My students need hands-on building kits and manipulatives including Magna-Tiles, Gear Builders and a Zoob Building Set to promote language and learning.
Coming in to my classroom would be a surprise for some people, since we speak Spanish. My second grade Spanish immersion is full of engagement, hands-on learning, and discovery through language. The more concrete we can make our lessons, the easier it is for students to learn the content and Spanish. I have 54 students from various demographic and economic backgrounds, as well as a wide spectrum of academic abilities. It's always an adventure in our classroom and we learn new things every day!
My Project
LearntoLearn Lego Kits provide hands-on learning opportunities for students in literacy, math, science, and engineering. These simple kits engage students and encourage them to use their language (which is Spanish) through teamwork and problem solving. Rather than huge bulky kits that rarely are taken out to use, Learntolearn are so simple that they can be used on a regular basis without taking time away from required core curriculum.
Other materials will be used in our weekly "STEM challenges." These projects benefit the students three-fold: the challenges connect to core curriculum that we are learning in class, they allow students to "think outside the box" and practice problem solving skills, and the high engagement and interest allows students to effortlessly and authentically speak Spanish in groups.
Lego wheels set will be used in several STEM challenges involving cars and how to design the fastest car. Students get so excited to race their cars with each other and figure out what they can do to make theirs faster! Magna-Tiles will be used to teach students about three dimensional shapes as well as building a community. This connects with math, engineering, design, and social studies as we discuss what specific buildings and jobs a town needs to function successfully. Blocks and blueprints center, gear builders, and zoob building set will all be used in separate STEM challenges where students build things such as bridges, robots, simple machines, and towers.
All of the materials will also be used during structured play throughout the year when students earn free time or we have indoor recesses. This is one of the best uses of these materials because students get excited to work together and have open-ended time to use their imagination and make their own creations.
Half of students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
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