STEM Labs are fun STEM engagements that align to educational standards.

All STEM Labs contain activities that are structured around iterative, Engineering processes, real-world applications and
opportunities for students to build teamwork and collaboration skills. STEM Labs provide students with hands-on, minds-on engagements that encourages students to design creative solutions and
innovate through experimentation. STEM Labs are flexible enough to be used in any instructional setting (e.g. in-school, after-school, camps, VEX robotics teams/clubs, etc.)

The following Pacing Guide shows all VEX IQ (2nd generation) STEM Labs Units and Activities, VEX IQ (1st generation) STEM Labs, and VIQC Virtual Skills in sequence for a 36 week (full
year) implementation.

Note: If you are using VEX IQ (2nd generation) Kits to complete these STEM Labs, see this article to learn about how to adapt the STEM Labs for your classroom.
Summary:
Each VEX IQ (2nd generation) STEM Lab Unit is centered around a competition game, where students will apply their learning, use the Engineering process, and collaborate with teammates to
compete in a classroom competition. STEM Lab Units are designed for flexible implementation, and can be used in a variety of time frames and sequences, to best meet the needs of your students.
VEX IQ (2nd generation) Activities offer more ways to engage with the VEX IQ (2nd generation) Kit, providing simple one page exercises that blend STEM concepts with curricular content in fun and
engaging ways. They are designed to be easy to follow for independent student use, giving them great flexibility in terms of classroom implementation. Activities can be used as part of a teacher's
lesson, as an extension activity, or as a scaffolding strategy to support differentiated learning.

Weeks STEM Lab/Activity Title Level Description Build Programming? Key Concepts
Students will play a game with a partner to find parts
Can You Name that
Activity Beginner of the VEX IQ (2nd gen) Kit, to help learn part names None No Introduction
Part?
and types.

Students will use connectors to create different

Activity Get in Shape Beginner Free Build No Engineering
shapes from the pieces in the VEX IQ (2nd gen) Kit.

Students will create signs using pieces from their

Activity Signs Beginner Free Build No Engineering
VEX IQ (2nd gen) Kit.
Week 1 Students will use beams and plates to create a
(Introduction) Activity Hang Out Beginner structure that extends the longest distance off of a Free Build No Engineering
desk.
Students will use VEX IQ Pitch Shafts to create a
Activity Pitch Pointillism Beginner None No Introduction; art
piece of original art.
Students will use VEX IQ wheels to create a piece of
Activity Tread Art Beginner Free Build No Introduction; art
abstract art.
Students will use VEX IQ (2nd gen) pieces to solve
Activity VEX Teasers Beginner None No Spatial reasoning
spatial reasoning brain teasers.

Students will explore how mechanical advantage and

center of mass affect the BaseBot’s ability to pull Center of mass; mechanical
Weeks 2 & 3 STEM Lab Unit Tug of War Beginner BaseBot Yes (VEXcode IQ)
objects, and design the best robot for the game of advantage
Tug of War.

Students will test the grip of different VEX IQ (2nd

Activity Get a Grip Beginner Free Build No Friction
gen) tires on an inclined plane.

Students will create an addition to the BaseBot to

Activity Build a Wagon Beginner BaseBot Yes (VEXcode IQ) Engineering
carry an IQ Cube up an inclined plane.
Week 4 Use your VEX IQ wheels and a ruler to measure how
Activity Wheel Turns Beginner None No Measurement, Circumference
far a wheel travels each time it turns.
Explore building techniques to design and construct a
Moonbase, Buggy, Ramp, Pulley System, and a
Activity Series Space Adventure Beginner Free Build No Engineering
Motorized Rover to help astronauts in their missions
on the Moon!
 Students will drive the BaseBot using the IQ
Controller, choose wheels, and add sensors to their Controller; sensors;
Weeks 5 & 6 STEM Lab Unit Team Freeze Tag Beginner BaseBot Yes (VEXcode IQ)
robot to compete in the Team Freeze Tag programming
competition.

Activity Square Dance Beginner Students will code the BaseBot to drive in a square. BaseBot Yes (VEXcode IQ) Programming

Students will code their BaseBot to travel to different

Activity Stop and Go Beginner BaseBot Yes (VEXcode IQ) Programming
locations.
Week 7

To the Left, To the Students will code their BaseBot to turn left and right
Activity Beginner BaseBot Yes (VEXcode IQ) Programming
Right to navigate a path.

Students will explore how to use the Controller to

Week 8 & 9 STEM Lab Unit Robot Soccer Beginner drive their Simple Clawbot to grab, pass, and score Simple Clawbot No Engineering
the most points in a Robot Soccer competition.
Students will explore the difference between
competing in a driver controlled and autonomous
Controller, Programming,
Weeks 10 & 11 STEM Lab Unit Cube Collector Intermediate competition. They will use both autonomous and Clawbot Yes (VEXcode IQ)
Game Strategy
driver control in order to score cubes in the Cube
Collector competition.
Students will explore how to design a Clawbot to
Weeks 12 & 13 STEM Lab Unit Up and Over Intermediate collect, pick up, and move cubes from one side of the Clawbot Yes (VEXcode IQ) Engineering
Field to the other, in the Up and Over competition.
Students will code their BaseBot to drive and push
Activity Cube Pusher Beginner BaseBot Yes (VEXcode IQ) Programming
cubes out of a square on the Field.
Forward, Lift, Students will drive their Simple Clawbot to collect a
Week 14 Activity Beginner Simple Clawbot No Controller
Reverse cube, and test to see which direction is fastest.
Students will drive their Simple Clawbot to move
Activity Triple Transfer Beginner Simple Clawbot No Controller
cubes to new locations.
Students will build and code the Simple Clawbot with
Weeks 15 & 16 STEM Lab Unit Treasure Hunt Intermediate the Optical Sensor to recognize and collect red cubes Simple Clawbot Yes (VEXcode IQ) Optical sensor; programming
to compete in the Treasure Hunt competition.
Cube Crasher Students will code their BaseBot to drive and knock
Activity Beginner BaseBot Yes (VEXcode IQ) Programming
Challenge down a stack of cubes.
Students will code their BaseBot to drive and push
Week 17 Activity Cube Pusher Beginner BaseBot Yes (VEXcode IQ) Programming
cubes out of a square on the Field.
Students will code their BaseBot to navigate a "golf
Activity Golf Course Mower Beginner BaseBot Yes (VEXcode IQ) Programming
course" while avoiding the "sandpit" areas.
Students will explore how to use the Optical and
Distance sensor; Optical
Distance sensors to seek, crash, and clear cube
Weeks 18 & 19 STEM Lab Unit Castle Crasher Intermediate BaseBot Yes (VEXcode IQ) sensor; programming;
'castles' to score points in the Castle Crasher
algorithms
Competition!
Students will code their BaseBot to navigate a maze
Activity Marker Maze Beginner they create, without knocking over any objects along BaseBot Yes (VEXcode IQ) Programming
the path.
Students will calculate how fast the wheel on the
Week 20
Activity Spin Your Wheels Beginner BaseBot is spinning using data printed in a VEXcode BaseBot Yes (VEXcode IQ) Measurement; programming
IQ project.
Students will code their BaseBot to navigate around Distance Sensor;
Activity At a Distance Intermediate BaseBot Yes (VEXcode IQ)
a cube using the Distance Sensor. programming
Students will create a VEXcode IQ project to control
Activity 1..2..3...Green Light Intermediate the behavior of a robot using the colored light from Free Build Yes (VEXcode IQ) Programming
the Touch LED Sensor.
Week 21
Week 21
Students will code their BaseBot to move using the
Distance Sensor;
Activity Magic Movement Intermediate Distance Sensor to detect when their hand is close to BaseBot Yes (VEXcode IQ)
programming
the robot.
Students will create a pinball game that includes
Activity Pinball Wizard Beginner Free Build No Engineering
simple machines, using VEX IQ pieces.
Week 22
Students will design and build a car powered only by
Activity Rubber Band Car Beginner Free Build No Engineering
a single rubber band.
Students explore how the mechanical advantages of
torque and speed are related to gear ratios, where
Week 23 STEM Lab M.A.D. Box Beginner gear ratios can be found in daily life, and how they M.A.D Box No (build only) Engineering
can be applied to their builds. There is a full
investigation of calculating different gear ratios.
Students will build a device that uses scissor linkages
Week 24 STEM Lab Grabber Beginner to convert the direction of motion and explore the Grabber No (build only) Engineering
mechanics of a scissor linkage.
Students are asked to follow an Engineering process
Completed
Week 25 STEM Lab Tallest Tower Beginner to build the tallest tower possible that can withstand a No (exploring Device Info) Engineering
Earthquake Platform
simulated earthquake.
Testbed - VEX IQ Investigate how VEX IQ Sensors work and create a
Week 26 Activity Series Beginner Free Build Yes (VEXcode IQ) Sensors
Sensors game using sensor feedback!
Students will explore robot behaviors and create a
Drive Forward and
Week 27 STEM Lab Beginner project to drive the Autopilot robot forward and in Autopilot Yes (VEXcode IQ) Programming
Reverse
reverse using VEXcode IQ Blocks.
Students will explore robot behaviors and create a
Week 28 STEM Lab Turning Beginner project for the Autopilot robot to turn using VEXcode Autopilot Yes (VEXcode IQ) Programming
IQ Blocks.
Students will explore changing the velocity of the
Autopilot robot while creating projects that drive the
Week 29 STEM Lab Changing Velocity Beginner Autopilot Yes (VEXcode IQ) Programming
robot forward, move it in reverse, and turn the robot
using VEXcode IQ Blocks.
Students are asked to build and utilize an Autopilot
robot that will detect objects using the Vision Sensor. Engineering (using the Vision
Week 30 STEM Lab Vision Sensor Beginner Autopilot Yes (VEXcode IQ)
Students will engage in configuring, tuning, and Sensor)
programming the Vision Sensor.
Students will program their Autopilot to drive on a
Week 31 STEM Lab Movement Challenge Intermediate designated path through a sequence of movements Autopilot Yes (VEXcode IQ) Programming
using VEXcode IQ Blocks.
Students are asked to navigate a warehouse by
Week 32 STEM Lab Speedy Delivery Intermediate programming the Claw and Arm of a Clawbot to grab Clawbot Yes (VEXcode IQ) Programming
and move packages to a loading dock for delivery.
Students are asked to complete several mini-
challenges to experiment with using loops within their
projects. This information will be used later in the
Week 33 STEM Lab Loop, There It Is! Intermediate Clawbot Yes (VEXcode IQ) Programming
“Groove Machine Challenge,” where students will
program robot movements to repeat, causing their
robot to "dance."
Students will explore conditional statements and how
button presses can provide input for a program to
Week 34 STEM Lab To Do, or Not To Do Intermediate decide if a conditional is true or false. They will also Clawbot Yes (VEXcode IQ) Programming
explore how a conditional statement can be looped,
repeating a decision or executing a behavior.
Students will explore programming the Controller to
maneuver the Clawbot. They will analyze different
Clawbot with
Week 35 STEM Lab Intermediate ways to program the Controller by running the Clawbot Yes (VEXcode IQ) Programming
Controller
example Clawbot Control example project and
engaging in mini-challenges.
 Get started with the 2023-2024 VIQRC Full Volume
game and the HeroBot, Byte! Students will build
Byte
Byte, and use their HeroBot to begin to play Full
Beginner - Volume. Students will be introduced to using the Full
Week 36 STEM Lab Full Volume *Requires the IQ Yes (VEXcode IQ) Competition
Intermediate Volume Game Manual, Driving Skills, and
(2nd gen)
Autonomous Coding Skills, so that by the end of the
Competition Kit
Unit, they are prepared to compete in a Robot Skills
Match.