Gears and Catapults

We had a wonderful time today at the first "Engineering with LEGOS!"  The focus of this PD was Gears.  The lesson developed integrated the ratios of gears through vocabulary foldables, fraction strips, and the use of video.

 The first activity looked at the rotation of gears and how the consecutive gears change rotational direction.

Then we moved on to Reel Changes, an activity that investigated the relationship between different size gears and which gear is the driver gear or the driven gear.

 Using fraction strips we developed the idea of the ratios of related gears to each other and how it could be taught conceptually to students.

Finally we created catapults and experimented with the distance of the projectile compared to the position of the pivot.

It was a wonderful day- one in which I hope translates to enjoyable learning for the children in these teachers classrooms.  Thanks for taking this opportunity!

To see all the photos from today use this link

https://plus.google.com/photos/114070881976309519645/albums/5707691815289847681?authkey=CJHlkpuKt56CmgE

Introduction to Engineering with Legos

LEGOS have been one of the favorite toys of children for years.  If you are like me, you remember playing with block shapes of various dimensions.  But the LEGOS our children play with now are made up of a variety of amazing pieces.  These possibilities include sets which allow them to learn about problem solving, engineering, science, and robotics.  A few months ago I found the LEGO Education website and while at first I thought of my own daughter and how she would love learning with these sets, my thoughts soon turned to the many classrooms full of students who would love to learn in this fashion as well.  With the support of my department, I am so excited to help deliver the first of which I hope are many "Engineering with LEGOS" professional developments for teachers.  For our first PD we will be using the Simple Machines Set and the AIMS Brick Layers II book,  which create a combination that is an excellent avenue for introducing elementary students to key simple machines. Teachers will discover how they can introduce basic physical science concepts such as gears, pulleys, levers, wheels and axles through observation, reasoning, prediction, and critical thinking into their classrooms while also incorporating technology, mathematics, and the arts. My hope is that this blog will become a living portfolio and resource to teachers who have taken the opportunity to bring this innovation to their students.