Lego and STEM
By Joey Pitchford
Published in News on May 18, 2016 1:46 PM
Full Size
News-Argus/ALAN CAMPBELL
Tommy's Road Elementary School third-grader Evelyn Moye, 9, center, assists her father, Michael Moye, with a Lego smart spinner as classmate Serenity Daniels, 9, watches on Tuesday during the first STEM fair at the school
Full Size
News-Argus/ALAN CAMPBELL
Tommy's Road Elementary School third-grader Evelyn Moye, 9, center, assists her father, Michael Moye, with a Lego smart spinner as classmate Serenity Daniels, 9, watches on Tuesday during the first STEM fair at the school
Full Size
News-Argus/ALAN CAMPBELL
Tommy's Road Elementary School third-grader Breanna Moore, 9, right, helps third-grader Joshua Carter, 9, make slime during the first STEM fair at the school on Tuesday.
When you give kids some Legos and a goal, it can be surprising what happens.
Tommy's Road Elementary School did just that, and the students displayed their work at a science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fair held in the school cafeteria Tuesday evening.
Following the theme of "waste wise," students from the second grade worked in groups to come up with machines that would help dispose of various types of waste. They then built models of the machines using Legos, which included at least one simple machine (like a lever or pulley) and a motor to power it.
Kennedy Wilson, 7, worked on a pulley machine designed to pick up discarded newspapers. She said that the project helped her learn about teamwork.
"You have to work together to come up with ideas," she said.
This year, the second graders at Tommys Road became involved in the For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) Lego League Jr., a program which advocates the use of Lego robotics in teaching science and technology. Laura Alley, who teaches students to use the robotics in the computer lab at Tommy's Road, said that the students have responded enthusiastically.
"The kids love it. I had first graders today and they were literally screaming they were so excited."
The school received a grant from FIRST N.C. last year which funded the integration of the Lego League Jr. into the second-grade curriculum. The use of Legos doesn't stop there, however, as the school has used other grants and their own funds to purchase Lego robotics kits for students of higher grade levels as well.
Even students as young as kindergarten are using Legos in their learning. Janaia Jones, 6, built a model of the bridge from "The Three Billy Goats Gruff" after reading the story in class.
Legos were far from the only thing going on at the fair. Continuing with the "waste wise" theme, students in higher grades created products meant to approach the problem of waste in a constructive way. Fifth grader Jesus Cast worked with a group to turn discarded potato chip bags into a blanket for the homeless.
"The chip bags protect you from the rain, and the inside keeps your warm." he said. "We found that the Dorito bags were the strongest, so we used those at the corners."
Elsewhere in the school, students from the Battle of the Books team worked with the movie making app iMovie to create video book covers. Having never used iMovie before, the kids nonetheless wrote, directed, and shot the video clips entirely on their own. Media coordinator Becky Dixon said that the children took to the technology with ease.
"We gave them a 15-minute demonstration and turned them loose," she said. "And I was just in awe."
Steve Hill, director of STEM East, said that programs like the Lego League helped give young students an idea of what might be in store for them later if they decided to pursue a career in science or technology.
"The kids understand that they're doing something in school that directly relates to a job they could get in the real world." Hill said. "You won't ever hear the question here 'What will I do with this?' "