TekBot Timings and the 3 M's
Educational Robotics
SPIRIT Lesson Building Block Template
Author:
Grade:
Date:
Tim Stednitz
First Grade
August 1, 2006
Problem Context: How does the time change when different students
drive the TekBot through a maze?
About SPIRIT Lessons: This is a sample Lesson developed within the SPIRIT Project
to help students examine mathematics concepts related to angles, speed, and graphing.
SPIRIT lessons are currently in "building block" format, which is in essence an
educational activity that might be later turned into a more formal classroom lesson by a
creative teacher. These SPIRIT “lesson building blocks” will soon be up on the web for
the potential use by teachers as they prepare more formal educational lessons using
the TekBot robotics platform.
I. Concepts Covered
Mathematics


Build a Tally Table and graph the results
Find and compare mean, median, and mode
Science


Distance and time for the motion of a TeKBot
Data collection and analysis
II. Applicable Standards
Mathematics
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, K-2
Activities for pre-kindergarten through grade 2 should enable all students to apply
appropriate techniques, tools, and formulas to:
 Understand numbers, ways of representing numbers, relationships among
numbers, and number systems
 Understand meanings of operations and how they relate to one another
 Analyze change in various contexts
 Understand measurable attributes of objects and the units, systems, and
processes of measurement
 Formulate questions that can be addressed with data and collect, organize,
and display relevant data to answer them
 Develop and evaluate inferences and predictions that are based on data
 Make and investigate mathematical conjectures
 Communicate their mathematical thinking coherently and clearly to peers,
teachers, and others
Science
National Science Education Standards, K-4
As a result of activities in grades K-4, all students should develop the
 Ability to do scientific inquiry
 Understanding of position and motion of objects
 Understanding about science and technology
III. Learning Activity Context
Context: X Moving TekBot __Building a TekBot __ Programming a TekBot
Activity A: Whole Class Activity
Students will make a tally table from information gathered during time trials using the
TekBot to run a maze. Students will then make a colored bar graph using the table.
Students will use the TekBot to run through a short maze while being timed by the
teacher. After all students have had a turn, and are told their time, they will write their
name correctly on the chart (longer than 2 minutes red side and shorter than 2 minutes
blue side). Students will then create a Tally Table using the information. They will then
color a bar graph using the data collected from the time trials on the Tally Table.
(Longer than 2 minutes, red bar, shorter than 2 minutes blue bar).
Activity B: Group Activity
After an introduction to the concepts of mean, mode, and median, and giving the
opportunity for students to practice using the TekBot remote control, students will work
in teams (5 to a team) with each student taking the TekBot through a maze while the
teacher times how long it takes. The students record their times.
The maze can be constructed using masking tape with a start
and finish line made from construction paper. Students follow
the TekBot directing it to run through the maze as the other
students watch.
IV. Teacher and Student Suggestions/Tips
Anticipatory Set A: Whole Class Activity
Arrange the desks or tables in the classroom around a center area to be used for the
maze. Students can then sit in their seats as they watch their classmates drive the
TekBot through the maze.
Call all students to the floor to explain that we are going to be using the TekBot to help
us understand Tally Tables and Graphs. Explain that each student will get a turn at
using the Tekbot to get through the maze that is outlined with tape on the floor. Explain
that they will be responsible for writing their name on either the red side of the chart or
the blue side depending on how long it takes them to drive the Tekbot through the
maze.
Anticipatory Set B: Group Activity
Use a corner of the classroom to create the maze for the
group activity. Since students will be working in groups with
the TekBot this arrangement will help avoid distraction as the
other groups are completing other classroom tasks.
Make sure students have had ample lessons using the terms
mean, median, and mode, and that students were given
opportunity to practice showing results. While the teacher is
timing each group, have other activities going on in the classroom using other adult
supervision support.
V. Teacher Questions
Activity A: Whole Class Activity
After completing their graph they will answer these questions:
1. Which group had the most students? ______ How many were there? _____
2. Which group had the fewest students? ______ How many were there?_____
3. How many more students did the group in question 1 have? ______
4. How many fewer students did the group in question 2 have? ______
5. How many students were in BOTH groups? ______
Activity B: Group Activity
After collecting the group data answer these questions:
1. What time occurred the most?
Record that time as the Mode: ____________
2. List the times from shortest to longest
and eliminate times from each end.
Record the time left as the Median: ____________
3. Add all the numbers together using
a calculator and divide by the
number of times. Record the Mean: ____________
VI. Assessment Ideas
Formal assessments with written answers about each mathematical term could be used
however it may be enough to do visual and oral assessment by asking the students
questions and comparing and recording their responses.
VI. Other Information
After the data collection, bring the students together on the floor and answer them
questions. Ask probing questions like like:
 How did the boys do?
 How did the girls do?
 Did it help to go faster?
 What problems were there?
 What other information could the Tally Table tell us?
 If you practice driving the TekBot more, what will happen to the times?
Try it in a week or so and find out!
These are difficult concepts for many first graders to grasp. It is hoped that this activity
will engage the students and show them that doing an activity while using the TekBot
can make math FUN!
These are photos of the practice run before the actual time trial. Look at the other
students and how interested they are in what is going on. It is so fun to see kids get
excited about learning.
VII. Materials
TekBot
Stopwatch
Notebook or paper for a data sheet
Meter Stick or Yard Stick/ Ruler
Masking Tape
Pencils/Pens
Colored Markers
Calculator
VIII. Student Templates or Worksheets
Activity A: Whole Class Activity
This table should be constructed on poster paper. Use red and blue markers. Use red
for less than 2 minutes and blue for greater than 2 minutes.
Less than 2 Minutes
Greater than 2 Minutes
Activity B: Group Activity
This table should be constructed by the student on writing paper. Each group will record
the data for students in their group. Data will be analyzed for mean, median, and mode.
Name
Time
IX. Expected Results
Activity A: Whole Class Activity
Students will write their names on either side of the class data table using red for less
than 2 minutes and blue for greater than 2 minutes. The bar graph of the results might
look like the one shown below.
Number of Students
Number of Students and the Time for
Driving the TekBot Through a Maze
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
Less than 2
minutes
Greater than 2
minutes
Activity B: Group Activity
The table below illustrates the times for a group of 5 students to complete the maze.
Each group will record the data for students in their group. The teacher would have the
option of which times to give to the students. Data can be analyzed for mean, median,
and mode.
A stop watch will give times in minutes and seconds which can be used to sort the times
to determine the median (middle number) or count the times to determine the mode
(occurs most often). To find the mean, students will need the time in just seconds or the
time in just minutes. Students will use a calculator to add up all 5 times and divide by 5
to get the mean (average).
Name
Abby
Maria
Diego
Quentin
Akshay
Time (min:sec)
1:52
1:45
2:04
2:04
1:58
Time (sec)
112
105
148
124
118
Time (min)
1.87
1.75
2.07
2.07
1.97
The data will need to be arranged by time so that the mode can be determined. The
data sorted by time is shown below.
Name
Maria
Abby
Akshay
Diego
Quentin
Mean
Median:
Mode:
Mean:
Time (min:sec)
1:45
1:52
1:58
2:04
2:04
1:57
Time (sec)
105
112
118
148
124
117
Time (min)
1.75
1.87
1.97
2.07
2.07
1.94
Akshay, 1:58
Diego, Quentin 2:04
1:57, or 117 seconds, or 1.94 minutes
X. Additional Links
http://score.kings.k12.ca.us/lessons/spiders.html
Sorting Through Spiders: A lesson used to introduce data collection and analysis
http://www.berkshiremuseum.org/living_landscapes/pdf/Berkshire_L2.pdf
Sound Walk: Listening on an outdoor walk provides data to be organized
http://www.nasaexplores.com/show_k4_teacher_st.php?id=021226113433
Clock It!: A lesson that uses student sleep and wake times