Robot Explorers
Course overview.
Grade 2
Semester 1 — Meet the Robots
Goal: Students discover what Edison can do using pre-set barcodes. No programming required. Focus is exploration, play, and first encounter with the engineering loop (try → observe → improve).
Who’s in the room: All new. No prior experience assumed.
Programming level: Level 0 (barcodes only)
Key activities: Ball game, clap racing, sumo
- Session 1 — What's a Robot?Students meet Edison, find its sensors, and use a clap-control barcode to drive it across the room. First encounter with Input → Process → Output and the engineering loop.
- Session 2 — Clap RacingOpening concept: A program is a set of instructions. The barcode is a tiny program already written for us.
- Session 3 — Obstacle AvoidanceOpening concept: Sensors let robots react to the world automatically.
- Session 4 — Ball Game IntroductionOpening concept: A tool is only useful if you can control it precisely.
- Session 5 — Ball Game TournamentOpening concept: Improvement comes from trying, watching, and adjusting.
- Session 6 — Line Tracking and SumoOpening concept: Robots can follow rules they never had to be taught, if we program those rules in.
- Session 7 — Bounce in BordersOpening concept: Rules can keep a robot safe inside a defined space.
- Session 8 — Engineering ShowcaseOpening concept: Engineers show their work and explain their thinking.
Semester 2 — Program the Robot
Goal: Students write their first programs using Card Coding — physical barcode cards laid out in sequence, then scanned one by one. No computer needed. Focus is sequencing, loops, and the engineering loop applied to programming.
Who’s in the room: Mix of returning Class 1 students and some new. Session 1 is accessible to all.
Programming level: Level 1 (Card Coding), with Level 0 for Session 1
Key activities: Card-programmed sequences, simple maze, ball game with programmed approach
- Session 1 — Robot Warm-UpActivity:
- Session 2 — My First Program (Card Coding Lesson 1)Opening concept: A program is a sequence. Order matters.
- Session 3 — Loops and Repeats (Card Coding Lesson 2)Opening concept: When you need to do the same thing many times, write it once and repeat it.
- Session 4 — Simple Maze (Engineering Focus)Opening concept: Engineers test, find what breaks, and fix it.
- Session 5 — Sensors and Wait Until (Card Coding Lesson 3)Opening concept: Sensors let programs react instead of just following a script.
- Session 6 — Ball Game with a Programmed ApproachOpening concept: Can programming help you do better at the game?
- Session 7 — Card Coding Project (Card Coding Lesson 5)Opening concept: Engineers design for a goal, not just to make something move.
- Session 8 — Showcase and What's NextActivity:
Grade 3
Semester 1 — Block Builders
Goal: Students make the jump to app-based programming using EdBlocks. They consolidate barcode knowledge quickly (accessible to new students) and spend the bulk of the class learning to drive precisely, turn, and navigate a maze.
Who’s in the room: Mix of returning students (from Class 2 or not), some brand new to grade 3. Session 1 is designed as a full reset.
Programming level: Level 0 → Level 2 → Level 3 (EdBlocks Activities 1–12)
Key activities: EdBlocks environment, drive + turn programming, maze engineering challenge
- Session 1 — Robot Boot CampActivity:
- Session 2 — Clap Racing and Sensor GamesOpening concept: What Edison can sense determines what it can do.
- Session 3 — Welcome to EdBlocksOpening concept: Block coding is writing instructions without typing words.
- Session 4 — Let's DriveOpening concept: Precise movement requires knowing how far your robot actually goes.
- Session 5 — Let's TurnOpening concept: Turning is harder than it looks because robots aren’t perfect.
- Session 6 — Let's Try a MazeOpening concept: A complex problem is just a set of simple problems in sequence.
- Session 7 — Maze ChallengeOpening concept: Harder problems need more iteration, not more guessing.
- Session 8 — Ball Game with EdBlocksOpening concept: A program can handle the boring part so you can focus on the hard part.
Semester 2 — Sensor Squad
Goal: Students go beyond driving and turning to use Edison’s sensors in their programs — line following, obstacle detection, lights, and sound. Programs become reactive, not just sequential.
Who’s in the room: Mix of returning Class 3 students and new students. Session 1 resets with barcodes.
Programming level: Level 3–4 (EdBlocks Activities 13–21)
Key activities: Line-following races, sensor obstacle courses, performance programming, border challenge
- Session 1 — Warm-Up and ReviewActivity:
- Session 2 — Follow the LineOpening concept: A sensor program tells Edison to keep doing something until a condition changes.
- Session 3 — Stop at a LineOpening concept: Sensors can trigger an action at exactly the right moment — but “exactly” is harder than it sounds.
- Session 4 — Lights and SoundOpening concept: Output isn’t just movement — robots can communicate through light and sound.
- Session 5 — Obstacle DetectionOpening concept: If Edison can sense an obstacle, it can decide what to do about it.
- Session 6 — Stay in BordersOpening concept: Two sensors working together give a robot much more capability than either alone.
- Session 7 — Music and PerformanceOpening concept: Engineers can choose to make something beautiful, not just functional.
- Session 8 — Grand ChallengeOpening concept: Big challenges require combining everything you know.
Grade 4
Semester 1 — Challenge Engineers
Goal: Students work through EdBlocks at a faster pace and take on more complex, open-ended challenges. Emphasis is on the engineering process as a framework for tackling hard problems. Advanced students get a first look at EdScratch.
Who’s in the room: Grade 4, mix of returning and new. Session 1 accessible to all.
Programming level: Level 3–4 (EdBlocks Activities 10–23), Level 5 (EdScratch Units 1–2 for advanced students)
Key activities: Advanced maze, Robot Olympics, Operation: Neko Prime
- Session 1 — Robot Boot Camp (Grade 4 Edition)Activity:
- Session 2 — EdBlocks Express: Drive and TurnActivity:
- Session 3 — Advanced MazeOpening concept: Precision is earned through systematic testing.
- Session 4 — Sensor Challenge CourseActivity:
- Session 5 — Robot Olympics, Event 1: Line RaceOpening concept: Fair competition requires fair rules. Engineers set the rules.
- Session 6 — Robot Olympics, Event 2: Obstacle Maze DesignOpening concept: Good engineers test their designs from the user’s perspective.
- Session 7 — EdScratch Preview / EdBlocks CapstoneActivity:
- Session 8 — Operation: Neko PrimeOpening concept: Real engineering problems don’t come with instructions.
Semester 2 — Robot Masters
Goal: Students tackle open-ended design challenges using EdBlocks (advanced) or EdScratch. Emphasis on the full engineering process as a repeatable professional skill, not just a classroom activity. Capstone project is student-designed.
Who’s in the room: Mix of returning Class 5 students and new-to-the-grade students. Session 1 accessible to all. New students may be at EdBlocks level while returning students use EdScratch — that’s expected and fine.
Programming level: Level 4 (EdBlocks 16–23) for new-to-grade students; Level 5 (EdScratch Units 1–4) for returning students
Key activities: EdScratch loops + conditionals, geometry challenge, Operation: Neko Prime (if not done), capstone project
- Session 1 — Warm-Up and PlacementActivity:
- Session 2 — EdScratch: Move ItActivity:
- Session 3 — Loops and GeometryOpening concept: A loop that runs 4 times with a drive + 90° turn should make a square. Does it?
- Session 4 — Quad Squad: Geometry ChallengeOpening concept: STEAM means the math and the engineering are the same problem.
- Session 5 — Conditionals and Line AlgorithmsOpening concept: If-then logic lets a robot make decisions, not just follow a script.
- Session 6 — Design Challenge: Course BuildersOpening concept: A good engineer defines the problem before touching any tools.
- Session 7 — Capstone Project WorkActivity:
- Session 8 — Capstone ShowcaseOpening concept: Engineers communicate their work as clearly as they build it.