Are you LEGO® Smart™? Are your students? Being LEGO Smart is more than building with LEGO® bricks. It’s having the ability to work in teams, solve problems, and create solutions. It means understanding key science, technology, engineering, and math concepts – not just on paper, but through demonstration. LEGO Smart students don’t just know it, they DO it. The sets, software, and curriculum designed by LEGO Education harness the power of the LEGO brick and combine to create learning opportunities for students that will help develop the skills needed for a lifetime of creating, solving, and contributing to a global society. Be LEGO Smart – be the future.
LEGO Smart Creativity Contest Entry (AUGUST WINNER!)By Cynthia House, Thomas Middle School
Each student or team of two or more students receives the bag of LEGO bricks and the following information: Each of the six students in Mrs. Reyes' class selected three bricks from the bag. Can you figure out which specific bricks each student chose? 1. All six students selected bricks shaped like rectangular prisms. 2. No student chose a decorated brick. 3. If Colin combined the colors of two of his bricks he'd get the color of his third brick. 4. The number of hubs on one of Colin's bricks is twice the number of hubs on one of his other bricks. 5. Ashley and Brent selected bricks that are all the same color. 6. The sum of the number of hubs on two of Ashley's bricks equals half the number of hubs on her third brick. 7. All the students except for Colin chose bricks that are all the same thickness. 8. Ethan's bricks can be arranged to form a four by six hub rectangle. 9. Darcy and Ethan chose at least one brick with hubs arranged in a square pattern. 10. The colors of Francisco's bricks are related to the United States Civil War." answers: Ashley- 3 green bricks, Brent- 3 yellow bricks, Colin- pink brick, white brick, 2x4 red brick Darcy-light green brick, black brick 2x3 red brick, all thin Ethan- light gray brick, two orange bricks all thick, Francisco- two blue bricks, dark gray brick
Lesson Learned: Students use logic to solve the puzzle. Clues come from geometry, algebra, art, and U.S. history.
LEGO Smart Creativity Contest Entry (OCTOBER WINNER!)By Renny Fong, Public School 130 Manhattan
Before demonstrating to the class, have two LEGO Smart Kits prepared, one with all the pieces loose and one with all of the pieces clumped together into a random structure. LESSON 1 - Demonstration 1. Prepare a tub of water. 2. Have students pair up in teams. 3. First, show the students the Smart Kit where all the pieces are loose. Ask the students what they think will happen if we pour all of the pieces into the water. Think, pair up with their partner to discuss, then share with the class. 4. Pour the pieces in. If digital camera available, film it. Discuss. 5. Now, show the students a kit where all of the bricks are clumped together into a "structure." Ask them to predict again what will happen. Will it sink or float? Will it stand upright, tip to the side? Think, pair, share. 6. Place the "structure" into the water. Film, if available. Discuss. 7. Have students write down what they observed and learned from this activity. 8. In preparation for the next lesson, students can sketch a structure that they think will stay afloat and balanced and explain why. LESSON 2 - Experimentation 1. In pairs, ask the students to build a structure that they think can float and stand upright and balanced in water. After students have built the structures, take pictures of the structures, and have students write down why they think their structures will stay afloat and balanced. Where did their ideas come from? 2. Perform experiment. Each group presents and puts their structures into the tub, one by one. 3. After the experiment, discuss with the class what commonalities they see in the structures that worked the best. Do these structures resemble real life examples such as boats, ships, animals, etc.? 4. Students journal about their experiments. Lesson 3 - CHALLENGE 1. For another experiment, what would happen if we added rocks or coins or marbles to their structures? 2. How many do they think their structures can hold before sinking? 3. Which structure do they think will work the best? Why? 4. Let's experiment!
Lesson Learned: Students will work collaboratively use the Scientific Method in an interactive way, where they will hypothesize and test, "What makes things float and stay afloat?"
LEGO Smart Creativity Contest Entry (GRAND PRIZE WINNER!)By Colleen Dixon, Mountain View
This activity is for K-3 students. Using the LEGO Smart Kit the student will build a creation that, when viewed from above, will show exactly 100 LEGO dots. Students should compare how their creations are similar to and different from each other. Students should discuss and share strategies for building their creation so that exactly 100 LEGO dots could be seen.
Lesson Learned: Critical thinking and problem solving skills; counting to 100
LEGO Smart Creativity Contest Entry (SEPTEMBER WINNER!)By Paula Augustine, Home school mom and private music instructor
Steps: 1. Give each group of 2-3 students a LEGO Smart Kit. 2. Give them 3-5 minutes to work together and line up their bricks into a rhythm composition. 3. Let each group share their rhythm composition and explain what each brick 'symbol' meant. They will need to work together to decide how to organize the bricks into length is to be played and be able to play it together when finished. I had one group use some colors as rests! Another group used dotted rhythm patterns.
Lesson Learned: The students learned to work together, work creatively, and how use symbols to communicate with the class.
LEGO Smart Creativity Contest Entry (JULY WINNER!)By Elizabeth Croes, ASRCS
Each student is given a LEGO Smart Kit and a piece of paper containing a map. On the map is a picture of two islands in the middle of the ocean. The problem is: There are two islands in the ocean - one of the islands is inhabited by a population of 20 - the other uninhabited. You live on the inhabited island, which is rapidly deteriorating and sinking as a result of soil erosion from the rough tides and coastal winds. You and the other Islanders have decided to move to the more stable island. You have limited resources to help you with the move - the 20 piece LEGO Smart Kit - the kit pieces can represent any material you need (paper, brick, iron, steel, etc - but once the material(s) are determined they cannot change. You must build something to assist you in the move from one Island to the next - you are quickly running out of time - the next High Tide is in 12 hours... Be prepared to give a presentation on what you built to help you move...
Part Two: You have successfully relocated the population - and as you watch the other island sink, you and your peers have decided they need to be proactive at protecting their new home...what can you make by taking apart the structure you built and using the materials to address some of the concerns? (soil erosion, rough tides, sinking etc...) Be prepared to give a presentation on your solution.
For part one some students made boats, bridges, surf boards, wind surfers, rafts, planes, etc.... most built a wall around the island to help with the tides....
Lesson Learned: Team building, problem solving, creativity,
LEGO Smart Creativity Contest Entry (JUNE WINNER!)By Kacey Weiss, Helix Charter High School
Place a blank sheet of paper in front of each student (this is their place mat.) Then place a handful of LEGO bricks in front of each student. Tell students they have 5 minutes to create a masterpiece. After the 5 minutes is up, ask students to title their masterpiece and write the title on the placemat. Then tell them they have 2 minutes to "change" one thing about their piece. Have them write down on their paper how this improved the overall appearance of the piece. Then tell them to "move" a LEGO brick or cluster bricks. (one minute). Write down the change. Now give them one minute to "remove" a LEGO brick or cluster of bricks. Write down the change. Next have students explain to their partner the process of building a masterpiece. Connect this to the art of drafting a paper (moving pieces, removing pieces, changing pieces). Note that we never took the whole masterpiece apart; we simply made it nicer.
Lesson Learned: Students will learn how to revise an essay and the difference between "re-doing" and "revising."