Using their knowledge on engineering and coding, fourth-graders in Phinola Baeza’s class programmed robots and created challenging courses for their bots to best. Using the hallway as their roadway, the eager students carefully plotted courses on the floor with masking tape. The designs included sharp right and left angles for small robots that whirred and followed the directions programmed by student teams. If the robots veered off the desired course, new measurements were taken and coordinates were re-programmed to match the course.   

Ms. Baeza explained that the Winthrop students have recently learned the basics of coding and were instructed to apply those skills in the programming of robots. The students had the free choice of design for their courses. “The activity requires a lot of teamwork and problem-solving skills, in addition to coding and measurement skills,” she said.