What TWT Does With Older Groups

 

We generally do the following lesson with groups that we visit or that visit us that are third grade or above.  Most students will not make it all the way through, do not try to make them.  Help them to get as far as they can though.

 

Have the students build the MINDSTORMS Rover.  Have them open and follow the directions in the Mindstorm Rover.doc.

Have the students open the RCXCC.  Have them open prog1.nqc found in the My Documents folder.   Walk them through the program, explain what it does, how to compile and how to download.   After doing this, have the students go through the following challenge tasks. (Do not give them this page; it is for your reference).

 

Program 1 - Basic car movement

  1. Modify the program so it goes 11 inches. 

  2. Modify the program so the car goes forward 11 inches and then makes a 90o turn. 

  3. Modify the program so that it makes a square.  (Explain the repeat command).

Program 2 -Working with the bump sensor

1.   Open prog2.nqc.   Explain the program, compile it, download it, and run it.  Have them modify the program so the bump sensor acts as a brake, stopping the car.  The car should run when it is not pressed. 

1.       Modify the program so your car hits a wall, stops, and then backs up and turns around. 

Program 3 - Working with the light sensor

1.  Now open prog3.nqc.  Explain it, compile it, download it, and run it.  Explain the View

     button and have the children look at different things using the light sensor. 

2.  Modify the program so it follows the black line on our circular track.  

Program 4 - Using two sensors

1.       Open prog4.nqc.   Modify the program so the car follows the S-track. 

2.      Have them create a program that allows them to control the car with two bump sensors.  The car should go forward when both sensors are pressed and stop when neither one is pressed.  If only one is pressed the car should turn in that direction.

2.      Have them try our obstacle course.  Each team member should be controlling one of the bump sensors for this run through the course.

3.      Run the obstacle course again, this time though one person is blindfolded.  The blindfolded person controls the car; the other person’s job is to give directions to help navigate the course


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