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The Gordon School

Robotics

Robotics in Kindergarten to eighth grade, every year

 

left: the Middle School competitive robotics team that won the Robot Design award at the December 2017 qualifying tournament 
 
Gordon uses robotics in Kindergarten to eighth grade as a way to teach computer coding, engineering, and team problem solving.

Since 2001, when robotics at Gordon consisted of an after school First LEGO League team and a fourth grade lesson, the curriculum has expanded to include all three divisions and a variety of coding environments and hardware options.

As the program has grown, Gordon Middle School teams have continued to compete regionally, and younger students have shared award-winning presentations at the FIRST LEGO League Jr. Expos.

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Robotics in the classroom

 An extension of STEAM work schoolwide

The Middle School robotics team is an after school extension of classroom work in engineering, programming and problem-solving. All Gordon students study robotics in the fourth grade and, in 2013, robotics spread into younger grades as well. 

Since 2014, students in all three divisions of the school have been using robotic technology in the classroom. An integrated curriculum has been introduced that ranges from Beebots in the younger grades to laptop-driven NXTs and EV3s in Middle School. 

Hands-on lessons in robotics over the course of a Gordon student's career are enriched by parallel engineering lessons ranging from bridge-building challenges in Early Childhood to the fifth grade's wind turbine design project.

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Statewide competition at Gordon

  • Competitive robotics is part of the sixth grade science curriculum, and seventh and eighth graders have an opportunity to continue with competitive robotics in an elective that competes in the FIRST LEGO League.
  • Competitive robotics is a spectator sport, and the public is welcome to visit and watch the in-school tournament that happens at the end of sixth gradequalifying and statewide tournaments. Most of the public competition events occur between noon and 3pm.
  • It is a full day of science and technology innovation, providing life skills in competition, teamwork, collaboration and respect.
  • In 2015, Gordon won the overall championship for the statewide event. 
  • At the 2014 competition, Gordon‘s team won first place in the Robot Games, and second place overall. photos and a list of participants and awards from 2014
  • Younger students have given award-winning presentations at league expos, as well, taking the Innovative Programming award at the most recent FIRST LEGO League Jr’s Rhode Island expo in 2020.

Competitive robotics over the years

2024-2025
Core Values award at the qualifying tournament

2023-2024
Members of the Classes of 2020 and 2021 went to the world championship
Members of the Classes of 2021 and 2023 went to the regional high school competition

2022-2023
First place overall at the qualifying tournament
Three members of the Class of 2022 went to the world championship
Six members of the Classes of 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 were on the top two RI championship teams

2021-2022
Innovation award at the qualifying tournament
Two members of the Classes of 2019 and 2020 went to the national championship

2019-2020
Innovative Programming award at the fourth grade expo

2018-2019
Project Research award at the state finals
Robot Design award and Performance award at qualifying tournament

2017-2018
Most Improved at the qualifying tournament
Robot Design at the qualifying tournament
Two members of the Class of 2016 went to the national high school competition

2016-2017
First place overall at the state finals

2015-2016
First place overall at the qualifying tournament

2014-2015 
First place in the Robot Games at the qualifying tournament

2013-2014
Most Innovative at the statewide competition

2011-2012
Team advanced to the regional competition

2009-2010
First prize for Teamwork at the state competition

2008-2009
First prize for Robot Dependability at the state competition

2005-2006
Gordon’s team went to the world championship and won second place for programming
Gordon’s team awarded Young Environmentalist award by Save the Bay

Robotics in Gordon's stories

Fourth grade innovators

The fourth graders of the winter LEGO Robotics enrichment won the Innovative Programming award at the FIRST LEGO League Jr's Rhode Island expo.