TEACHER ONLY · LESSON GUIDE
SPIKE PRIME Days 2–3 — Hopper Race
Run the lesson here; the student item below remains the independent and absence route.
Daily Learning Contract
Topic: Prototype iteration through controlled testing
Objective: Students will analyze comparable test data to justify how changing one design variable affects prototype performance.
- §126.19(c)(3)(B) — discuss and implement a design process that includes planning, selecting digital tools to develop, test, and evaluate design limitations, and refining a prototype or model; and
- §126.19(c)(6) — The student uses digital tools to transform data, make inferences, and predictions. The student is expected to use digital tools in order to transform data, analyze trends, and predict possibilities and develop steps for the creation of an innovative process or product.
Demonstration of learning: Prototype Log with baseline and two iterations, comparable times, one changed variable per trial, and a written claim citing the data.
Before class
Time: Two class periods
Student route: Days 2–3: Hopper Race
Use what already exists: SPIKE PRIME overview; hoppers; 50 cm track; current student page.
Lesson flow
- Launch: Launch with a concrete question or failure that makes prototype iteration matter.
- Model: Model one current example or tool move before students begin.
- Do: Guide the first decision together, then release students to the existing Canvas task.
- Check + support: Check for the named evidence, not completion alone; keep a visual sequence, sentence stems, and purposeful partner roles available.
- Close + handoff: Collect or verify the evidence and name the next lesson's connection.
Check before students leave
Ask students to point to the specific evidence above and explain one choice, test, or revision. Completion alone is not evidence of understanding.
Support + troubleshooting
Scaffold: Keep the visual task sequence visible, assign purposeful partner roles, and use the sentence stems on the student page before simplifying the task.
When students get stuck: Ask for the exact step where the tool, code, or task stopped. Check setup, inputs, and saved work before replacing the task or lowering the thinking.