# 💡 Lesson Plan — Lights Lab

> **Ages 7-12 · 40 min · 1 robot per pair**

## 🎯 Objective
Students drive 4 RGB NeoPixels through a colour picker, discover **additive RGB colour mixing**, and program a 6-step light animation loop.

## 🧰 Materials
- 1 Maqueen Lite v4 robot per pair (charged)
- 1 laptop/tablet per pair (Chrome or Edge)
- Printed RGB colour wheel (optional)
- Dark room or shaded corner for full effect

## 📋 Lesson flow (40 min)

| Time | Phase | Teacher | Students |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-5 | **Hook** | Hold up a phone screen up close. "What 3 colours make every other colour on this screen?" | Guess. Reveal: red, green, blue. |
| 5-10 | **Demo** | Open Lights Lab. Set LED 1 to (255, 0, 0) red, then add green to make yellow, then blue to make white. | Predict each combination before the teacher reveals it. |
| 10-25 | **Exploration** | Pairs connect, paint each of the 4 LEDs a different colour, then try ambience presets (Police, Rainbow, Pulse). | Try all colour combos; share favourites. |
| 25-35 | **Challenge** | "Build a 6-step animation loop that tells a story (sunrise, alarm, party…)." | Sequence the painter; replay; refine. |
| 35-40 | **Reflection** | "How could the robot's LEDs tell its mood?" | Discuss colour-as-information; bridge to Robot Personalities. |

## ✅ Success criteria
- I can paint each of the 4 LEDs an exact RGB colour.
- I can build a 6-step loop and play it back.
- I can name 3 colours produced by mixing two of red/green/blue.

## 📚 Standards
- **FR Cycle 3** — *Sciences* : lumière et couleur (synthèse additive). *Arts* : expression visuelle.
- **FR Cycle 4** — *Phys-Chim* : décomposition de la lumière, RGB. *Tech* : programmer une boucle d'animation.
- **NGSS** — 1-PS4-3 (effects of light); 4-PS4-2 (light reflection).
- **CSTA** — 1A-AP-10 (loops); 1B-AP-09 (use math operations on data).

## 🚀 Extension
- Sync the lights with **Music Lab** beats — every step changes both note + colour.
- Use the LEDs as a turn-signal indicator while driving with the **Joystick Lab**.
- Discuss accessibility: colour-blind users can't tell red from green — design alternatives.