LEGO Smart

Alien Discovery

Hide a pre-built LEGO alien model within the room. Divide the students into groups of four. Two on each team will be the “builders”. One team member will be the “purchasing agent” and the final member will be the “architect or engineer”.

• Purchasing agent: This team member will observe the hidden alien and report back to the team describing the elements needed to build the alien. The purchasing agent may not touch the elements, everything must remain verbal (it may be a good idea to have the agent clasp their hands behind their back or put their hands in their pockets). The agent may view the alien as many times needed to convey the specific elements; he/she may only observe…no touching.
• Architect or engineer: This team member will observe the hidden alien but only after the elements have been selected and the purchasing agent has completed his/her job. The architect’s/engineer’s responsibility will be to describe verbally how the model is to be constructed so that it will look just like the hidden alien model. The architect/engineer may only communicate verbally…no hands!
• Builder’s: By listening carefully to the purchasing agent and the architect/engineer, the builders must select the specific elements needed and build the model per their architect’s/engineer’s instructions.

After a set time period, each team compares its alien construction to the hidden alien model, noting similarities and differences.