Legos: Making the Creative & Collaborative Connection

Bobbi LusterDavidson Day School

February 18, 2014

Agenda

• “Hook” Activity – Lego Libs• Goals• Jr. FLL• Examples for centers, incorporation into

lessons, or supporting activities in Lib/Tech• Lego Story Starter/Visualizer

Goals

1. Think about technology more broadly

2. Create & collaborate

3. Library/Technology team for support

What is Technology?

Any invention, including tools, machines, materials, techniques, and sources of power, that make people’s work easier.

Source: Discovery Education

Are these examples of technology?

• Car • Computer • Smartphone • Wheelchair• Sewing Machine

• Shoes - ??• Pens - ??• Legos - ??

Goals

1. Think about technology more broadly

2. Create & collaborate

3. Library/Technology team for support

Davidson Day School Mission

Davidson Day School is a diverse independent school that cultivates academic excellence through collaboration, creativity, and character development.

Goals

1. Think about technology more broadly

2. Create & collaborate

3. Library/Technology team for support

Library/Tinker Lab Mission

Davidson Day School’s Library/Tinker Lab supports all aspects of our Lower School curriculum in which we enable students to:• use a variety of technology and understand

how it works; • innovate or create technology through

research and hands-on activities; • and, realize that technology helps to improve

lives or make work easier.

Why Legos?

• Every students already knows how to use Legos and is familiar with them.

• Can support a variety of learners, particularly those that may excel with hands-on activities.

• Not dependent on the student or teacher to learn how to use a piece of hardware or software (with exception of some Lego software).

• Not a budget-buster.

Jr. First Lego League

• Inspiration for this presentation

• Inquiry-based lesson that Lib/Tech currently supports

• Third grade:• Incorporates/builds on research skills introduced

in lib/tech earlier in the year and builds on simple machines lessons introduced in science.

• Creativity• Collaboration• Character Development

Could this be rolled out in truncated or expanded versions for other grades? ABSOLUTELY!

Ideas Abound…

Diorama constructionExamples:• 1st grade – animal projects• 2nd grade – weather• 3rd grade – animal projects or incorporate into game

building/Jumanji• 4th grade – U.S. region landscapes

Ideas Abound…

Word Families / Spelling / Capital & Lower Case/ Lego Libs• Builds on language arts work underway in current

classrooms• Lib/Tech currently supports this through the use of word

ladders and tablet applications (i.e. K and 1st)

Ideas Abound

Lego Libs

* Note the inclusion of parts of speech, proofreader marks & punctuation.

1.

2.*

Ideas Abound…

• Music – Blocks could be used to “build” songs.

Ideas Abound…

1x1 bricks could represent quarter notes or quarter rests. 2 – 1x1 or 1 – 1x2 could be a half note, etc.

Source: Ashley Queen http://elementarymusicresources.blogspot.com/p/my-smartboard-files.html

Ideas Abound

• Science/PE Relay: Lego Balloon Car

• Harder than it looks!!! Includes LOTS of opportunity for problem-solving!

• Simple machines• Stability – horizontal &

vertical• Measuring

Lego Story Starter

• Lego Story Starters / Story Visualizer

• hands-on brick building, story writing, photography and story or comic strip creation

• Could it be created without the software? YES!

Lego Story Starter

Source: Lego Education

Lego Story Starter

Source: Lego Education

Lego Story Starter

Lego Story Starter

bluster@davidsonday.org