Teaching Tips:

Science education for students from Pre‐K through Fourth grade emphasizes developing an understanding that objects and organisms can be categorized by their properties and characteristics. This lesson plan expands on the basic idea of sorting and characteristics into categorization and grouping. Using play with small robots students practice forming and discovering basic skills of classification and taxonomy.
 
For each class/group, this lesson plan includes 2 parts:
Each segment is suggested to last 20 minutes in order to comprise one class of about 40 minutes.

1. A segment presenting the concept of properties and characteristics and introducing relevant vocabulary without Cubelets
2. A hands‐on exploration of sorting, and categorization by using Cubelets

 
Each segment is suggested to last for 20 minutes, with two segments comprising a 40-minute class. Where a class period affords less than 40 minutes, we suggest increasing time for each segment and using each as a single class on serial class days.
 
While these lesson plans have suggested age levels, it is also possible to use the younger student activities as a ramp up to older students; e.g. use the 4 years old ‐ 8 years old activities to ramp up and extend a lesson plan for a group of 9 year olds to last for more than one class. Similarly, the activities suggested for older students can become a way to expand on challenges presented to younger learners if there is time and interest.

Teaching Tips:

Introduce each group to thinking about Properties and Characteristics
Tell the class: “I have these robot blocks and you can make different robots with them. Robots are computers that can sense, think, and act. We are going to make robots and think about what properties they have. In order to do that, we’ll have to think about what about them is unique and special ‐ what characteristics they have. First, let’s play a game that will help us think about properties and characteristics and learn some new scientific vocabulary. “

Properties and Categories

This opening activity is an opportunity for students to practice noticing differences and similarities while considering common objects in their everyday lives and assigning categories. to them.
 
Materials: general classroom items. (pens, pencils, paper, crayons, bags, cups, etc.) Worksheets for this activity
 
“I’m going to hold up two objects. We are going to discuss the things they have in common and the things that make them different. It might be true that there are some ways they are the same, and some ways they are different. In either case, you should name what property or characteristic is the same or what property or characteristic is different. As a first example, let’s talk about this pencil and this pen. What properties are the same? What properties are different?”
 

1. Comparing and contrasting everyday items by naming similarities/differences and noticing properties of objects.

   Example Item Pairs	Similarities	Differences
   Pencil, Pen	Both are writing tools, cylindrical, and have points	grey/colored writing, consumability (One can be sharpened, one cannot), permanence (erasable or not), materials
   Ball, Orange	Both  are round (can roll, bounce)	edibility, size, color
   Box, Cup	Both can hold other items	Materials (what are they made of), best uses (what are they made to  hold)

2. Finding/suggesting other items that match properties named. “Now let’s find another object that matches these three properties we named. (E.g. For the property “has a point” students might add forks, scissors, keys, etc. For the property of “can hold other items” student might add objects such as bags, lunch boxes, folders, etc. )
   
3. Categorizing the group of objects used in this exercise. “With all these items we’ve put in front of us (E.g. pen, pencil, FORK, SCISSORS, ball, orange, box, cup, FOLDER, BAG, paper, whiteboard) Can we categorize them? What groups could we put them in? Let’s name three categories (In this example possible categories include but aren’t limited to: writing things, kitchen/meal things, things for carrying other things). Now, what if we needed to group by two categories? What would they be? What would the groupings and important properties be if we thought we needed four categories? Can things belong to more than one category? Can categories be related?”
   
   

Suggested variations/progression:

• Variations depend much more on time, size of the group, and the items they are interested in comparing and contrasting than on age. For younger students it makes sense to constrain their choice of objects more and make more suggestions about properties and characteristics and category boundaries. For older students, allow for more discovery that category boundaries are blurry and some are more salient than others.

Teaching Tips:

Students build their first robots and consider their characteristics. Younger students will benefit from prompting to realize how the robot moves and reacts may be the most relevant properties to attend to while older students arrive at that conclusion.
 
Materials: KT06 kits, groups of 1­4 students using each kit. For this segment, all groups use only the Distance, Drive, and Battery Cubelet

 
Tell the class: “Now we’re going to build some robots. All robots must have sense and act components. Every robot also needs power. The simplest robot we could make would have to use this grey Cubelet for power, a black sensing block, and a clear action block. So, to start, I’m going to build a very small robot with this Battery Cubelet, this black Distance Sense Cubelet, and this clear Drive Cubelet.”
 

 
Suggested age variations/progression:

• 4 years old to 8 years old: Do a group led robot building session building three different robots with the Battery, Distance, and Drive Cubelets. “Let’s practice. First, let’s turn on the battery. Then, pick up the clear Drive Cubelet, and the black Distance sensor. Can you put them all together? Now test it out and see if you can name the important properties of this robot.” After each robot they build, have them name the important properties of the robot. (Which way it moves ‐ straight, sideways, circular. And, does it “follow” or “run away.”) By having students follow along with you and changing the orientation of the Drive and/or Distance Cubelet, there are many different robots to make.

• 8 years old to 11 years old: After having students build three robots and name their important properties or characteristics, have them compare and contrast ‐ what is the same and what is different?

• 11 years old and up: After having students build three robots and name their important properties or characteristics, have them compare and contrast ‐ what is the same and what is different? What properties distinguish these robots from one another? How can we decide what counts as a unique robot?”

Teaching Tips: