Grade 5 students in STEAM class have started the year off by working with Lego Mindstorm NXT Robotics. Students begin by learning about the history of robots which they find dates back to very early days in Ancient China. Today, robots are widely used in manufacturing and assembly, earth and space exploration, medical applications, research and much more.
The students continue with their robotics discoveries by building and programming a basic robot which eventually develops in to a more advanced robot with various sensors attached. The ultimate test is programming the robot to have the ability to distinguish between two different colors. Students learn basic programming skills as they program their robots to perform experiments and challenges. Experiments provide the students with step by step instructions; however, that is not the case with the challenges. Challenges are just that! They require the students to problem solve and program on their own.
Robots need nourishment too though it’s in the form of battery power. Two years ago the robots were in need of new batteries and thanks to the support of the Yarmouth Education Foundation, funding was provided for new batteries to keep this very popular 5th grade STEAM unit continuing.
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| Darby Brennan and Mollie Blaschke |
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