Second graders at Canyon Ranch Elementary recently delved into the exciting world of robotics, using LEGO® WeDo 2.0 Robot Kits. This lesson marked the launch of the robotics curriculum in Coppell ISD elementary schools as well as several students’ introduction to the fundamentals of robotics and programming.
The young learners started off with a fundamental activity that simulated a satellite rotating around a central point. CRE STEAM Teacher Erika Malcom — who taught 4th grade for 17 years before teaching STEM and computer science — guided her students to a basic understanding of robotics by posing questions such as, “What is a robot?”, “What does a motor do?” and “What are batteries for?”
“A robot is technically something you can control, like a vacuum that cleans your house for you,” second grader Anaya Santhosh said in answer.
Students then formed teams of two or three and assembled their robots before connecting their newly created robot companions to the accompanying app on their district-issued iPads. Once connected, students began to explore block coding, a form of programming where pre-programmed blocks are dragged and dropped to issue commands such as “start motor,” "turn motor left," or "turn motor right.”
Second grade classmates Anaya Santhosh (left) and Caden Wade (right) team up to build and code their robot.
“She told us to connect our robot to the iPad and then grab this button over here,” Santhosh’s classmate Caden Wade said, pointing to the “play” button designed to designate the beginning of a sequence of commands.
“It’s just like a car. What do you do first when you get in the car? You need a key. The yellow button with the green triangle inside of it is the ‘key,’ and you’ll bring that over here to the beginning,” Santhosh explained.
The students were full of enthusiasm as they interacted with their robots. They experimented with the block code commands and what happened when they set the duration of each action for shorter or longer periods.
CRE second graders work together to build and program their LEGO® WeDo2.0 Robots using block coding.
New for the 2023-2024 school year, Coppell ISD is offering a STEAM curriculum — including coding, robotics, and the engineering design process — at all of its elementary schools. This instructional design promotes higher-level thinking and creativity for Kindergarten to 5th grade students. Each of the district’s 11 elementary schools has a full-time STEAM educator and the STEAM program is being provided to Kindergarten to 5th grade students at all elementary schools as part of the weekly “specials” class rotation, in addition to music, art, and physical education.
CISD STEAM Instructional Coach Michael Yakubovsky explained that the robotics program is a continuous journey for the students as every grade in elementary participates in robotics, and, eventually, each grade will build on the work of the prior years. “Having a program that students can be a part of for up to six years is an exciting opportunity. We are still investigating what our elementary robotics work will eventually look like and how it will transition to the current program at Coppell High School.”
CISD campuses use various robot platforms, such as Dash, Bee-Bot, LEGO Spike, Ozobot, and the VEX robotics system at the high school level. Yakubovsky's team is working to provide students with age-appropriate opportunities to explore robotics throughout their school years.
Yakubovsky and instructional coaches are planning a showcase for the spring to demonstrate the progress of the program.
"It's still a work in progress," he said, indicating that the robotics program in CISD is continuously evolving to offer students a richer and more authentic experience.