Not surprisingly, the natural inclination is to view LEGO elements as toys.
It is important to distinguish between LEGO DACTA kits used with these
activities and the LEGO toy sets many students may have at home.
LEGO DACTA kits are developed by LEGO Dacta, the educational division of
the LEGO group, and include features designed specifically for classroom
use.
- Building instructions for many different models
- Models selected for curriculum relevance
- A storage tray to assist with inventory and management
- Sufficient quantity for student team use
Treat the LEGO DACTA kits as science equipment to establish this subtle,
yet important distinction for your students.
When students learn about the microscope, they learn the names of the parts
and their functions before they use them. So, too, with LEGO materials.
By learning the names of the parts, a mind-set is formed which differentiates
these pieces from the toys used at home. Naming the pieces also aids in
instruction. When a model calls for a "1 x 8 beam," everyone
knows which piece to use. Application: When controlling variables in an
experiment, knowing that models are made of identical pieces is very important.
A student who describes a model as having "one of those little red
things" is not using the precise language of a scientist.
Axles - long black rods used for mounting wheels, forming joints,
etc. Axles are named by comparing them to a piece with studs and counting
how many studs long they are.
Beams - pieces one stud wide, of varying lengths, with holes in
the sides. A beam is named by its dimensions in studs.
Bricks - wider pieces named by the number of studs in the length
and width.
Gears - toothed wheels named by the number of teeth around their
edges.
Plates - thin, flat pieces named by the number of studs in the length
and width.
Studs - the bumps on the top of the LEGO elements
At home, students are comfortable with dumping out the contents of the
box of parts and assembling either from instructions or from their imaginations.
That is another difference between these science kits and the home toy
kits. These do not get dumped. The list of Work Rules reinforces this idea.
These are some common sense rules that emphasize the fact that this
is a situation different from playing with LEGO materials at home. The
greatest occasion for lost elements is when they are loose on the desk
and roll onto the floor, often without being noticed. If you are using
the complete kit, then it is easy to enforce the rules. The idea here is
that an element is either on the model or in the kit.
There are instances, especially with younger students, when it is appropriate
to distribute only the parts needed for an investigation, not the entire
kit. Using a zipper-type plastic bag with the kit number or other identification
on it works very well.
To keep small elements from rolling off the desk, a small piece of terry
cloth can be included in the bag. The texture of the cloth stops small
pieces, especially bushings and connector pegs, from rolling onto the floor.
Kits can be labeled with stickers of different colors or numbers. Each
team (teams of two are recommended) is assigned a kit which they will use
for the duration of the unit. This gives an added incentive to be careful
with the many small parts; if a part is lost, it may hamper the ability
to complete a future model.