How do you get a room full of third graders to stay interested as the school year winds down? Bring them some Legos and show them how they use simple machines in every day life.
Working in groups of two the nineteen students in Ms. Swanson’s third grade classroom built and experimented with OPEF’s Lego kits. The students were already familiar with the idea of simple machines and were able to build a series of simple machines and improve on them with their own designs.
The students enjoyed debating some hypothetical situations and learning about their teacher’s own experience many years ago when she used the power of levers to change a motorcycle flat tire in Sierra Leone.
Geared Up’s Gretchen Junker will return to the class on Wednesday with more excitement and more Legos.
