Final project

Session length: 90-120 minutes (can run across two sessions)

Learning purpose

This is the capstone. Students pick a mission - delivery, search-and-rescue, inspection, sorting, or accessibility help - and pull together everything from the course: a planning brief, a labeled sketch, an input-processing-output diagram, a flowchart, a mechanical design that moves, at least one sensor, and a program that uses a sequence, a loop, and a condition, with a safe stopping behavior. They run three test runs, document one improvement, and explain how their robot helps.

Expected student outcomes

By the end of this week, students can:

Turn a real need into a robot mission with requirements and constraints
Plan a robot with a brief, a labeled sketch, an input-processing-output diagram, and a flowchart
Build or simulate a robot that uses at least one sensor and moves reliably
Write a program that uses a sequence, a loop, a condition, and a safe stop
Test the robot three times, document one improvement, and explain how it helps

Suggested pacing

About 90-120 minutes (can run across two sessions). Adjust to your group - these are guides, not limits.

Step	Focus	Minutes
Choose your mission	Pick delivery, search-and-rescue, inspection, sorting, or accessibility help.	10 min
Plan on paper	Planning brief, labeled sketch, input-processing-output diagram, flowchart.	25 min
Build or set up the robot	A stable, moving base with at least one sensor.	25 min
Program the mission	Sequence, loop, condition, and safe stop.	25 min
Three test runs and one improvement	Record each run, change one thing, re-test.	20 min
Explain how it helps	Final explanation and reflection.	10 min
Share and score	Present the robot and score it against the rubric.	15 min

Before you start

Set up

Print the planning brief, flowchart page, test record, and rubric for each student or team.
Set aside a clear floor or table area for building and testing.
Decide whether to run the capstone in one long session or split planning and building across two.

Prepare ahead

Review the five mission choices and prepare one worked example for each if possible.
Have earlier weeks' materials and any kits/sensors ready and charged.
Read the rubric so scoring is consistent.

Materials

Final Project planning brief (printable)(Kit, Simulator, Unplugged)
Flowchart and sketch pages (printable)(Kit, Simulator, Unplugged)
Three-run test record (printable)(Kit, Simulator, Unplugged)
Final Project rubric (printable)(Kit, Simulator, Unplugged)
A programmable robot kit with at least one sensor(Kit)
Computer or tablet with the browser simulator(Simulator)
Cardboard, bottle caps, straws, tape, string, and markers(Unplugged)
A course-length materials kit from earlier weeksOptional(Kit, Unplugged)

Safety

cautionKeep a clear, obstacle-free area for test runs and stay clear of moving parts.(Kit)
cautionUse child-safe scissors with an adult when building the cardboard model.(Unplugged)
infoSave your program and journal often so a browser refresh doesn't lose your work.(Simulator)

Full safety briefing

Review these once with your group. They apply across the whole course; the notes above are what matters most this week.

Batteries and circuitsKit

Use only appropriate low-voltage educational equipment - no wall outlets and no household batteries wired by hand.
Never connect a battery's two terminals directly to each other.
Stop right away if a motor, wire, or battery becomes hot, and tell an adult.
Disconnect the power before changing wheels, motors, or other mechanical parts.

Motors and gearsKit

Keep fingers, hair, jewelry, sleeves, and loose clothing away from moving gears and wheels.
Do not force a stalled motor that has stopped turning - switch it off and find out why.
Make sure moving parts are secured before you run a test.

Moving robots

Test on the floor, not on a table where the robot could drive off an edge.
Keep robots away from stairs, roads, water, pets, and people's feet.
Use a clear, open test area.
Always include a safe-stop behavior so the robot halts when the job is done or something is in the way.

Tools and materialsKit, Unplugged

Ask an adult for help with cutting or any sharp tools.
Use safe classroom materials - no sharp, toxic, or breakable items.
Never launch or swing an attachment toward a person.

Running the session

1.Insist on a finished plan before any building starts - this is the biggest predictor of success.
2.Circulate during build and program time; ask questions instead of fixing robots.
3.Protect time for all three test runs and the improvement; do not let building eat the whole session.
4.End with short presentations scored against the rubric.

Common misconceptions

'It worked once, so it's done' - reliability across three runs is the bar.
'The plan is a waste of time' - unplanned builds usually stall or get rebuilt.
Skipping the safe stop because the mission 'ends anyway'.

Questions to ask

What does your robot sense, decide, and do?
Where is the loop and where is the condition in your program?
What happened across your three runs, and what did you change?

Classroom & group adaptations

Make it easier

Offer a pre-set mission and grid/course so students focus on programming and testing rather than open design.

Make it harder

Require two sensors, a counter variable, or a mission with more than one goal.

Groups & whole class

In pairs or small groups, give each student a role that rotates - driver (builds or types), navigator (reads the plan), and recorder (fills the worksheet) - so everyone participates. For a whole-class demo, run one shared robot or simulator on the board, have students predict together, then let groups repeat it on their own path. Groups can also mix paths: one builds on the kit while another checks the same idea in the simulator or unplugged, then they compare results.

Hardware and no-hardware notes

Every activity this week runs three ways - all three teach the same core idea, so pick whichever fits your room. No specific product is required.

Kit

Final Project planning brief (printable)
Flowchart and sketch pages (printable)
Three-run test record (printable)
Final Project rubric (printable)
A programmable robot kit with at least one sensor
A course-length materials kit from earlier weeks

Simulator

Final Project planning brief (printable)
Flowchart and sketch pages (printable)
Three-run test record (printable)
Final Project rubric (printable)
Computer or tablet with the browser simulator

Unplugged

Final Project planning brief (printable)
Flowchart and sketch pages (printable)
Three-run test record (printable)
Final Project rubric (printable)
Cardboard, bottle caps, straws, tape, string, and markers
A course-length materials kit from earlier weeks

Troubleshooting

Common problems from this week's activities and what to try.

Robot works once but not againKitTry: Run the reliability checklist from Week 6: same start position, fresh batteries, re-check the sensor threshold.
Robot never reacts to the sensorKitTry: Print the sensor reading and confirm your threshold is on the right side of the real value.
Robot drives off the gridSimulatorTry: Add a repeat-until or a sensor condition so it stops at the edge or goal.
Loop never endsSimulatorTry: Check the repeat-until condition actually becomes true during the run.
Two people 'run' the program differentlyUnpluggedTry: The steps are ambiguous - rewrite them to be exact, like the Week 3 instructions.
No place for a conditionUnpluggedTry: Add an if-card such as 'if bumper touches wall, turn right'.

Knowledge-check answer key

Answers are shown here for the adult only - the student worksheet keeps them hidden.

1. Why do engineers write a planning brief and draw a flowchart before building?
Correct answer: To think through the mission, requirements, and steps before spending materials
Why: A brief and flowchart let you work out the mission, requirements, constraints, and steps before you build.
2. Your program must include a condition. What does a condition let your robot do?
Correct answer: Choose an action based on what a sensor reads
Why: A condition lets the robot pick an action based on a sensor reading - the heart of reacting to the world.
3. Why do you run the mission three times instead of once?
Correct answer: To prove it works reliably, not just once by luck
Why: Three runs show whether the robot does the job reliably, which is how real robots are judged.
4. What is a 'safe stop' behavior?
Correct answer: A programmed behavior that stops the robot when the job is done or something is in the way
Why: A safe stop is a programmed behavior that halts the robot when it finishes or senses an obstacle.