Teacher Daily Cards · Week 1
Why does motion matter? — one page per session, generated from the current curriculum.
How to read these cards. Scan the header icons:
🔧 hardware-dependent ·
★ Gate/Milestone. In the run of show, each teacher cue is its own line;
Say: /
Ask: mark exact moves.
▽ below / ◆ at / △ above are the three differentiation tracks, and
⏱ If behind today tells you what to cut when the clock is short.
When it goes sideways, work down this ladder. You do not have to invent a fix mid-period. 1. The day's ⏱ If behind today line on the card — it names exactly what to cut, and on gate days what must NOT be cut. 2. The week's If it goes sideways card at the back of this pack, when the problem is bigger than the clock. 3. The Boost Card on the table, when it is one student stuck rather than the room. 4. Message Liz after class, not during. If your situation is not named anywhere, every recovery move here follows one principle: protect the thing being assessed, and let everything else move.
Week 1 · Day 1Motion in the world
Find motion worth fixing — and name it like an engineer.
Competencies this lesson builds
- ★ DESIGN (Create for user needs · Problem Solving) — Students hunt for a motion a real person actually struggles with — the need comes first, before any math.
- ○ MODEL (Name the quantities · Mathematical Modeling) — “Grandpa can't eat” is a story. Naming it as an object moving from a start point to an end point is the first model.
Main work block · run of show (45 min) — one cue per line
- 0–6 · Watch the motion
- Play the motion clips (four at a time, drawn from nine everyday motions).
- Say: “Watch the PATH the hand traces, not the person.” Trace one path in the air; have them do it too.
- 6–17 · The project ahead
- Walk the on-screen four-week roadmap together: find your user → the trig → inverse kinematics → present.
- Say plainly what they’ll ultimately produce — a working arm motion for a real person, presented live — and name the four artifacts (Brief, FK Card, IK Card, Final Presentation).
- This is the day they buy in; let them ask “what will mine be?”
- 17–28 · Vague vs. specific
- Whole-class: two descriptions on the board (“moves the arm up” vs “lifts a cup from 0 cm to 24 cm along a curve”).
- Ask which a robot could follow, and why.
- Land it: a robot needs a START point, an END point, and a path.
- 28–40 · Sketch your motion
- Students sketch a motion task a real person has difficulty repeating, or moving something from one place to another — the hand’s start point, end point, and the curve between.
- Circulate; push “help with stuff” toward one specific movement.
- 40–45 · Close + prework check
- Two students share a motion.
- Remind them their “Day 0 interview” (own person, on paper) should already be done — it feeds Day 2.
- Anyone who hasn’t: they’ll partner-interview in class next session.
- Preview Day 2: “you turn your interview into your user’s problem and motion.” Math Move box.
Students produce → Which is a specific, robot-followable motion?
Three tracks — below / at / above- ▽ Below — Sketch from a given example first (cup from holder to tray), labeling its start, end, and path — then do their own with the same three labels.
- ◆ At — Sketch their own motion with start point, end point, and the curve between.
- △ Above — Sketch two candidate motions for the same person, then pick one and say in a sentence why it suits a 2-joint planar arm better.
⏱ If behind today (35 min, or yesterday ran over): Play two clips, not the set, and name the four artifacts off the on-screen roadmap in two minutes instead of walking it — buy-in also comes from the sketch. Keep vague-vs-specific: it is the standard the sketch gets held to. Protect the full sketch block, because Day 2 has nothing to work from without a start point, an end point, and a path.
Students will ask · what to sayAsk · “I can’t think of anyone.”
Say: Anyone who does a repetitive physical task — a parent stacking dishes, a grandparent reaching a shelf, a coach carrying gear. It doesn’t have to be dramatic.
Ask · “Does the motion have to be simple?”
Say: Simpler is better for Week 3’s math. A single reach (point A → point B) is perfect. Save the fancy stuff for the stretch.
Watch for- Sketches that describe a task (“make coffee”) instead of a MOTION. Redirect: “Where does the hand start and end?”
Boost Cards: BC9, BC0, BC7
Substitute today? Run it as a paper day — warm-up, work block, and exit ticket exactly as written above.
There is no arm today, so nothing to defer.
Week 1 · Day 2Define your user & motion
Turn your interview into a defined problem, one constraint, and a motion.
Competencies this lesson builds
- ★ DESIGN (Create for user needs · Problem Solving) — The interview becomes a defined user need, not a guess about what someone wants.
- ○ LIMITS (Recognize constraints · Mathematical Modeling) — Students name the one constraint the motion must respect (clear the wheelchair rail) — constraints are chosen, not discovered later.
- ○ MODEL (Name the quantities · Mathematical Modeling) — The motion gets written as two coordinate pairs: start (x, y) → end (x, y). If you can't write the points, you don't have a motion yet.
Warm-up · Daily Driver (on the board): Is “moves the arm up” specific enough for a robot to follow? (yes/no, one sentence why.)
Main work block · run of show (45 min) — one cue per line
- 0–5 · Entry Task
- Collect the yes/no.
- Land: a robot needs a start point, an end point, and a path — “up” gives it none.
- 5–10 · Launch
- Ask: “Who did you interview, and what physical task is hard for them?” Take 3–4 examples.
- Anyone without an interview: pair up and interview a partner for 5 min — the partner is the user.
- 10–25 · From the interview
- Students pull from their notes: the hard task, where the motion starts and ends, what gets in the way.
- Model turning “help him drink” into “move a cup from the tray (10, 8) up to his hand.”
- 25–38 · Find the constraint + set your user
- Identify the ONE physical constraint (a rail height, a max reach, a time).
- Then set the user + start/end points in the app (Choose your user).
- Distribute the Criteria vs.
- Constraints practice.
- 38–45 · Exit
- Which interview question best surfaces a constraint?
- Math Move box.
- Preview Day 3: “degrees and radians — two ways to name an angle.”
Students produce → worked problems on “Criteria vs. Constraints”
Three tracks — below / at / above- ▽ Below — Work from the modeled example (“help him drink” → “cup from the tray (10, 8) to his hand”), then do the same three-step conversion on their own interview notes.
- ◆ At — Convert their own notes to a named task, two points in cm, and one physical constraint.
- △ Above — Write a second constraint their user did not name but the situation implies, and say how it would change the motion.
⏱ If behind today (35 min, or yesterday ran over): Cut the launch share-out to one example and send the Criteria vs. Constraints practice home. What cannot move: every student leaves with a named user, a start and end point in cm, and ONE physical constraint — that is the Brief's raw material and Day 5 is a gate. Anyone still without an interview pairs up on the spot; do not let them wait for a person who may not turn up.
Students will ask · what to sayAsk · “Does it have to be a real person?”
Say: Ideally the one they interviewed. If not, a partner in class becomes the user — interview them for real, now.
Ask · “What’s the difference between a constraint and a criterion?”
Say: A constraint is a fixed limit you design around (must clear the 8 cm rail). A criterion is a measurable test of success (within 1.5 cm — yes/no). BC8 has the full breakdown.
Watch for- Motions with no coordinates. Push: “Give me two points in cm from the base (0,0).”
- Vague constraints (“it should be safe”). Ask for a number.
Boost Cards: BC9, BC8, BC0, BC7
Substitute today? Run it as a paper day — warm-up, work block, and exit ticket exactly as written above.
There is no arm today, so nothing to defer.
Week 1 · Day 3Degrees, radians & why we need both
Measure angles two ways — degrees and radians — and convert between them.
Competencies this lesson builds
- ◆ REPRESENT (Convert between forms · Computational Thinking) — One angle, two forms — 90° and π/2 are the same quantity. Students convert both directions (×π/180 and ×180/π).
- ◆ PATTERN (Notice what repeats · Computational Thinking) — The same conversion factor repeats on every problem; noticing that is what turns it into a tool instead of a lookup.
Warm-up · Daily Driver (on the board): In one word: is a constraint something the design must RESPECT or something OPTIONAL?
Note: Motion audit (2 min, while they warm up — before the Brief locks on Day 5): run each student’s start→end motion from last class past three checks. (1) Both endpoints within the arm’s reach — roughly ≤ 40 cm from the base (0, 0)? (2) Planar — a flat point-to-point path, no twisting, pouring, or 3-D lift? (3) User real and available to present to on Day 20? (4) Both endpoints at or ABOVE the shoulder line (y ≥ 0)? The arm refuses a target below it, and a motion that dips under passes Day 3 and Step 0 only to be rejected at the arm on Day 16. Any ‘no’ is a 30-second fix now; left alone it becomes a Day 15 gate failure. Jot the flagged students so you can catch them before the Brief.
Main work block · run of show (45 min) — one cue per line
- 0–5 · Entry Task
- Collect.
- Constraint = a hard limit the design must respect.
- 5–20 · Teacher-led · the bridge
- One fact on the board: a half-turn is 180° AND π radians.
- Derive the conversions from it: rad = deg × π/180, deg = rad × 180/π.
- Work 90° → π/2 together.
- 20–38 · Guided practice
- Distribute the Degrees ↔ Radians worksheet.
- Students convert both directions.
- Circulate — check calculator is in the right context; radians answers are multiples of π.
- 38–45 · Exit
- 45° in radians?
- Math Move box (tool = Radian Formula).
- Preview Day 4: “how far the arm’s tip actually travels.”
Students produce → worked problems on “Degrees ↔ Radians”
Three tracks — below / at / above- ▽ Below — Give the conversion filled in — 90° = 90·π/180 = π/2 — and they swap in one new angle.
- ◆ At — Convert both directions from the bridge (180° = π), including their own angle.
- △ Above — Derive 2π for a full turn from arc = r·θ, and convert an off-grid angle like 200°.
⏱ If behind today (35 min, or yesterday ran over): Do 90° → π/2 together, keep the exit, and assign the worksheet as homework.
Students will ask · what to sayAsk · “Why do we even need radians?”
Say: The robot (and the arc-length formula next class) think in radians. Degrees are for us; radians are for the math.
Ask · “Is π/2 the same as 1.57?”
Say: Yes — π/2 ≈ 1.5708. Keep the π form for exactness, the decimal for the calculator.
Watch for- Multiplying by 180/π when converting degrees→radians (backwards). Remind: degrees are bigger numbers, radians smaller — so deg→rad divides by ~57.
Boost Cards: BC7
Substitute today? Run it as a paper day — warm-up, work block, and exit ticket exactly as written above.
There is no arm today, so nothing to defer.
Week 1 · Day 4 🔧Arc length and reach
Find how far the arm’s tip travels when it sweeps an angle.
Competencies this lesson builds
- ◆ REPRESENT (Convert between forms · Computational Thinking) — s = r·θ converts an angle into a distance — the same sweep expressed as arc length the end-effector actually travels.
- ○ LIMITS (Recognize constraints · Mathematical Modeling) — Reach bounds what the arm can touch at all: 8 ≤ r ≤ 40 cm on this arm. Some targets are simply unreachable.
Warm-up · Daily Driver (on the board): Convert 60° to radians (decimal).
Main work block · run of show (45 min) — one cue per line
- 0–5 · Entry Task
- 60° → 1.047 rad.
- Quick check of last class.
- 5–20 · Teacher-led · arc = r·θ
- Sweep your arm to show the tip tracing an arc.
- Formula: s = r·θ, θ in RADIANS.
- Work r=18, 45°=0.785 → 14.1 cm together.
- 20–35 · Guided practice
- Arc Length worksheet.
- Emphasize converting to radians first — the #1 error.
- 35–42 · Arm Check
- Groups of 3–4 rotate: sweep the arm ~45° and measure the tip’s travel with a tape.
- Compare to the calculated arc.
- Discuss why they differ (slack, measurement).
- If you have a minute per group, flip the panel's DEG/RAD toggle (and the RAW/π sub-toggle) and have them re-enter the SAME sweep as 0.785 rad or 0.25π — the arm lands in the identical place, which is last class's conversion verified by the hardware instead of by you.
- 42–45 · Exit + preview
- Double the angle → double the arc.
- Math Move (Radian Formula).
- Preview Day 5: “put the whole week together — your Brief.”
Students produce → worked problems on “Arc Length: s = r · θ”
Three tracks — below / at / above- ▽ Below — Arc formula pre-written with r filled in; they plug in θ (already in radians).
- ◆ At — Convert to radians first, then s = r·θ for their own sweep.
- △ Above — Invert it — find the angle that makes the tip travel a target distance — and tie it to the 40 cm max reach.
⏱ If behind today (35 min, or yesterday ran over): Skip the physical Arm Check; keep one worked s = r·θ and one solo, and fold the measurement into Day 9's station time.
Students will ask · what to sayAsk · “Do I use degrees or radians in s = r·θ?”
Say: Radians, always. If you plug in degrees you’ll get an answer ~57× too big.
Watch for- Panels left on IN. This is the class's first contact with the arm, so set the habit here: every number in the unit is cm, and the toggle does not warn you. Confirm L₁/L₂ read 18 and 22 at every station. A target typed on IN lands about 20 cm off, inside the reach so nothing flags it, and it reads as a calibration error for the rest of the unit.
- Using degrees in the arc formula. Catch it by the SIZE of the answer, not by comparing it to the arm: an arc can legitimately be longer than the arm (an 18 cm link sweeping 150° traces about 47 cm). The degree error makes it tens of times too big.
Boost Cards: BC1, BC7 · arm setup (BC7)
Substitute today? Run it as a paper day — warm-up, work block, and exit ticket exactly as written above.
No arm needed: defer the Arm Check to the next arm day, or have students measure from the reference video (same motion, ruler in frame) — not yet filmed, so until it is, demo the motion by hand with a ruler or use the Day-11 aimer in the app, which simulates the same landing. The prediction and the error reasoning are unchanged — only where the measured number comes from.
Week 1 · Day 5 · Gate/Milestone ★The Brief
Milestone 1 — produce your one-page Project Brief.
Competencies this lesson builds
- ★ DESIGN (Create for user needs · Problem Solving) — Gate/Milestone 1 — the Brief must serve a real user's need, not a math exercise.
- ○ MODEL (Name the quantities · Mathematical Modeling) — The motion is stated as two points with coordinates.
- ◆ REPRESENT (Convert between forms · Computational Thinking) — The sketch and the coordinates describe the same motion two ways.
- ○ LIMITS (Recognize constraints · Mathematical Modeling) — One constraint, written so someone else could check it.
Warm-up · Daily Driver (on the board): Arc length for a 90° sweep at r = 18 cm? (90° = 1.571 rad)
Note: Two-part day. Anyone who needs it drafts the Brief the night before — no interview? BC0 gives a stand-in user. Class time is exemplar calibration, writing, peer review, and submission — not a cold start.
Main work block · run of show (45 min) — one cue per line
- 0–5 · Entry Task
- 28.3 cm.
- Warm the arc formula, then set the frame: today the Brief IS the assessment — no worksheet.
- 5–13 · Calibrate on exemplars
- Put the 2/5 and 4/5 Brief exemplars side by side.
- Whole-class: “Which competency level is this?
- What ONE change moves 2/5 → 4/5?” Land the rubric (DESIGN, MODEL, REPRESENT, LIMITS) before anyone writes — now they know what “measurable” actually looks like.
- 13–23 · Plan on the organizer
- Students fill the 5-box “Brief Planner” first (who · task · motion start→end in cm · obstacle/constraint · three criteria) and sketch the motion in the middle box.
- This is where vague motions get caught — circulate and push every motion to two points in cm before anyone writes prose.
- 23–34 · Write the Brief
- Convert the planner into the one-page Brief using the sentence stems.
- Circulate with the exemplars in hand — fastest feedback is “which level is this, and what moves it up?” Push every criterion to a number + yes/no.
- 34–41 · Peer review vs. checklist
- Swap Briefs.
- Each partner runs the 5-item checklist and flags ONE criterion that isn't measurable yet; authors revise.
- Early finishers: add a one-line rationale to each criterion — the 5/5 “justify your choices” move.
- 41–45 · Submit + close
- Students submit.
- Tags against DESIGN, MODEL, REPRESENT, LIMITS (pass = all 5 Brief checklist must-haves).
- Preview Week 2: “next week is trig — and the arm diagram is the triangle.”
Students produce → Project Brief (Gate/Milestone — pass 5/5 must-haves)
Three tracks — below / at / above- ▽ Below — Planner with the who/task/motion boxes pre-filled from what they set in the app on Day 2, so the writing is the criteria and the constraint only.
- ◆ At — Full 5-box planner, then the Brief in prose using the sentence stems.
- △ Above — Add the one-line WHY to each criterion — why that number, why that motion. That is the 4/5 → 5/5 move, and it is the same rubric, not extra work.
⏱ If behind today (35 min, or yesterday ran over): Gate day — the submission is the only thing that cannot move. Cut in this order: peer review first (you are already circulating with the exemplars in hand, which is the same feedback faster), then trim exemplar calibration to the single 2/5-vs-4/5 pair and one question. Do NOT cut the 5-box planner: it is where vague motions get caught, and a Brief written straight to prose is the one that fails LIMITS. Keep the last four minutes for submit + tag. If the shortfall is unwritten drafts rather than the clock — half the class arriving with nothing — that is the week's Contingencies card, not this line.
Students will ask · what to sayAsk · “Is my motion specific enough?”
Say: Two points in cm and a named task. “Lift a cup” → “from the holder (18,22) to the tray (10,8).”
Ask · “How many criteria?”
Say: Three, each measurable. At least one should be a physical constraint (clears the rail).
Ask · “I finished early.”
Say: Deepen, don't stop: add a one-line WHY to each criterion (why that number, why that motion). That's the difference between a 4/5 and a 5/5.
Watch for- Criteria that are wishes (“works well”). Send back to BC8 / the UDS trick.
- A motion with only one point — remind them a motion has a start AND an end.
- Skipping the planner to write prose — the organizer is what prevents a vague Brief.
Boost Cards: BC1, BC7
Substitute today? Run it as a paper day — warm-up, work block, and exit ticket exactly as written above.
There is no arm today, so nothing to defer.
Week 1 · ContingenciesIf it goes sideways
Three recovery moves for this week — preserve rigor, ease the crunch. Reach for this card when the problem is bigger than the clock; if it is only the clock, the day's ⏱ If behind today line is the faster fix.
- Half the class hasn't finished the Brief by Day 5 — Collect every Brief on Day 5 and tag the evidence that is there. Collected on time and passed are separate decisions: tagging records what arrived, it does not pass the gate. Name the missing must-haves, return the Brief, and assign finishing them as completion work. It passes at 5/5 and not before: the user, the motion as two coordinate points, three criteria each carrying a number and a yes/no test, one of those a physical constraint, and the sentence on why the motion matters.
- A drill or assembly eats a period — The Brief (Day 5) is the only must-keep artifact this week. Compress Days 3–4 to one worked example each and push practice to homework — don't cut Day 5.
- Students arrive with no interview — BC0 stand-in users — five minutes to a user, a motion, and a constraint. Nobody waits at the start line.
- The app or the internet is down — Days 2–4 print in full with answer keys, so the math runs on paper unchanged, and Day 4's arm work is unaffected because the arm is on its own wi-fi network. On Day 5 hand out the printed Brief template and its checklist and tag the paper later. Day 1 has only its Catch-Up Card: run the vague-vs-specific pair from the board and have them sketch on paper.
Generated from the live curriculum · npm run gen:printables