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Learning Math/CS/Engineering Design with Robotics

Teacher's Notes for Hour of Code with RoboBlockly:


In RoboBlockly, students program a robot using a user-friendly drag-and-drop method. Students will complete basic problem solving to move a robot or multiple robots. After the Hour of Code students may visit the Playground to build and save their own unique code.


How to Use RoboBlockly's Hour of Code Activities in your Classroom

It will take students about an hour to get through all 8 activities and related video lessons. However, we believe that students should be able to learn at their own pace, and encourage you to give students additional time if needed to complete the activities or make it clear that they don't need to finish the entire set of activities.


What is Hour of Code?

The Hour of Code� is a nationwide initiative by Computer Science Education Week and Code.org to introduce millions of students to one hour of computer science and computer programming. Hopefully, after spending just one hour coding, students will want to keep going with many more hours of code.


Before Hour of Code

Prepare your classroom

  • Make sure you have a computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone for each student, or a device for each pair of students.
  • Make sure you have good Internet access in the classroom, as you will need to access the RoboBlockly Activities and videos.
  • Make sure you have a modern browser installed on the computers or devices. Test RoboBlockly on student's computers or devices. Make sure they work properly on browsers with sound and video.
  • Provide headphones or ask students to bring headphones if possible.
  • Introduce dual programming for collaborative learning. This learning model is especially helpful for students who may need some extra assistance.

Prepare yourself

Go through the Hour of Code activities yourself so that you are familiar with what your students will be experiencing. The Teacher Resource Packet contains all the activities and solutions for the Hour of Code.

Prepare your students

When using RoboBlockly in class, first demonstrate to students how to navigate and use the RoboBlockly website. There are Video Tutorials, along with a self-guided interactive non-video tutorial to help familiarize your students will the different functionalities of RoboBlockly. Help students get excited about Hour of Code by inspiring students and discussing how computer science impacts every part of our lives. As a class, list things that use code in everyday life, or discuss different ways technology impacts our lives etc.


During Hour of Code


After Hour of Code

  • Encourage your students to continue learning to program on RoboBlockly by exploring the Playground, Robotics, Computing or Grade Level specific Math Activities. Everything on RoboBlockly is free - students do not even have to create accounts!

RoboBlockly Hour of Code Overview

Use drag-and-drop programming to generate your own Ch code. Use this code to run virtual and hardwired Linkbot and Lego Mindstorms NXT/EV3 robots.

Teacher Resources: Hour of Code Teacher Resource Packet

Recommended Grade Level: Grade 4 and above

Technology Requirements: Modern browsers on computers, laptops, tables, or smartphones.

Pre-requisite Math Skills:

  • Number Sense - addition and subtraction with positive whole numbers.

Extension Activities:

Self Guided:

  • Robotics Level 1 - Activities cover and rely on math skills learned in Grade 4.
  • Robotics Level 2 - Activities cover and rely on math skills learned in Grade 5.
  • Coding Level 1 - Activities cover and rely on math skills learned in Grade 6.
  • Coding Level 2 - Activities cover and rely on math skills learned in Grade 7.

Teacher Lead:

Other Teacher Resources:

The following two textbooks in PDF files are freely available and distributed with C-STEM Studio.

  • Learning Robot Programming with Linkbot for the Absolute Beginner, 5th Edition
  • Learning Computing Programming with Ch for the Absolute Beginner, 2nd Edition