Motivation
- MakeCode has an Arcade version and a micro:bit version. They are similar enough that learning one makes using the other easy. So there is plenty of overlap.
- Some of my kids just don’t want to create a version of a game that was popular decades before they were born.
- My classroom teacher is a car guy. He isn’t that interested in Arcade. My classroom teacher is fully engaged with the robots.
So I decided to allow the students to choose between an Arcade project or a robot project as their Unit Projects.
Materials
The robots I am using are the DFRobot Maqueen Plus V2 with micro:bit V2. Including rechargeable batteries these cost about $80 each. I prefer the Maqueen Plus V2 because the IR line sensors can operate in grayscale mode. That is essential for more sophisticated projects we will do in Python.
An excellent alternative is the Maqueen is the Elecfreaks Cutebot Pro. Perhaps even better than the Maqueen it has some features for more advanced students. It is a bit larger than the Maqueen and is currently the same price. I will probably recommend this robot in the future, but as of now I have not worked with it as much. It has the added benefit of being available from Amazon USA.
The controllers I use for Unit 5 are DFRobot GamePad for micro:bit V4.0. Each controller also needs a micro:bit and batteries. These cost about $40. I like this controller because the joystick is analog. There may be others with identical features.
Unfortunately, the robots, micro:bits, and controllers I have come from offshore sources. That can cause problems for schools that need the proper tax forms filled out. Note that the Cutebot Pro is available from Amazon USA and might be a better choice.
The Unit 6 grid of lines needs to be printed and taped together. I use tiles from http://robotsquare.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/linefollowtiles.pdf. For the walls I use cardstock with plastic card stands available from Amazon.
The projects
Unit 0
Nothing. They all do the Unit 0 self-portrait project
Unit 1 Robot Pet
Robot Pet. Unit 1 is about sprites. I feel like the labs give them enough practice with sprites so the robot project is about being creative and learning about the robot.
There is both a slide show and a student guide. Instructions are minimal. Let the students experiment and ask questions.
Slide show: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1iNl_xMIHaBNefACjGxoIKmQlOclCIeUZ2zbbtwkqRTs/edit?usp=sharing
Student Guide: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PLIezfbDafvD-AB1VW2tb5cG2Z7lZgOxOFfHZwGL2IQ/edit?usp=sharing
Unit 2 Rock, Paper, Scissors
In unit 2 they learn about events, variables, and conditionals. The robot project hits all of those marks. It does not use much of the robot’s capabilities.
My choice of project is Rock, Paper, Scissors. By keeping track of wins and losses they must use variables. By determining who wins each round they must use conditionals. They will be using the button A and button B events.
Slide show: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1-26pBcT9XoCVTWu6GvUdTphc1pLWePNhWXWKKlIPjVA/edit?usp=sharing
Student Guide: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qetPFPbBU1Y0tM0zXgzAhJ7l-wPh9OVFauQ1nPcchzA/edit?usp=sharing
Unit 3 Theremin with record and play
The topics are loops and arrays. I have a robot project that is all about that. A theremin project is easy. Just use the rangefinder and speaker. By adding recording and playback they will need to think about arrays and loops. Additionally, they will need to control the current state of the robot with a variable.
Slide show: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1EF0eS3lQVETXjGSC9-lpsCmURkmb4pbygwFrmC3MdJc/edit?usp=sharing
Student Guide: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PJUq3ZUDxdLELTef9wB-Jne437SS0DixJf72sCDgH9I/edit?usp=sharing
Unit 4 Line Follower
Unit 4 is about functions. Implementing a simple line follower algorithm is perfect. They know everything they need to at this point so there is only a student guide.
Student Guide: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zC6JYJ8K-qc_bIbMqMZOK3J6_k5QQr2X1aJrIJgN6ps/edit?usp=sharing
Unit 5 Remote Control
Unit 5 is about tile maps and there is no robot equivalent. Instead I am upping the difficulty with remote control. They will need to write two programs. One for the controller and one for the robot. They will also need to learn how to send and receive messages via the built in radio. They will also learn about analog inputs. I feel like this is a fair trade.
Student Guide: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1IO7ZPXec-QU897xA9S_KkU0bIGZbobX1Jz0T6WKk6xU/edit?usp=sharing
Unit 6 Escape the Maze
For the final robot project they will need to use what they already know. They will use the IR sensors and follow lines as in Unit 4. They will use the rangefinder from Unit 3. They will need to move the robot around and implement an algorithm that will get them out of the maze efficiently.
Student Guide: https://docs.google.com/document/d/15rF9EGANx2IuJUcOh4JPj8XChGG-7kf0g6n6JiOp3_o/edit?usp=sharing