• Lego City Club
• Who: Third-Fifth Grade Student
• What: Lego City Club
• When: Every Thursday During Recess
• Where: Mrs. Dichtel’s Classroom. Room 19
• The Yacks Lego club will challenge students to improve and practice their
problem solving, team work, and communication skills in their completion of
their built Lego town project. When finished with the project a written portion
will be done. Students will write about their town
• At Yacks elementary our philosophy is learning for all whatever it takes. We like
students to learn effectively by making their day and making it fun for them.
Children love Legos. From older kids to smaller kids, these toys are very popular.
Or more appropriately, they like to construct with Legos. Through this grant we
want to make it possible for students to have these Legos to construct something
they are proud of. What is really wonderful about the fact that children love
Legos is that it's a toy which is good for their minds and bodies.
We propose that using Lego as an art medium for students will create many personal
benefits. We believe that our Lego Club could create an important skill for the professional
world as well. Many architects and engineers have translated a childhood love of Legos to a
career of building design. Lego has been going strong for the last fifty years, developing
children's creativity, fine motor skills, teamwork, and curiosity. In these hard economical
times we will give students the opportunity to be exposed to a resource that they may not be
able to afford. This is a hands-on club that will help students’ imagination and creativity.
When finish students will write a story about their imaginary town. They will use cardinal
directions to say for example: the post office is north of… Students will use their
imaginations to expand on the ideas of their town. What would it be like to live in this
town? What is this town famous for?
Where is this town located.
• “Established in 1940, Legos Education has considerable experience in
providing complete learning solutions that cover a variety of curriculum
areas, while encouraging children to use their creative, problem-solving
and team working skills.” www.lego.com/education Legos meet the
highest for international standard for quality and safety. Legos unique
interlocking system is a great way for kids to learn about construction and
design. It also is a great tactile toy which allows children to develop
muscles in the fingers and hands. Legos are much more than just a toy.
“Our solutions are based on hands-on learning approach that actively
involves students in their own learning process, making learning fun and
an adventure.
• Not only do Legos stimulate creativity and lateral thinking, they also help build
dexterity and developing math and pattern skills. By interlocking matching colors
and styles children learn the use of patterns which develops key math skills. With
the color choices, and how they interlock, children learn important problem
solving skills.
• Our Lego Club will include instructional approaches and strategies for teaching
and learning to differentiate learning environment. Through cooperative learning
students will work in smaller groups. This interactive instructional strategy will
allow students to work collaboratively on the meaningful task of completing their
Lego Town. Students will work to help themselves and others in the group to
learn. Their will be academic encouragement through social interaction. The
activities will be structured so that the students need each other to accomplish the
task. This cooperative learning strategy can help motivate students, construct
their own knowledge and promote positive interaction amount students.
• References: Research has shown that students who learn cooperatively get higher
grades than students who try to learn the same material individually (Johnson et
al. 1991) www.lego.com/education
• The third, fourth, and fifth grade students who will participate in the
Yacks Lego club will learn to effectively use problem solving, team work,
and communication skills to complete the Lego town project. These
students will also take part in writing and reading grade level directions
explaining how to assemble sections of the town projects. At Yacks
Elementary we support PBS (Positive Behavior Support). Students will
practice following the FISH 5! Rules of Be Respectful, Be Responsible, Be
Kind, Be in Control, Be Safe in this cooperative learning hands–on
activity.
• The Yacks Lego club will start meeting the beginning of the second
semester of the 2009-2010 school year in January 2010. This club will
meet at least once a week during the students’ lunch period. This club
could also meet before or after school if interest arises to do so. The Lego
clubs plan is to complete their town project to present at Spring Student
Led Conferences.