What are we learning?

1. I can build a simple gear train using VEX parts.

2. I can explain and identify the input movement and output movement of a mechanical system.

3. I can explore careers in automation and robotics.

4. I can build and program a motor to spin a gear train.

5. I can assemble, wire, and program a system to complete a task.

6. I can plan a program using appropriate strategies such as flowcharting.

7. I can create appropriate event handlers to respond to runtime events, such as the push of a bumper switch.

8. I can demonstrate successful collaboration within a team to meet development goals and design requirements. 

9. I can create algorithms that use loops.

10. I can calculate the gear ratio of a system.

11. I can describe the relationship between gear size, speed, and torque in a gear train.

12. I can build a prototype using a universal joint or bevel gears.

13. I can communicate a plan for creating a system using sketches and prototyping.

14. I can follow the steps of the design process to effectively develop a design solution.

15. I can use a decision matrix to evaluate potential solutions.

What to expect in this unit:

Students explore how gear trains and other mechanisms transfer movement in mechanical systems and design, build, and program automated systems to meet the needs of clients. In the end-of-lesson project, students can choose to design an interactive device to keep pets physically and mentally active, a spinning street sign to warn drivers to slow down and stop, or a high-speed dragster.

Why does this unit matter?
This unit is the students' introduction to some basic mechanisms that are a part of everyday systems, some coding using the VEX V5 coding platform, and the structural and mechanical hardware of the VEX robotics systems used throughout the course. 

What are we learning?

1. I can provide examples of careers in the biomedical sciences.

2. I can measure vital signs including heart rate, blood pressure, and temperature/ I can demonstrate the use of technology as an important tool in the biomedical sciences.

3. I can collect and analyze medical evidence to draw conclusions.

4. I can identify the classes of pathogens that cause disease.

5. I can describe the manners of disease transmission.

6. I can describe the spread of a contagious illness after inoculation is introduced.

7. I can evaluate patient case files to diagnose the pathogen responsible for the patient’s mystery illness.

8. I can describe the steps that a medical professional will take to diagnose and treat a patient.

What to expect in this unit:

Students will discover how healthcare professionals act as medical detectives in identifying, treating, and preventing injury and illness in their patients. Students investigate and collect vital signs such as heart rate, blood pressure, and temperature, and explore different contagious, infectious disease agents and how their spread can be mitigated. Students act as medical detectives by collecting and analyzing medical data to diagnose and suggest a treatment plan for patients with a mystery illness. 

Why does this unit matter?

This unit matters because it sets the foundation for who the various biomedical scientists are that work to keep us healthy are and how they collect medical information about us to prevent, diagnose and treat our illnesses and injuries.

What are we learning?

1. I can describe how the brain collects and interprets sensory input.

2. I can compare and contrast the senses of hearing and sight, taste and smell, and describe how they are collected and processed by the human body.

3. I can explain how neurons pass signals from the brain and spinal cord. 

4. I can identify major regions of the human brain as relates to our senses.

5. I can dissect a sheep’s brain, accurately identifying and describing the function of the specified structures.

6. I can compare and contrast the brains of a human and sheep.

7. I can interpret medical information to draw conclusions about a patient’s health.

What to expect in this unit:

In this unit students investigate how our sensory organs are structured and how they process incoming stimuli, as well as some issues that can impact their functioning. Students identify major traits of the senses and draw comparisons between them. Students learn how the nervous system then moves this information through neurons, processes this information in the brain, and initiates the body’s response accordingly. Students perform a sheep brain dissection and conduct a human-sheep brain comparison. They use their knowledge to explore symptoms as they relate to specific nervous system dysfunctions and, in the end-of-lesson project, analyze evidence to identify the cause of the dysfunction and support their diagnosis.

Why does this unit matter?

This unit is fundamental to understanding how how body takes in and processes its environmental stimuli and how diseases and disorders of the nervous system are diagnosed and treated by biomedical science professionals.