I have been working to develop a Stem program for the new group of fourth graders that will enter my classroom this fall. We live in a low income rural area where many of them have limited opportunities to explore the world around them. I want to do all I can to prepare them for the world of their future. They will benefit from hands-on experience with science, technology, engineering, and math.
I have found fourth grade students to be highly motivated by anything that involves designing, constructing, exploring and collaborating.
Like all children they feel pride when they create a product that fits their purpose. And what better way to do that than building robots.
My Project
I believe it is very important in today's world for students to develop skills in science, technology, engineering, and math. My fourth graders love to build with Legos, and they spend much time practicing coding on the computers. The Lego Mindstorms Education EV3 Core Set will allow the students to put those two activities together to build robots that they can code. Building a moving robot will greatly motivate the students to collaborate together in the design and build process that engineering requires.
The Lego Mindstorms set will allow the students to strengthen their Stem skills in a highly enjoyable activity.
The skills learned in this process are skills that will carry the students far in their futures. Stem projects often build confidence in students that may not always learn best in a traditional setting.
The Lego Mindstorms set is also used in the First Robotics Lego League. We are currently working to develop a Lego League team at our school. Besides being used in my classroom, the set could be used by a Lego League First team in competitions.
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