1. Legos: Making the Creative & Collaborative Connection
Bobbi Luster
Davidson Day School
February 18, 2014

2. Agenda “Hook” Activity – Lego Libs Goals Jr. FLL
Examples for centers, incorporation into lessons, or supporting activities in Lib/Tech
Lego Story Starter/Visualizer

3. Goals Think about technology more broadly 2. Create & collaborate
3. Library/Technology team for support

4. What is Technology?
Any invention, including tools, machines, materials, techniques, and sources of power, that make people’s work easier.
Source: Discovery Education

5. Are these examples of technology?
Car
Computer
Smartphone
Wheelchair
Sewing Machine
Shoes - ??
Pens - ??
Legos - ??

6. Goals Think about technology more broadly 2. Create & collaborate
3. Library/Technology team for support

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

8. Goals Think about technology more broadly 2. Create & collaborate
3. Library/Technology team for support

9. 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.

10. 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.

11. 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!

12. Ideas Abound… Diorama construction Examples:
1st grade – animal projects
2nd grade – weather
3rd grade – animal projects or incorporate into game building/Jumanji
4th grade – U.S. region landscapes

13. 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)

14. Ideas Abound Lego Libs 1. 2.*
* Note the inclusion of parts of speech, proofreader marks & punctuation.

15. Ideas Abound…
Music – Blocks could be used to “build” songs.

16. 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

17. 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

18. 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!

19. Lego Story Starter
Source: Lego Education

20. Lego Story Starter
Source: Lego Education

21. Lego Story Starter

22. Lego Story Starter