FERRIDAY — Gears and tools lay scattered on the table as voices discussed the best way to proceed.

It wasn’t a science lab though: it was one of Delta Charter School’s high school robotics classes.

The school expanded the program this year, making it available not only to middle-schoolers, but elementary and high school students too.

Emily Dawkins, who teaches middle school and high school robotics, said it started with the program’s middle-schoolers who were getting ready to move to the ninth grade.

“They would’ve been devastated if they didn’t get to do it in high school,” Dawkins said.

So, Dawkins said the school decided to expand the program, offering it as an elective to high schoolers and to elementary students too.

Colson Thornton, 14, is one of the students who participated last year. While other students worked on mechanisms in the front of the class Friday, Thornton worked on another project with other students who had taken robotics before: a claw-bot.

When it’s done, Thornton said the robot will be able to pick items up, carry them and put them down.

Thornton said he has a lot of fun in the class.

“That’s the reason why I like this class a lot,” Thornton said.

But Dawkins said most of the students are new, like Taylor Fitt and Trenton Lemoine, both 15.

The two collaborated on a gear shift.

“I figured it would be an experience,” Fitt said about the class.

Fitt said she thought it would be like an “adventure” and has enjoyed building things.

“You get to create things you never had before,” Fitt said.

Lemoine said he took the class because he wanted to get more into building things.

“I’m loving it,” Lemoine said.

Tara Dale, who teaches robotics to kindergarten through fifth-grade classes, said the program allows younger students to learn through creating.

Dale said the younger students haven’t built anything in class yet.

“They’re really excited about it though,” Dale said.

In the future students will learn things such as the basics of structure in situations such as trying to build a safe house for the three little pigs from the Big Bad Wolf, also known as a fan.

“Every task has a purpose,” Dale said.

Other activities include learning through applications on iPads. Eventually, Dale said she wants to get fifth graders to the point where they can go to student robotics competitions.

Dale said not providing students direct instructions or models from which to copy helps students problem solve.

“We start them out, and they have to do it on their own,” Dale said. “When you challenge them they can do amazing things,” Dale said.

Thornton is the son of Cindy Peterman and Wade Thornton. Taylor Fitt is the daughter of Jennifer and Kyle Dodson.

Trenton Lemoine is the son of Dustin Lemoine and Jessica Brown.