Activity Overview
Students learn basic programming commands to drive the TI-Rover, drawing shapes such as squares, circles, regular triangles and stars. In addition to the coding skills, students also learn to be persistent and resilient problem solvers. Through trial and error, students use the results of their program to refine and improve their result.
Objectives
Students use their knowledge of geometry and learn basic coding to instruct Rover to draw common shapes such as regular polygons, stars and houses. Students are able to make mistakes in this environment, they can use what they know to be the 'answer' and try again until they get the problem solved. So, in addition to acquiring some basic STEM skills, students also learn to be persistent and resilient problem solvers.
Vocabulary
- Forward
- Right Turn
- Left Turn
- For - EndFor
- Request
- Equilateral
- Regular Polygon
- External Angles
About the Lesson
The TI-Rover can follow simple commands such as Forward, Backward, Right Turn and Left Turn. Students use these basic commands to instruct Rover to draw shapes on a piece of paper. Students modify their program so that they can draw regular polygons of virtually any number of sides. Students then progress to drawing more complicated shapes such as 5 and 6 pointed stars.