News by Levels · Level 3 · For teachers
Teacher guide & answers
In this lesson: Explain the role of configuration and evaluate the demonstration’s scope.
Origami Structure Gives Magnetic Robot Several Ways to Move
How to use these two pages
Give learners the student worksheet. It contains the story and questions, without the answers. Keep this guide for yourself. Use it to lead the activity and explain the answers afterwards.
Student worksheetA simple 15–20-minute lesson
- Before reading · 2 minutes
Show the title. Ask: “What do you think this story is about?”
- Read and answer · 8–10 minutes
Give out the student worksheet. Learners read for the main idea, then reread to answer the 2 questions. They can compare answers with a partner.
- Discuss and write · 5–8 minutes
Check the answers below together. Ask learners to point to the clue in the story, then finish with the open question.
Adjust the support: Let learners use word help or Level 1 if needed. For a challenge, compare the wording in another level. This activity is not a proficiency test.
Answers to the 2 questions
The question numbers match the student worksheet. Each answer includes a reason and the clue learners can find in the story.
A controller applies a small magnetic disturbance. Which response fits the mechanism described?
Correct answer: A — The robot moves while remaining in its current configuration.
Why: Small disturbances produce movements within each configuration. The separate switching mechanism uses stronger pulses, so movement need not involve a change of configuration.
Clue in the story: Small magnetic disturbances produce different movements in each configuration. Stronger pulses trigger a switch between them, enabling rapid actions such as grasping. The researchers demonstrated crawling, turning, jumping and rolling as well as object capture.
What has the research established so far?
Correct answer: C — An experimentally demonstrated design approach
Why: The final paragraph explicitly describes a design approach and does not establish a finished commercial product.
Clue in the story: Many magnetic mini-robots require highly uniform, precise fields. Here, the folded geometry helps manage motion under less uniform fields. The experiments demonstrate a design approach; they do not establish a finished commercial product.
The open question: accept different answers
Ask learners: Explain how the robot’s structure changes the demands placed on magnetic control.
One possible answer: Its folded geometry helps manage motion under less uniform fields, whereas many magnetic mini-robots require highly uniform and precise fields. The structure therefore takes on part of the work of controlling motion.
This is an example, not the only correct answer. Look for a relevant idea, a reason and the learner’s own words. Learners can answer aloud or write one or two sentences.
Grammar to discuss
An -ing clause expresses a result
enabling rapid actions such as grasping
Enabling adds the result of the switch between configurations: it makes rapid actions possible. Such as introduces grasping as an example, not the only action.