Paving the Way with Treads
Paving the Way with Treads is the True Robotics program for kindergarten to grade 3. The Treads Robot arrives built, so students switch it on and start coding. Each grade has 25 lessons in coding, math and reading, about 30 minutes each.
The robot
The Treads Robot
The Treads Robot arrives built. There is nothing to assemble, so students spend the lesson driving it and coding it.
It rolls on treads, shows cartoon eyes on its screen and runs 60 to 90 minutes on a charge.
Treads at a glance
| Item | Paving the Way with Treads |
|---|---|
| Grades | Kindergarten to grade 3, one curriculum per grade |
| Lessons | 25 per grade, about 30 minutes each |
| Robot | Treads Robot, arrives built |
| Sharing | 2 students per robot |
| Software | True Robotics Playground, with picture blocks |
| Price | $200 per robot |
When we put a robot in front of them, you'll see a very different student in front of you.
Coding, math and reading in four groups
Each grade has its own 25 lessons. They are not a unit taught from day 1 to day 25. You pull a lesson when that concept comes up in class, in a math center, a small group or a station.
- Robotics and codingDays 1 to 7
- Students start with basic commands, then solve problems, navigate mazes and follow directional cues.
- Robotics for mathDays 8 to 15
- Counting, addition, subtraction, multiplication, geometry and measurement, with Treads as the manipulative.
- Robotics for ELADays 16 to 24
- Decoding, word recognition, storytelling, listening, phonics and rhyming, answered by driving the robot.
- A final performance dayDay 25
- Each grade closes with a competition or performance day.
Social and emotional learning is built into every lesson.
Standards
Every lesson is written to your state's standards for its grade.
See the standards alignmentShow the full curriculum mapHide the full curriculum map
Scroll sideways to see all columns.
| Day | Kindergarten | First Grade | Second Grade | Third Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Days 1-7 Robotics and Coding | ||||
| 1 | Meet Treads! | Meet Treads! | Exploring Robotics and Treads | Robotics in the Real World |
| 2 | Let's Get Coding! | Coding for Beginners | Coding Foundations | Advanced Coding Concepts |
| 3 | Treads Gets a Personality | Treads' Expressions and Movements | Customizing Treads | Treads as a Problem Solver |
| 4 | Shapes with Treads | Coding with Shapes and Patterns | Shapes and Patterns in Motion | Designing with Treads |
| 5 | Squash the Bugs! | Debugging Detectives | Debugging Masterclass | Debugging Like a Pro |
| 6 | Robot Puzzles | Puzzle Path Adventures | Puzzle Challenges | Collaborative Puzzle Missions |
| 7 | Treads Showcase! | Treads in Action! | Treads Innovation Showcase! | Treads Innovation Expo! |
| Days 8-15 Robotics for Math | ||||
| 8 | Robots and Numbers | Place Value Adventures | Exploring Place Value and Comparisons | Multiplication Basics with Treads |
| 9 | Patterns in Counting | Comparisons with Treads | Shapes and Angles with Treads | Multiplication Decoder Challenge |
| 10 | Dots, Dice, and Addition | Adding and Subtracting Challenges | Adding and Subtracting with Treads | Exploring Fractions with Treads |
| 11 | Measuring with Blocks | Measuring Dimensions with Treads | Measuring Dimensions with Precision | Measuring and Calculating Area |
| 12 | Debugging and Problem Solving | Debugging and Error Checking | Debugging and Problem Solving | Debugging and Refining Programs |
| 13 | Shapes and Spatial Awareness | Geometry and Spatial Reasoning | Fractions and Equal Shares | Geometry in Action |
| 14 | Comparing and Sorting | Data and Graphing | Data and Graphing with Treads | Data Collection and Representation |
| 15 | Math Adventure with Treads | Math Mission: Treads' Treasure Hunt | Math Mission: Treads Explorer Challenge | Cumulative Math Adventure: Treads' Journey |
| Days 16-24 Robotics for ELA | ||||
| 16 | Rhyming Words | Sound Decoder Challenge | Decoding Long vs. Short Vowels | Vocabulary Adventure |
| 17 | Rhyming Word Hunt | Building Words | Word Patterns and Syllables | Word Relationships and Figurative Language |
| 18 | Substitution and Word Building | High-Frequency Words Exploration | Vocabulary in Context | Comprehension and Sequencing |
| 19 | High Frequency Words | Rhyming Words and Patterns | Writing Descriptive Sentences | Listening and Direction Words |
| 20 | Direction Words and Listening Comprehension | Listening for Direction Words | Oral Storytelling with Treads | Decoding and Spelling |
| 21 | Word Counting and Arrows | Word Families and Sentences | Debugging for Accuracy | Collaborative Storytelling |
| 22 | Recognizing Errors in Sentences | Error Detection in Sentences | Listening and Sequencing Stories | Summarizing and Paraphrasing |
| 23 | Rhyming and Direction Game | Combining Phonics and HFW Game | Writing an Opinion Piece | Editing and Error Checking |
| 24 | Debugging Day | Debugging and Review Day | Using Dialogue in Stories | Reading and Making Inferences |
| Final Competition/Performance Day | ||||
| 25 | Treads' Adventure Map | Treads' Big Day Out | Mission: Treads Explorer | Treads STEM Showcase |
The software
Coding with math and reading inside
Students code in True Robotics Playground. They go to app.truerobotics.org and choose Treads. The blocks are pictures, not words, so a kindergartner can use them.
There are no student accounts and no passwords. Classes on iPads can also use the Treads app.
Practice inside the code
- Math: addition, subtraction, ordering numbers, counting by fives and counting by tens
- Reading: rhyming in kindergarten, then vocabulary, high frequency words and long vowel sounds
- A right answer moves the robot. A wrong answer does not.
Runs on
- Windows
- Mac
- Chromebook
- iPad
- Android tablet
How Treads runs at your school
Ask for a quote
Tell us your grades and your class sizes. We quote your school on what it needs.
The robots arrive built
Batteries and chargers come with them.
A 30 minute session
Held virtually, one per teacher. We set up your login and tour the portal.
The first lesson
Start with a small group or a center. Pull the lesson that matches what you teach that week.
- What your school provides
- A device to code on, such as a Chromebook or an iPad. We supply everything else.
- How many robots you need
- Two students share a robot, so a class of 24 needs 12. Nothing is built, so one set can move between classrooms.
Training that comes with Treads
| What you get | When | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Learning Portal | Open 24/7 | Self-paced chapters, videos and short quizzes. |
| Intro session | 30 minutes | Your first step, held virtually. We set up your login and tour the portal. |
| Your own contact | Any time | A person who knows your school, not a support line. |
| One-on-one training | One to two hours | Held virtually. The portal, your first lesson and the software. |
In-person training is available at an additional cost.
What Treads costs
An example: one class of 24
- Students in the class
- 24
- Students sharing one robot
- 2 students
- Robots that class needs
- 12 robots
- Robots at $200 each
- $2,400
An example, not a quote. It covers the robots only. Curriculum licensing and teacher training are quoted on top and bundled into a Classroom Package at a discount, and we size the set with you before you order.
What a Classroom Package adds
The curriculum, the Learning Portal and one-on-one training, bundled with the robots at a discount. Schools often pay with Title I, Title II or Title IV funds, or with a grant.
Questions about Paving the Way with Treads
Why does third grade appear in both Treads and Pilot?
On purpose. Depending on the school and the students' prior experience, some third graders have never done robotics. Treads suits them, especially new third graders in the first semester, because its coding environment is simpler and easier to pick up. Other third graders are mechanically inclined, have done robotics before, or are ready for more. That is why there is also a third grade Pilot curriculum. Pilot is a kit that students put together, which suits children who thrive on hands-on learning, and the coding levels up a little. For a full K-8 pipeline, keep Treads for K, 1 and 2, then move third graders up to Pilot, because they will already have had Treads for three years.
How does the Treads software practice math and reading skills?
We built math and ELA practice right into the Treads programming experience. Students practice math skills such as addition, subtraction, ordering numbers, and counting by fives and tens inside their programs. For ELA, they can practice skills like rhyming words: a kindergarten teacher working on rhyming short vowel words can use the software to test those skills. The feedback is instant. If the answer is right, the robot starts to move and follows the rest of the code. If it is wrong, the robot does not move. The content grows with the students: in older grades it becomes vocabulary practice, high-frequency words or long vowel sounds.
Do students need usernames or passwords? What student data do you collect?
Students do not need any usernames or passwords, and they never log in. That saves class time, because nobody is typing in a password, and it protects students' data: we do not collect any data on your students. Even without logging in, students can save their programs directly onto their Chromebook, so they can keep working in a later class or submit their programs to the teacher. Teachers do have accounts, which we set up together in the 30-minute intro session.
How much prep time do teachers need?
Most of the teachers we work with say prep takes about five minutes once they understand the flow, and that is mostly a matter of how fast the PowerPoint loads on their computer. The lesson plan, presentation, entrance ticket, reflection and answer keys are ready in the Curriculum Portal, so there is nothing to write. Our Director of Education is a former teacher, and her goal is always to get prep time down to zero.
Bring Treads to your classrooms
Tell us your grades and your class sizes. We quote each school on its own and bundle curriculum licensing and teacher training at a discount.
