Intro To EV3 Programming
Intro To EV3 Programming
Programming
with
EV3
Robotics
STOMP
Curriculum
June
2014
Notes
Description
This
is
a
9-week
unit
designed
to
give
upper
elementary
and
middle
school
children
an
introduction
to
programming
with
LEGO
EV3
Robotics.
Each
lesson
is
designed
to
be
60
minutes
long,
but
may
be
adapted
for
a
longer
or
shorter
block
of
time.
The
purpose
of
this
unit
is
to
teach
the
basic
concepts
of
programming.
The
curriculum
is
intended
to
give
students
more
time
to
program
by
reducing
the
amount
of
time
spent
on
building
each
robot.
By
the
end
of
the
unit,
students
should
have
confidence
using
LEGO
Mindstorms.
For
all
lessons,
you
will
need
laptops
with
EV3
Mindstorms
software
(1
for
every
2
students)
and
EV3
robotics
kits
(1
for
every
2
students).
These
materials
will
be
referred
to
simply
as
EV3
Robotics
materials
on
the
activity
pages.
In
Practice
Before
going
into
the
classroom,
thoroughly
familiarize
yourself
with
the
LEGO
EV3
and
Mindstorms
technology.
Resources
are
available
through
the
STOMP
website
and
the
Center
for
Engineering
Education
and
Outreach.
Build
and
program
yourself!
Be
sure
you
have
done
all
of
the
activities
before
going
into
the
classroom.
It
will
help
you
to
predict
what
will
be
challenging
for
the
students.
First
learning
to
program
can
be
very
challenging
for
students.
To
keep
students
from
getting
frustrated
and
losing
focus,
consider
beforehand
what
you
want
your
students
to
spend
time
on.
For
example,
if
a
student
is
struggling
to
connect
his/her
programming
blocks,
you
should
enable
their
progress
by
showing
them
where
to
place
the
blocks.
On
the
other
hand,
if
a
student
is
trying
to
figure
out
how
to
make
a
robot
arm
wave,
guide
him
or
her
to
think
about
what
motions
the
motor
should
make.
Questions
for
STOMPers
to
Think
About
You
may
want
to
consider
the
following
questions
over
the
course
of
the
semester:
What
do
you
want
to
see
your
students
doing
in
this
unit?
What
do
you
hope
your
students
will
learn?
How
can
you
make
the
activities
relevant
to
the
real
world?
What
interpersonal
skills
do
you
want
them
to
practice?
How
will
you
know
if
your
curriculum
is
successful?
Questions
for
Your
Students
to
Think
About
What
do
engineers
do?
Are
you
an
engineer?
How
do
engineers
behave
and
work
together?
How
do
engineers
feel
about
failure?
What
makes
a
robot
a
robot?
What
is
programming?
What
do
sensors
do?
What
is
the
purpose
of
loops?
Table
of
Contents
Lesson
1:
What
is
Programming?
Human
Robot
and
Car
Building
Lesson
2:
Mindstorms
Introduction
Art
Bots
Lesson
3:
Sensors
Introduction
Touch
Sensor
Challenges
Lesson
4:
Sensors
Introduction
EV3
Alarm
Lesson
5:
Using
Loops
Seeing-Eye
Dog
Lesson
6:
Switches
Nighttime
Creepers
Lesson
7:
Final
Project
Begin
The
Perfect
Pet
Lesson
8:
Final
Project
The
Perfect
Pet
Continued
Lesson
9:
Final
Project
The
Perfect
Pet
Wrap-Up
References
Image
Bibliography
Lesson
Plan:
1. Introduction
(10
minutes)
Figure
1.
Simple
NXT
Car
o Begin
by
introducing
yourself,
STOMP
and
this
programming
unit.
o Discuss
classroom
behavior
(see
References).
Record
the
responses
on
the
board
and
leave
them
there
for
the
class
period
for
you
to
refer
back
to
if
you
see
inappropriate
behavior.
2. Main
Activity
(45
minutes)
o Give
the
students
some
time
to
explore
the
EV3
kits
and
build
a
simple
car.
It
should
have
2
motors,
both
facing
in
the
same
direction.
There
should
be
a
place
where
the
student
can
tape
on
markers
for
the
ArtBots
activity.
If
a
group
finishes
early,
encourage
them
to
design
a
LEGO
structure
to
hold
the
markers
on
the
car.
o Be
sure
to
explain
that
there
are
many
other
types
of
EV3
robotsyou
can
even
pull
up
some
videosand
that
you
are
building
these
cars
so
that
the
students
would
be
able
to
spend
more
time
programming.
3. Wrap-Up
(5
minutes)
o Ask
the
students
what
they
thought
about
the
building.
What
was
difficult?
What
was
easy?
Did
anyone
make
a
discovery
theyd
like
to
share
with
the
class?
Modifications:
If
you
want
to
accelerate
the
class,
you
can
pre-build
the
cars
yourself
and
pack
them
into
the
EV3
kits
for
the
students
to
use.
Then,
spend
the
majority
of
class
doing
an
introduction
to
programming
(see
Lesson
2).
Lesson
2
ArtBots
Overview:
This
class
introduces
students
to
the
concept
of
programming,
and
to
Mindstorms.
Students
will
use
only
the
movement
commands
to
draw
a
picture
on
a
piece
of
poster
paper.
Learning
Goals:
1. Students
will
be
able
to
explain
programming
and
give
examples.
2. Students
will
familiarize
themselves
with
the
basics
of
Mindstorms.
3. Students
will
practice
writing
programs
with
the
movement
blocks.
4. Students
will
learn
about
systematic
troubleshooting/debugging.
Materials:
EV3
robotics
materials
projector
or
paper
programming
bricks
markers
and
poster
paper
(may
already
be
in
classroom)
Lesson
Plan:
1. Introduction
(20
minutes)
o Ask
the
students,
What
is
programming?
Come
up
with
real
world
examples
together.
o Do
the
Human
Robot
activity
(see
References).
2. Main
Activity
(35
minutes)
o Introduce
the
students
to
Mindstorms
and
the
relevant
blocks
(movement
blocks,
wait
for
time).
Program
as
a
class
(see
References).
Download
a
program
onto
an
EV3
car
to
demonstrate.
Then
distribute
computers
and
EV3
cars.
Have
them
write
and
test
the
same
sequence
of
blocks.
Circulate
and
troubleshoot.
o If
theres
time,
begin
the
ArtBots
activity.
Students
are
to
draw
a
picture
(can
be
an
abstract
picture!)
by
programming
the
car
with
only
the
movement
blocks.
o Remind
the
kids
to
take
turns
programming
(see
References
for
helpful
tips).
3. Wrap-Up
(<
5
minutes)
o Discuss
the
activity.
Was
it
easy
or
hard?
o Ask
the
students
to
make
predictions.
What
else
do
you
think
you
could
program
the
robot
to
do?
Modifications:
If
you
do
not
have
the
drawing
materials,
make
a
simple
maze
with
the
EV3
boxes
and
have
the
students
use
the
movement
blocks
to
navigate
the
maze.
References
Setting
Classroom
Behavioral
Norms
Setting
classroom
rules
may
seem
unnecessary,
but
it
will
help
greatly
throughout
the
rest
of
the
semester!
Take
the
extra
5
minutes
at
the
beginning
of
the
unit.
It
will
make
it
easier
for
you
to
correct
bad
behavior
in
later
classes
by
referring
back
to
the
rules/norms.
One
simple
and
effective
way
to
create
norms
is
by
asking
kids
to
complete
the
sentence
Good
engineers
Be
sure
that
they
answer
positively.
For
example,
Good
engineers
listen
carefully
while
others
are
talking.
instead
of
Good
engineers
dont
talk
while
other
people
are
talking
Human
Robot
Human
Robot
is
a
fun
way
to
introduce
students
to
the
concept
of
programming.
There
are
a
variety
of
ways
to
lead
the
activity.
Here
are
two
examples:
1.
As
a
class:
One
of
the
STOMPers
pretends
to
be
a
robot.
The
other
STOMPer
should
help
the
students
program
him/her
to
complete
a
task
in
the
classroom.
The
task
can
be
anything
from
putting
on
socks
and
shoes
(props
required)
to
picking
up
an
item
and
throwing
it
in
the
trash
can.
*Be
sure
that
the
students
give
specific
in
a
way
that
is
comparable
to
Mindstorms
(e.g.
have
the
students
specify
which
leg--right
or
left--
the
stomper
should
lift,
just
like
the
students
have
to
specify
the
port
of
the
motor
that
they
want
to
move).
2.
In
pairs:
This
activity
is
great
for
transitioning
the
students
from
thinking
about
programming
conceptually
to
actually
using
the
NXT
Mindstorms
technology.
It
is
especially
helpful
to
teach
students
about
using
sensors.
As
a
class,
write
a
simple
program
on
Mindstorms.
Then,
put
students
into
pairs.
One
student
is
the
robot
and
the
other
one
will
interact
with
it
to
activate
its
sensor
(i.e.
poke
their
partners
arm
because
it
is
the
touch
sensor).
Programming
as
a
Class
Programming
as
a
class
is
a
great
way
to
introduce
the
programming
technology.
Like
Human
Robot,
this
activity
can
be
altered
depending
on
your
classroom
and
teaching
style.
Using
a
projector
or
paper
programming
blocks,
demonstrate
to
the
class
how
to
write
a
Mindstorms
program.
It
is
important
that
you
keep
the
class
engaged
by
asking
the
class
for
advice
and
suggestions
along
the
way.
Its
important
to
ask
a
wide
variety
of
students,
not
just
those
that
raise
their
handsyou
can
even
just
go
in
a
set
order
through
everybody.
After
writing
the
program,
download
and
test
the
program
on
a
pre-
made
robot.
The
kids
get
excited
when
they
see
their
program
in
action!
If
there
are
any
bugs,
systematically
debug
as
a
class.
Debugging
can
be
one
of
the
most
valuable
parts
of
programming
as
a
class.
Working
in
Groups
All
of
the
activities
should
be
done
in
pairs
(or
if
necessary
groups
of
3)
so
that
each
student
gets
the
chance
to
use
Mindstorms.
To
foster
sharing
and
collaboration,
have
the
students
alternate
who
is
at
the
computer
for
each
challenge
or
every
5
minutes.
Remind
the
students
that
even
if
they
are
not
touching
the
computer,
they
can
still
contribute
ideas
to
programming.
For
larger,
more
open-ended
projects,
such
as
the
final
project,
it
can
be
helpful
to
have
students
adopt
roles
such
as
the
programmer
or
the
builder
(or
the
communicator
if
in
groups
of
3).
These
labels
give
students
a
chance
to
focus
on
the
aspect
of
robotics
they
like
best
and
help
students
delegate
work.
Names:
_________________________
_________________________
The
Perfect
Pet
Project
Plan
Imagine
that
you
(or
a
friend)
desperately
want
a
pet.
Unfortunately,
your
dad
is
allergic
to
anything
with
fur
and
your
little
brother
is
afraid
of
anything
without
fur.
You
decide
that
if
you
cant
adopt
a
pet,
youll
make
one!
Using
any
parts
from
your
LEGO
EV3
kit
and
other
STOMP
materials,
make
your
own
perfect
pet!
It
does
not
have
to
be
based
on
a
real
animal,
but
it
does
have
to
use
at
least
ONE
sensor
and
at
least
ONE
motor.
Briefly
describe
your
pet.
What
will
it
be
able
to
do?
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
Which
sensor
will
you
use?
___________________________________________
What
will
happen
when
the
sensor
is
activated?
_____________________________________________________________
Please
request
any
additional
materials
you
will
need
to
create
your
pet.
_____________________________________________________________
On
the
back
of
this
page,
draw
a
picture
of
your
robotic
pet.
Label
the
brick,
the
sensor(s)
and
the
motors
on
your
drawing.
STOMPer
Approval:
_________________________________
Image
Bibliography
Figure
1.
Simple
NXT
Car
http://www.legoengineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Screen-Shot-2013-06-
26-at-9.40.22-PM.png
Figure
2.
NXT
Puppy
http://nxtprograms.com/puppy/DCP_4730.JPG