Write a short programme from start to finish.

Once the pupils have become familiar with the way the block codes work and how to apply them for a purpose using the mBot, they can carry out an assessment/self-assessment, either by writing a programme that fulfils their own objective, or a programme for a mission that is given to them but they are not given a code model for it.

Two different tasks are suggested: one involves programming the mBot, the other involves programming without mBot. The mBot programming task is more complex whereas programming without mBot is easier.

A mission for the mBot

The pupils are asked to think up their own mission for the mBot and to write down the different processes that the robot must execute in succession. The different work steps must then be produced on the mBlock programme using the blocks of code that are already available. To solve this task, it is useful for pupils to look back over the scripts they commented on during their first missions to remind themselves of the function of the different codes.

It is then possible to work out together, in group, whether the written code corresponds to the objective of their chosen mission.

A mission for Paxi (can also be done as homework)

In this task, pupils give a series of instructions to an image, for example the image of Paxi, or another image of their choice.

Preparation:

1. Download the image of Paxi onto your computer.
2. Open the “mBlock” programme.
3. In the “Sprites” tab on the left, delete the image of the panda.
4. Still in the “Sprites” tab, click on the “Add” button, then “Upload” and select the image of Paxi that you downloaded previously.
5. Click on “OK”.
6. Still in the “Sprites” tab, reduce the size of the image of Paxi from 100 to 30.

Exercise

Create a new programme where Paxi follows your mouse pointer continuously, without ever touching it.