher will introduce Indi to the class. “I want to introduce all of you to indi the robot. indi is new to our school and is going to be a part of our classroom this year. What are some ways we can welcome indi to our class?”

students will explore the Indi robot and test out the color tiles to see what they do. The Teacher will explain that today they will be able to use coding to get their own Indis to follow a path.

Hands-on Activity Instructions

• It is suggested that students work in pairs, depending on how many Indis you have compared to your class size.

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• Here is the link to the Google Slides that the teacher uses to lead the lesson.

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• Meet Indi the Robot

Assessment

• Observe students' participation and engagement in the activities
1. Look for students who are actively engaged in the activities, asking questions, contributing ideas, and responding to their peers.
2. Are they enthusiastic and focused, or are they disengaged and distracted?
3. Look for students willingness to listen to others' ideas, and ability to compromise and problem-solve as a team.

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• Evaluate students' ability to work collaboratively and problem-solve
• Look for evidence of shared responsibility and a focus on achieving a common goal.

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• Assess students' understanding of programming concepts and ability to control the robot
• Observe how students demonstrate their understanding of programming concepts using the color tiles..
• Evaluate the students' programming skills and ability to control the robot effectively, including their ability to create a path, troubleshoot problems, and adjust their code to improve robot performance.
• Observe their ability to identify patterns, make predictions, and modify the robot's programming accordingly.

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Differentiation

• Provide extra support or scaffolding for students who need it.
• Use the slides with detailed pictures to guide the students.
• Offer challenge activities or tasks for advanced students.
• Allow groups to work together to support each other.

Remediation

Extension/Enrichment

• Encourage students to explore and create different paths or challenges for their partners to predict and verify with Indi.
• Provide opportunities for students to create their own challenges or tasks for the robot to complete
• Continue learning about coding in the classroom by providing more experiences with robots or code.org.