The Arizona STEM Acceleration Project
Diary of a Spider: 3rd grade Edison Robot Program Lesson
Diary of a Spider; Edison Robot Programming Lesson
A 3rd grade STEM lesson
Jaime Hansen
Oct. 24, 2024
Notes for teachers
Notes: Most of the resources I have used with Edison robots are found at: https://meetedison.com/
If student have a basic coding background either with Code.org or Scratch; they will take off;
Students start with barcode coding and then go into block/Scratch code.
List of Materials
Standards
3rd Grade ELA: 3.RL.1 Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers. 3.RL.2 Recount and paraphrase stories, including fables, folktales, and myths from diverse cultures; determine the central message, lesson, or moral and explain how it is conveyed through key details in text. 3.RL.3 Describe characters in a story (e.g., their traits, motivations, or feelings) and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events.
Standards
Computer Science:
3.CS.HS.1 Recognize that hardware (devices) and software (programs/apps) communicate in a special language that the computing system can understand. Computing systems convert instructions, such as “print,” “save,” or “crop,” into a special language that the computer can understand. Students discuss the process that happens when hardware communicates with software. Practice(s): Communicating About Computing: 7.2 3.CS.HS.2 Recognize that hardware (devices) can only accomplish the specific tasks the software (programs/apps) is designed to accomplish. Cameras can take pictures because the camera software allows them to do so. Students discuss examples of different hardware and the tasks they can accomplish. Practice(s): Communicating About Computing: 7.2
Objective(s):
Today students will continue their studies of simple block programming with the use of the Edison robot. Students will start using the barcode and then transition into block coding using Edscratch.
Students will listen to the story: Diary of a Spider by Doreen Cronin; you can read or use the audiolink under materials; and create sequencing cards that will be placed in order.
The created Edison “spider” will retell the story by using it’s programming to visit the story cards in the order they happened.
Agenda (lesson time)
Week-long assignment depending on coding background of students.
Day 1: Edison: Introduce the Edison robot; use the beginning slides and introduce barcode programming
Day 2: Edison: Have student practice Edscratch
Day 3: Read the story: Diary of a Spider and have students make sequencing cards using the printables.
Day 4: Have students transform their Edison into a spider using the printable. Continue coding using Edscratch.
Day 5: Continuation of lesson; Edscratch coding a path throughout the events of the story; they can place them in a ‘maze-like’ sequence so the spider can be programmed to visit the events as they happened in the story.
Intro/Driving Question/Opening
ASK: How can we transform our Edisons to retell the story: Diary of a Spider?
Imagine: Let’s think together…what would be a character from the story that we could use to share about the sequence of events?
Talk about perspective…point of view….how a spider’s view of the world would be different than a fly’s…
Hands-on Activity Instructions
Continuation:
6. Once students have confidence, it is time to introduce Edstratch.
7. Some will come with some prior knowledge of block coding; you can show the video to the left to get them started.
8. Continue to use the slides to introduce Edscratch and get students comfortable with block coding.
9. Once there has been success; Read the story
Continuation
10. The story: Diary of a Spider by Cornin
11. Inform students that you are going to sequence the story when done so they may want to pay attention to the order of events.
12. You can show something as simple as this template to get students thinking about the order of events.
13. I also have the Diary of a Spider resources on hand too.
14. Once students have listened to the story; discuss events. Use words like first, next, then, and last.
15. Have students return to their tables; they can work in pairs however they need to create sequencing cards.
16. Once cards are complete. We can go into the EDP. Engineering Design Process!
Engineering Design Process!
EDP: Link to template
STEP 1: Ask; How can we transform our Edison robot to retell the story of Diary of a Spider?
STEP 2: IMAGINE: Have students imagine a story character; lead them to the main character and talk again about perspective. Printables
STEP 3: PLAN: Student will plan out by creating a prototype of what the Edison will look like as a spider; you can show the printable here as well.
STEP 4: Have students create their Edison spider using their plan.
STEP 5: Instruct students to place their sequence of event cards in a way that they can then code their Edison to travel through the series of events that took place in the book.
STEP 6: IMPROVE: What worked and what didn’t; how could they improve?
Assessment
Differentiation
Edison’s are great for a variety of coding experience.
If students are unable to use Edscratch; please have them stick to the barcode programming.
Remediation
Extension/Enrichment
Students who are confident in Edscratch could be challenged to go onto the next coding program:
This will have higher level coding students using Python as a challenge.