Preparation

• Sets: Unpack, sort, label, and number the sets.
• Storage: Consider how to conveniently store the sets (e.g., cabinet or wheeled cart). Store replacement packs separately for when elements go missing.
• Tools: Gather tape, yardsticks, cardboard, scissors, and student handouts.
• Space: Clear the tables for working. Use the floor for testing and running programs.
• Lesson planning: Run through a lesson as if you were a student. Refine and prepare to teach the lesson to your students.

Best Practices

• Rules: Create classroom rules for hands-on work (e.g., only use elements from one set, use storage box lids as trays for working on/presenting/transporting models, ask peers for help first, guidelines for speaking/listening vs. working).
• Tidy-up: Reserve time for students to store or disassemble their creations.
• Lost & found: Create a “lost & found” jar for LEGO elements found on the floor. Students missing an element should look in the jar.
• Evaluation: Evaluate your lessons and reflect on the experience. Compare notes with a colleague or search social media for tips and tricks.
• Checking & sorting: Check and sort the sets regularly. Use the element overview on side 2 of the top card inside the storage box as a checklist.
• Prepare students: Allow time for your students to explore the set and the different elements.
• Grouping: Decide the best way to group your students for effective collaborative learning

Example: See how one teacher groups her students for successful collaboration.

In the Gymnast lesson, student pairs build a gymnast-powered car and learn how it moves. In this lesson, your students will:

• Explore the motion of a "gymnast" (i.e., pendulum) on wheels and
  explain how it demonstrates Newton’s three laws of motion
• Predict how the forces acting on an object can change its motion

Standards Mapping

• Next Generation Science Standards

  • MS-PS2-2 2 Plan an investigation to provide evidence that the change in an object’s motion depends on the sum of the forces on the object and the mass of the object.

• International Society for Technology in Education

  • 4c Develop & test prototypes
  • 6c Clear & effective communication
  • 7c Contribute constructively to project teams

• Common Core

  • ELA-LITERACY.SL6.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 6 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.

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