Traffic Bot

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to:

Build a program that makes the Root robot glow red, yellow, and green like a traffic light

Identify details about Garrett Morgan, the inventor of the traffic light

Make connections between the purpose of the traffic light and how it impacts daily life

Reflect on other ways coding and robotics can impact classrooms and communities

Getting Started

Share the Big City Adventure video with students. How can Root help fix the broken traffic signal? Discuss with students how to code Root as a traffic light. What colors will it need to glow?

Open the Starter Code: Big City Adventure to code Root into a Traffic Bot. Visit code.irobot.com and let students build their own program.

Let students share their coding solutions with the class to explain their thinking and expand about the decisions they made.


Practice

1. Traffic Bot CodeBreak Packet: Complete the coding challenges to discover who invented the traffic signal! Students can work independently or in small groups to complete the Traffic Bot CodeBreak packet.

2. Generations of STEM Activity: Learn more about Garrett Morgan, the inventor of the present-day traffic signal! This activity guide gives more information about Morgan’s accomplishments and celebrates his contributions. Depending on the needs of your students, you can read the biography together as a class, in small groups, or as an independent activity.

Reflection

Wrap up the lesson with a discussion about inventions, problem solving, and identifying solutions. Some potential questions include:

1. Why were Garrett Morgan’s inventions so important?

2. What qualities does Garrett Morgan embody that support his success?

3. Think about the Root robot as a traffic signal. What are other ways robotics and code can help our classroom or our community?

Finished?

Congratulations on completing your coding activity! Your next steps are:

1. Share on social media that your class has completed an Hour of Code™ using the tags #HourOfCode and #iRobotEducation

2. Visit code.org/api/hour/finish to download your Hour of Code™ Completion Certificate!