Teacher Robot Is All Mixed Up

The teacher turns into a robot that does things in an order that makes no sense (jumps before crouching, stands up before sitting down), and children fix it by putting the cards in the right order and doing it themselves. It works on the logical before and after of a movement.

How to play

1. Teacher Robot introduces itself in a robot voice and gets something backwards: “I put on my shoes… then my socks.” Is that right? (2 min).
2. First glitch: the robot stands up from the chair before sitting down. Kids do it right: first sit, then stand (2 min).
3. The robot does a jump in a mixed-up order (land, crouch, jump). As a group, put the three cards in order on the floor and everyone jumps (3 min).
4. More glitches with cards: throw and catch a pretend ball, open and close a door, climb up and down stairs (3 min).
5. Children mix up a series for the robot, and the rest fix it and do it (1 min).
6. Power down the robot: it runs out of battery very slowly, and so do we (1 min).

Rules

• If the robot makes a mistake, I tell it calmly.
• We put the cards in order together.
• We do the series once it's in the right order.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: helps order the cards and does the arm version of each series.
• Autism: explain beforehand that the robot makes mistakes on purpose, as a joke.
• Lower skill: the teacher leaves one card in place as a hint.

Learning goals

• Order actions by before and after.
• Think through the logic of a movement.
• Make decisions as a group.

Equipment for a class of 25

• Movement cards: 12

Teacher tip

Ham up the robot's mistakes so they're obvious and funny. Don't let everyone shout at once: the robot only listens to raised hands.

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