Could Dash and Dot be used to motivate students to write stories? Absolutely! Students will make a spinner that will attach to Dash or Dot. They will use the story starters on the spinner to create stories of their own. This activity can be done without robots, too.
Learning Objectives
- Encourage students to imagine other uses for Dash and Dot by creating a spinner that attaches to the robot’s eye.
- Reinforce programming skills by downloading the Blockly code onto Dash or Dot.
- Produce confidence for all students by using the story beginnings on the spinner to create a story.
What You’ll Need
Hands-on
If you don’t have a Dash or Dot robot…
- Paper
- Pencil or pen
- Brad—a small wire nail
- Paper clip
- Scissors
If you have a Dash or Dot robot…
- Dash or Dot robot
- Device with Blockly app
- Paper
- Pencil or Pen
- Scissors
- Tape
Minds-on
- Problem-solving
- Perseverance
- Critical thinking
- Creativity
Spin a Story with Dash
Watch the Dash and Dot Show and think about what Dot’s clue might mean. In this activity, students will write their own robot story by designing a Story Spinner to get started.
- How did starting with a story beginning help you think of your story?
- If you were to pick any of the story beginnings, which one would you pick? Why?
For Students
- Create a “story endings spinner,” with endings to a story. Spin the new spinner and write an ending based upon where you land.
- What other ways could you use the Dash and Dot spinner? Create a game using your newly designed spinner.
For Teachers
- Incorporating the Dash and Dot spinner to motivate your students doesn’t have to stop at language arts. You can make a spinner with math problems or questions for social studies and science. What are other ways that the Dash and Dot spinner can work in your classroom? Get your students involved with writing questions or math problems, as well. This will give you formative feedback on how well they understood this activity.
