What if Paul Revere was played by a robot?

Working with D97 librarians, we recently began a pilot program for fifth graders combining our popular Geared Up and Robotics programs. The six-week residency excites kids about coding, tech, and robots and provides a new look at the curriculum.

Fifth graders at Hatch Elementary are wrapping up the first residency. In teams of two, students built, programmed, and re-engineered their LEGO Mindstorms robots to complete a challenge called “The Road to Independence.” Students must program their robots to travel specific distances, make turns, spin in circles, flash lights and ring bells.

Students worked patiently together to adjust their programming commands to make the robot stay on course. Many said this was their first exposure to robotics, and that they would be interested in learning more in middle school. This new initiative, supported by donors to OPEF, will also serve 5th graders at Whittier, Longfellow and Irving.

Visit here for more information about our middle school robotics programs.

Visit here for more information about our Geared Up program.