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Course: Scratch with Autonomous Car
3: Predicting the Future

  • 1-5 grade
  • Beginner

Lesson Description:

In this lesson, students will learn basic concepts in experimentation: 
    1    Forming a Hypothesis
    2    Collecting data
To illustrate these concepts we will make observations about the movement of the car and see if we can predict how it will move in the future!

Objective:
Apply basic programming concepts to change the code for your experiment, and determine the safest speed for the car.


 

Standards Covered

3-5-ETS1-1

Define a simple design problem reflecting a need or a want that includes specified criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, or cost.

3-5-ETS1-2

Generate and compare multiple possible solutions to a problem based on how well each is likely to meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.

3-5-ETS1-3

Plan and carry out fair tests in which variables are controlled and failure points are considered to identify aspects of a model or prototype that can be improved.

3-PS2-1

Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence of the effects of balanced and unbalanced forces on the motion of an object.

3-PS2-2

Make observations and/or measurements of an object’s motion to provide evidence that a pattern can be used to predict future motion.

CCSS.MATH.PRACTICE.MP1

Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.

CCSS.MATH.PRACTICE.MP2

Reason abstractly and quantitatively.

CCSS.MATH.PRACTICE.MP3

Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others.

CCSS.MATH.PRACTICE.MP4

Model with mathematics.

CCSS.MATH.PRACTICE.MP5

Use appropriate tools strategically.

CCSS.MATH.PRACTICE.MP6

Attend to precision.

CCSS.MATH.PRACTICE.MP7

Look for and make use of structure.

CCSS.MATH.PRACTICE.MP8

Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning.

image description

Lesson Modules


Teaching Tips:


Class view answers:

1. Yes - You know that when you spin a top it will go in circles for a while, and eventually slow to a stop.  You know this because you have seen it before.

2. No - You cannot predict the motion of the puppy because it does not move with any pattern, and it will move differently every time.

3. Yes - You have kicked a ball before, so you can predict that it will move in the direction it is kicked.

4. Yes - You know that a race car with always drive around the same track in the same direction (to try and win the race).

5. Yes/No - If you have not seen the dance before, you cannot predict what a person will do.

  1. Imagine you're driving along and you see this sign in the distance. Would you slowly come to a stop or slam on the breaks?

Would you slowly come to a stop or slam on the breaks?
  • slow
  • SLAM


   2. How about when a puppy runs in front of your car? Would you slowly come to a stop or slam on the breaks?

Would you slowly come to a stop or slam on the breaks?
  • slow
  • SLAM


   3. Or when you see a little old lady driving under the speed limit? Would you slow down or slam on the breaks?


Would you slow down or slam on the breaks?
  • slow
  • SLAM



(Answer with one word, so you can see your answer appear in the word cloud.)



In this lesson we will make predictions about what will happen when the car is going different speeds.  Do you think we can predict the future of what will happen to the car when it travels at different speeds?


Teaching Tips:

After the experiment, it is important that students understand this:

The code from Lesson 1 worked because the car's distance sensor had time to react in response to the approaching obstacle.  
When the speed is increased, the code no longer works because by the time the code is triggered to stop the car, it has already hit the obstacle.

 

 

Why do we have speed limits?

Speed limits are determined by many factors but perhaps the most important is:  How many access points (opportunities  to merge on/off the road) are there?

  1. A road with many opportunities to merge on/off will need to have a slow speed limit.  One example of this is a residential road.
  2. A road with few opportunities to merge on/off can have a higher speed limit.  One example of this is a freeway.

Other answers are encouraged, especially if they spark a debate!

When you set the car to drive faster, did your code still work?  Why did that happen?

How could you solve the problem created by increasing the car's speed?



Teaching Tips:

//www.robotlab.com/hubfs/Education.Robotlab.com/Autonomous%20Car/Scratch/lesson3.sb2

Here is one example of the correct answers.  
Do not mark students off if their hypothesis in the BEFORE section is incorrect.

Experiment

Observation


Question 1

1A
BEFORE

Draw or describe what you think the car will do:

The car will not move.

 

1B
AFTER

Why do you think the car moved the way it did?

I was right, the car did not move!
 

Question 2


2A
BEFORE

Draw or describe what you think the car will do:

2B
AFTER

Why do you think the car moved the way it did?

The car drove forward when I ran that code because the two wheels were turning at speed 500.
 

Question 3


3A
BEFORE

Draw or describe what you think the car will do:

3B
AFTER

Why do you think the car moved the way it did?

The car drove forward slower because only one of the wheels was pushing it forward instead of two.
 

Question 4


4A
BEFORE

Draw or describe what you think the car will do:

4B
AFTER

Why do you think the car moved the way it did?

The car drove forward slower because only one of the wheels was pushing it forward instead of two.
 

Question 5


5A
BEFORE

Draw or describe what you think the car will do:

The car will drive backwards.

 


5B
AFTER

Why do you think the car moved the way it did?

I was right, -300 means that the car will drive in the opposite direction at speed 300.

Question 6


6A
BEFORE

Draw or describe what you think the car will do:

The car will drive left 

6B
AFTER

Why do you think the car moved the way it did?

I was right!  I think the car turned because of the Steering block.

Question 7


7A
BEFORE

Draw or describe what you think the car will do:

The car will drive left faster than before.

 


7B
AFTER

Why do you think the car moved the way it did?

I was right!  I think the car turned because of the Steering block.  (The car may have been faster, but it is hard to tell)
 

Try this one again

Question 8


8A
BEFORE

Draw or describe what you think the car will do:

The car will drive forward at speed 500.

 


8B
AFTER

Why do you think the car moved the way it did?

I was wrong.  The car turned left because the wheels were still turned from the last code.

During the last few lessons you have been doing the job of a programmer, but this time you will do the job of a scientist.  Being a scientist means creating an experiment, observing, and collecting data.  In the experiment we conduct today, we will measure what happens when you change the way the car is driving.  

Experiment

Observation

Question 1


1A
BEFORE

Draw or describe what you think the car will do:

1B
AFTER

Why do you think the car moved the way it did?


 

Question 2


2A
BEFORE

Draw or describe what you think the car will do:


2B
AFTER

Why do you think the car moved the way it did?


 

Question 3


3A
BEFORE

Draw or describe what you think the car will do:

 

3B
AFTER

Why do you think the car moved the way it did?


 

Question 4

4A
BEFORE

Draw or describe what you think the car will do:

 

4B
AFTER

Why do you think the car moved the way it did?


 

Question 5


5A
BEFORE

Draw or describe what you think the car will do:

 

5B
AFTER

Why do you think the car moved the way it did?


 

Question 6


6A
BEFORE

Draw or describe what you think the car will do:

 

6B
AFTER

Why do you think the car moved the way it did?


 

Question 7


7A
BEFORE

Draw or describe what you think the car will do:

 

7B
AFTER

Why do you think the car moved the way it did?


 

Try this one again

Question 8


8A
BEFORE

Draw or describe what you think the car will do:

 

8B
AFTER

Why do you think the car moved the way it did?


 

Teaching Tips:

Question 1: What was the most interesting thing you learned today?
Any answer will do here.  If time permits, have a short discussion with students about their answers.

Question 2: Check the concepts you understand.  Don’t worry, this isn’t for a grade, it’s just so your teacher can check the classes’ understanding
This is the students' self-assessment of their understanding of the material.  You will see a bar graph once all the poll answers are submitted.  

Question 3: What clues did you use to predict the motion of car?
The past motion of the car. Things I'd seen the car do before. What I know about the code I wrote.

 

What was the most interesting thing you learned today?

Check the concepts you understand.  Don’t worry, this isn’t for a grade, it’s just so your teacher can check the classes’ understanding
  • Making predictions
  • Steering

What clues did you use to predict the motion of car?