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2.20: Road Safety with Marty

45 Minutes

Lesson Overview

In this lesson we use Marty's colour sensor add on, along with the coloured tiles to program Marty to cross a road at a zebra crossing safely. This follows on from the other sensors Marty comes with, introduced in Lesson Pack 4: Responding to Our Environment.

The lesson is also an opportunity to discuss road safety with students and the different types of road crossings encountered in the UK.

Key vocabulary:
    Sensor, Crossing, Colour Sensor, Pelican Crossing, Zebra Crossing, Puffin Crossing, Road Safety,

Content Sections

  • Learning Objectives
    1. Extensions & Challenges
      • Additional Reading
      • 2.20: Road Safety with Marty

        45 Minutes

        Lesson Overview

        In this lesson we use Marty's colour sensor add on, along with the coloured tiles to program Marty to cross a road at a zebra crossing safely. This follows on from the other sensors Marty comes with, introduced in Lesson Pack 4: Responding to Our Environment.

        The lesson is also an opportunity to discuss road safety with students and the different types of road crossings encountered in the UK.

        Key vocabulary:
          Sensor, Crossing, Colour Sensor, Pelican Crossing, Zebra Crossing, Puffin Crossing, Road Safety,
        • Experience using sensors, the colour cards; conditional statements and loops
        • Tablet with Bluetooth 4.2+
        • Road Safety
          • Marty the Robot
          • Marty Workbook pages
          • Tablet with Bluetooth 4.2+
          • Access to the MartyBlocks editor
          • Marty colored tiles
          • Marty color sensor add-on

        Learning Objectives

        • Program Marty to carry out a series of actions using his colour sensors
        • Describe the different steps needed to cross a road safely
        • Program Marty to safely cross a road at a Pelican Crossing using the colour sensors
        • Ask students to think of all the different types of road crossings they have seen and used in everyday life. Then, using the images in the presentation as a prompt introduce the 6 different types of crossing present in the UK. The Teachers Guide contains additional information about each crossing
        • As an introduction to using the color sensors set up the red and yellow tiles as shown in presentation slide 10. Ask students to program Marty to walk forward, turn 90 degrees left on the yellow tile and then cross the road, stopping on the red tile. Discuss with students why this would NOT be a safe way to cross a road and write down the additional steps needed to cross a road safely
        • Using the same layout for the colored tiles, ask students to program Marty to safely cross the road at a zebra crossing
        • Discuss with pupils what additional features Marty would need in order to use one of the other crossings

        Extensions & Support

        • Ask pupils to program Marty to cross the road at a staggered crossing - remember each leg of the crossing must be treated as an independent crossing
        • Middle School Technology Applications: Grade 6 to Grade 8
        • Technologies: Computing Science
        • Literacy & English: Listening and Talking
        • Health and Wellbeing: Mental, Emotional, Social and Physical Wellbeing
        • Literacy & English: Writing
        • Computing, Design and Technology: Design and Technology
        • Computing, Design and Technology: Computing
        • CSTA Education Standards
        • Digital Technologies, Design & technologies: Digital Technologies
        • International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE)