Year 9 Digital TechnologiesUnits 1 and 2
INTERNAL PLANNING PAGE

Year 9 Digital Technologies • Term 2 Build Guide

This page is for teacher planning and sequencing as we build the term one lesson at a time. It keeps the big picture visible, shows what existing VEX material we are reusing, and gives us a repeatable structure for building each weekly lesson page without reinventing the wheel.

Core direction for the term: coding remains the main focus, with engineering used where it improves performance, testing, and design.

Big picture

Weeks 1 to 5 are direct teaching.

Assessment is released at the end of Week 5.

Drafts are due at the end of Week 6.

Feedback is returned in the middle of Week 7.

Final submission is due at the end of Week 8.

Weeks 9 to 10 are for extension and consolidation.

Term design rule

Keep teacher talk short.

Most of each 70 minute lesson should be student work.

Reuse VEX material wherever possible.

Do not reteach Term 1 Python basics from scratch.

Use blocks as a scaffold, not the final destination.

Use the engineering notebook from Lesson 2 onward as a standing classroom routine and evidence source.

Engineering notebook rule

Notebook not expected in Week 1 Lesson 1.

Notebook required from Week 2 onward.

Notebook is individual, even during group work.

Students write in it during the lesson, not afterwards from memory.

Teacher signs off each relevant lesson. This matters for assessment evidence.

Term 2 at a glance

Week Focus Main VEX material Term 1 knowledge link Build priority
1 Systems, build, manual control Scavenger Hunt, Treasure Hunt Lesson 1, Driver Configurations Input, output, step-by-step thinking Build Week 1 lesson pages + notebook system launch
2 Sequencing and movement Treasure Hunt Lesson 2 and practice tasks Sequence, prediction, debugging Build Week 2 lesson pages
3 Sensors and decisions Treasure Hunt Lesson 3 and sensor practice If statements, logic, conditions Build Week 3 lesson pages
4 Algorithms and reliability Castle Crasher Lesson 4 and related challenge work Planning, looping, refinement Build Week 4 lesson pages
5 Optimisation and blocks to Python Up and Over claw design, motor groups, VEXcode bridge work Functions, structure, text-based coding Build Week 5 lesson pages and assessment launch
6 Assessment draft Teacher-created assessment materials + reused VEX supports Integrated programming Assessment support page
7 Feedback and refinement Teacher feedback + troubleshooting supports Debugging and improvement Feedback support page
8 Final testing and submission Teacher assessment supports Reliability and polish Final submission page
9 Extension challenge Selected post-assessment robotics tasks Independent transfer Extension page
10 Consolidation Teacher-curated recap and final challenge Systems thinking Consolidation page
1. Reuse map: what we are borrowing from VEX
VEX source What we are taking Why it stays What we trim or adapt
Scavenger Hunt Parts knowledge and system orientation Fast way into hardware fluency Keep short and practical
Treasure Hunt Lesson 1 BaseBot/Simple Clawbot build, battery readiness, setup context Essential shared platform Do not run the full challenge in Week 1
Driver Configurations Manual movement experience Builds intuition before coding Use as a bridge into a teacher-authored diagnostic checkpoint
Treasure Hunt Lesson 2 Drivetrain coding and path planning Best early coding anchor Skip beginner overload if students are ready
Treasure Hunt Lesson 3 Optical sensor and decisions Strong link to prior Python logic Frame around existing knowledge of if statements
Castle Crasher Lesson 4 Algorithms and generalised behaviour Moves beyond fixed path coding Keep the strongest practice pieces only
Up and Over Lesson 2 Claw design and iteration Useful engineering support Keep engineering light, not dominant
Motor Groups Power vs speed discussion Helpful optimisation concept Use as a short targeted insert
2. Lesson build sequence: what we need to create
Week 1 pages

Lesson page: robot systems and parts

Lesson page: build day

Lesson page: driver readiness checkpoint

Week 2 pages

Lesson page: first autonomous movement

Lesson page: turning and path planning

Lesson page: path challenge and debugging

Week 3 pages

Lesson page: what sensors do

Lesson page: decisions using sensor input

Lesson page: reactive behaviour challenge

Week 4 pages

Lesson page: algorithms and planning

Lesson page: test and improve

Lesson page: challenge application

Week 5 pages

Lesson page: design improvement

Lesson page: power, efficiency, and reliability

Lesson page: blocks to Python bridge + assessment launch

Pin for later

Create a separate beginner coding tutorials page as a support layer, not as the main lesson flow.

3. Standard lesson page recipe
Lesson page structure

1. Hero card with lesson title, context, and lesson goal

2. Today you will learn

3. Success criteria

4. Resources / reused VEX material

5. Short concept explanation

6. Step-by-step task sequence

7. What students record or produce

8. What students must show the teacher

9. Troubleshooting section

10. What to do if finished

Lesson timing guide for 70 minutes

5 to 10 min = launch and explain the task

10 to 15 min = direct setup or guided model

35 to 40 min = student build, code, test, improve

5 to 10 min = reflection, checkpoint, pack-up

Every lesson must answer these 4 questions

What are students building or testing today?

What code idea is being applied?

What VEX material are we reusing?

How will students know they are done?

Notebook requirement when relevant

If the notebook is in use that lesson, the page must say:

what to write

what evidence to include

what the teacher will check

that teacher sign-off is required before students leave

4. Blocks to Python transition plan

The transition should feel like translation, not a new subject.

Stage What students see Teacher move Outcome
Weeks 1 to 2 Blocks as concrete robot instructions Keep emphasis on behaviour and sequence Students trust the system
Week 3 Blocks connected to decisions and sensor values Explicitly name the if-statement link to Python Students see familiar logic in a new form
Week 4 More complex block structures and repeated testing Talk about algorithms, not just blocks Students prepare for translation
Week 5 Same behaviour shown in blocks and Python Use side-by-side comparison and prediction tasks Students understand that Python is another representation of the same logic
5. Lesson writing template
LESSON TITLE: WEEK / LESSON: VEX SOURCE MATERIAL: TERM 1 PYTHON LINK: LEARNING INTENTIONS: - - - SUCCESS CRITERIA: - I can ... - I can ... - I can ... LESSON FLOW: 1. Launch 2. Quick model 3. Build / code / test 4. Checkpoint 5. Troubleshooting 6. Reflection or pack-up WHAT STUDENTS PRODUCE TODAY: - WHAT STUDENTS RECORD TODAY: - WHAT STUDENTS MUST SHOW THE TEACHER: - NOTEBOOK REQUIRED? - yes / no - if yes, what must be written? - what evidence is required? - sign-off required before leaving COMMON FAILURE POINTS: - - FINISH EARLY OPTION: - WHAT NEEDS TO BE READY BEFORE CLASS: - -
6. Decision log
Decisions already made

Use existing VEX material as much as possible.

Keep the term predominantly coding-focused.

Use engineering selectively to support performance and design.

Do not overload students with long lectures.

Build a separate beginner coding tutorial support page later.

Use the engineering notebook as an individual evidence source from Lesson 2 onward.

Students write in the notebook during class, not later from memory.

Teacher sign-off is required at the end of each relevant lesson.

Student-facing examples should model actual thinking, not just shallow outcomes.

Space for ongoing notes

What changed after teaching Week 1?

Which VEX activities landed well?

Which concepts needed more scaffolding?

What must be adjusted before the next lesson page is built?

Jobs list

1. Week 1 Lesson 1 internal lesson page

2. Week 1 Lesson 2 build page

3. Week 1 Lesson 3 driving challenge page

4. Week 2 Lesson 1 first coding page