Lesson: Title of Lesson
Abstract:
This section should contain a brief paragraph describing the concepts behind the lesson being presented and the overall objectives the students should master.
Agenda for Today's Class:
1.
Introduction of lesson.
2.
Lead discussion of learning objectives.
3.
Have students plan how they will approach today's task/program.
4.
Have students execute their plan.
5.
Lead discussion of any applicable advanced topics.
6.
Have each student complete and/or discuss a reflection of the day's lesson.
7.
Have students complete their exhibition.
8.
Have students clean-up their area.
Equipment Required:
List the materials needed to complete the lesson. They will almost always require a computer with Mindstorms NXT v2.0 and a Taskbot. Make sure to mention any required features added to the Taskbot in order to complete the lesson. Any other materials needed for the lesson
(student worksheets, tracks, props, etc.) should be listed here.
Target Audience:
Detail the concepts and/or functional blocks students should be familiar with before beginning the lesson.
Links to Related Fields :
This section should highlight how the lesson relates to other subject areas. Correlations to programming skills should alway be noted. Any connection to STEM subject areas should also be acknowledged.
Goals for Lesson:

List the specific tasks student should be able to complete by the end of the lesson.
New/Important Icons:
Provide a picture of any new icons used in this lesson plan, as well as where the icon is found.

Detailed Lesson Description
There are several things to include when completing this section.
1.
Each section should be easily identified. It can be numbered, bold, italicized or bulleted. In short, the reader should know exactly what step they are completing.
2.
Each section should contain an estimated time of completion. This allows the reader to pace themselves when executing the lesson plan. Make sure to include sufficient time for student questions, reflections and clean-up.
3.
Include as many visual examples as possible, especially screen shots. It helps to be able to see what icon the program should be using so reader can find them easily.
4.
Information in the section should be a script of what you want discussed. It should be written in such a way that key points are conveyed to the reader. Any observations the students should notice need to be highlighted here. If you want the reader to ask the students questions while completing the assignment, they should also be contained in this section. This is also the area to include any discussion prompts.
5.
Make sure to differentiate between functions the students will use repetitively and those used on occasion.
6.
If the students will be writing a program, it is a good practice to have them create a flowchart before they begin. This forces them to think through what they want to accomplish instead of creating a program strictly through trial and error.
7.
If there are common programming mistakes, make sure they are noted.
8.
If the student will be choosing between two paths (for instance, should a line follower read the white or the black), it is very important to address the strengths and weaknesses of both in the test plan so the mentor will be prepared when the students ask which more is better to use in the lesson.
9.
Make sure to include a wrap-up section in the lesson plan. The wrap-up can be a continuation of worksheet or a separate document. A good wrap-up/worksheet should include, but not be limited to:
1.
Questions taken directly from what was covered in the lesson.
2.
Questions which cause the students to relate what they covered to a different application or task.
3.
Questions which the student has to draw conclusions based on what was covered

in the lesson.
4.
One or two questions geared toward student feedback of the day's lesson.
Clean-Up
Students should clean-up their areas following their wrap-up activity. This should be built into the overall time schedule (approximately 5 minutes).
Exhibition
At the end of every lesson, there should be some form of exhibition so the students become comfortable sharing their work. Each team should share what they did with one other group.
The lesson plan should include an appropriate way to display what was learned each week.
This should not be a huge impact on time (approximately 5 minutes combined for a pair of groups).

Lesson: Lights and Music
Abstract:
Today's class is designed around familiarizing students with the display and sound functions of the NXT brick and examining how those functions can be tied into other programming elements such as the use of sensors and the use of sound/display functions to inform programmers which part of a program or switch their robot is in. We will conclude the class with a discussion of advanced applications of sound and display blocks and a reflection on what the group learned from the day’s lesson.
Agenda for Today's Class:
1. Discuss importance of display and sounds in Robotics
2. Introduce students to sound/display capabilities of NXT Brick
3. Cover applications of sound/display blocks to other programming techniques; i.e., using sounds/display in conjunction with sensors, using sounds/display as notification tools.
4. Discussion of advanced uses of sound/display and reflection discussion of day’s lesson.
5. Have students complete their exhibition.
6. Have students clean-up their area.
Equipment Required:
Computer with Mindstorms NXT v2.0
Taskbot or similar robot equipped with a light sensor
Student Worksheets
Target Audience:
Students who have basic NXT programming experience, as the concepts covered in this lesson do not require advanced skills. Students will need to understand how to use light sensors to differentiate between white and black through the use of a simple switch function, but students will not need to know how to follow a line. Therefore, I feel that the lesson plan is suitable for all RoboCup participants who have at least had a week or two of basic introduction to NXTs and NXT programming.

Links to Related Fields :
This lesson touches on basics of programming in that it helps students understand the linkages between differing inputs and outputs of a program, where an input (in this case, the light sensor) can instruct the robot to produce a particular type of output (in this case, a sound or display element). Also, the use of a light sensor will provide students exposure to basics of light and optics (as reflected light will be the basis of the light sensor’s reading), as well as basic math concepts such as calculating averages.
Goals for Lesson:
By the end of today:


Students should know the difference between inputs and outputs
Students should know how to combine both input and output functions of the NXT robot.

Students should be able to apply to their own programs.
New/Important Icons:
The Sound and Display blocks are located on the Common palette. MyBlocks are located on the Custom palette. Once created, the can be opened and edited in their own tab.

Detailed Lesson Description
1 . Discuss importance of Display and Sounds in Robotics (10 Minutes)
Although perhaps the most critical capability of a robot in NXT is its ability to move, the ability for the robot to display words or images on its screen or emit sounds is also of great importance in NXT programming. To begin, discuss with students the general applications of displays and sounds in robotics and related fields, then the potential applications for how sounds and display functions could be useful in NXT programming. Corresponding questions will be included on the students’ worksheets for them to fill out as the discussion progresses.
Sounds and displays allow a robot to provide sensory feedback to programmers, and well placed sound and display blocks can inform a programmer when the robot is performing a certain task or function embedded in their program. In the case of a dance team that has used a series of “My Blocks” to program each group member’s dance move, a display block placed at the beginning of each My Block can indicate at any given time during the program which
“My Block” the robot is running. Sounds can be used the same way. Ask students for other suggestions of how these blocks can be used beyond their basic applications of making noise or displaying an image, and if possible try to guide them along to the application we will be exploring in greater detail later in the lesson – tying display and sound outputs to sensor inputs from NXT sensors like light sensors.
2 . Introduce students to Sound/Display capabilities of the NXT (20-25 Minutes)
After going over the potential applications of Sounds and Displays, have your students open the NXT software and begin to play around with the blocks that control those functions.
Sound Block and Menu

Display Block and Menu
After a brief introduction of how to manipulate these blocks, allow students to write basic programs calling for the robot to display a short phrase or image, then make a sound. Have students upload their program to the Taskbot and run the program to see it in action. Ample time should be provided so that each student can create and test his or her own program. A sample program could look like this:
3. Linking Display/Sound Blocks to other Programming Applications (35 Minutes Total)
As mentors should have touched on in the introductory portion of the lesson, we now want to instruct students how to link display/sound blocks to other programming functions. Although there are virtually no limits to the different applications that can be made between these blocks and other functions, we will focus our efforts on two key applications – 1) the use of display/sound blocks to inform students of what portion of a program the robot is executing and 2) linking a display/sound to a robot’s light sensor, so that the robot will make a noise or display a phrase/image when the robot detects a black line. a) Display/Sound blocks to indicate program progress (15 of 35 Minutes)
In RoboCup competitions like dance, the use of “My Blocks” are good ways to divide up individual dance moves or segments of a routine so that students can each contribute an individual contribution to the routine as a whole. By embedding a display function at the start

of a “My Block,” students can put a “signature” of their move to be displayed on the robot’s screen while it executes their portion of the program. Have students briefly discuss the utility of using displays in this way and record answers on their worksheets, then have each student independently sketch out a brief dance move on their worksheets that contains two or three distinct movements of the robot. Have the students then program each of their moves using the NXT software and save them as “My Blocks.” Students should be instructed to each place a display block at the front of their “My Block” that spells out their name or displays an image of their choice. One student should then link each of the group’s “My Blocks” into a single program and test it. A sample “My Block” is shown below:

b) Display/Sound blocks linked to Light Sensor (20 of 40 Minutes)

In RoboCup competitions such as Rescue, one of the most critical functions a robot needs to perform is to be able to sense an obstacle or person to “rescue,” stop and make a sound indicating that they have found the person to be “saved.” Therefore, this portion of the lesson plan will cover a basic switch function that will tell the robot to stop if its light sensor detects a black line, then make some sort of noise upon encountering the line. Students should be familiar with basic switch functions, so ask students to write and discuss how we might be able to achieve this goal and lead them towards the outcome of using a switch. Then, have students independently design a basic program that tells the robot to stop and make some sort of noise if it encounters a black line. The mentor should lay down a strip of black tape at least 2 feet long, then have students test the light values of black and white in the classroom and come up with an average value on their worksheets. Their program should consist of a simple light sensor-based switch calibrated to the specific light values in the room, with the
“White” portion of the switch instructing the robot to move forward while the “Black” half of the switch should instruct the robot to stop, then use a sound to indicate that the black line had been reached. Once the program is complete, have students test out their program using the black line laid out on the floor. A sample of a possible model program appears below:

4. Wrap-up: Discussion of Advanced Applications, Reflect ion Discussion Questions (10
Minutes)
As a concluding activity, mentors should discuss other methods of tying sensors to display/sound functions than simply the use of a basic switch function. One method that mentors should cover in this quick discussion is the use of range values, where a Light
Sensor block from the advanced template can be used to collect a value. That Light Sensor block can then be connected with a data wire to a Range Value block, where a defined range of light values can be set for colors that yield readings not as low as black but not as high as white, such as Green. A quick sample program of this sort is below, explain to students how data wires and range functions work as they likely have not had previous experience with these more advanced blocks:

After a brief display of this programming technique, mentors should lead a group reflection discussion using the questions listed on the worksheets handed out to team members. Have each student write down the answer to their reflection question on the handout, and collect all handouts when the reflection discussion is complete. After discussion, make sure that the area is cleaned up, and students can then be dismissed for the day.
4. Exhibition (5 Minutes)
Students should show their dance moves to their partner team. If the robot was not able to complete that portion of the test plan, the students should explain what is in their 'My Blocks'

and theorize why it did not work.
5. Clean-Up (5 Minutes)
Students should return their area to it's original condition. All robotic components should be placed in the appropriate containers. If there were chairs on the desks upon arrival, they should be placed back on the desks. All personal belongings should be collected and students should be dismissed.

1. Why is it important for Robots to be able to make sounds or show a words and images on a display screen?
2. What are some modern technologies that react to some sort of stimulus (like pressing a button) with a sound or an image on a display screen?
3. How can sounds and images be of use in NXT programming?
Displays
1. Sketch out a brief dance move in the space below for your robot by drawing lines for the directions and movements you want your robot to go in. When you are finished, go to the NXT
Programming software and use move blocks to create the code for your dance move.

Sounds
1. How can we use a light sensor to instruct the NXT Robot whether or not to make a sound?
2. Take a light reading of the floor (for White) and of the black tape line (for Black). What are those two values? What is the average of those two values?
1. What might be one of the difficulties of instructing an NXT Robot to make a sound when it detects green?
2. How can sounds and display blocks be used in Dance competitions? How can they be

used in Rescue competitions?
3. What do you feel is the most important thing you have learned today?
4. What contributed to the group’s success today?