HANDS ON STEM

DESIGN ENGINEERING


New from LEGO® Education for the EV3 platform is Design Engineering Projects, a curriculum package with 30 hours of classroom instruction and open-ended, problem-solving activities that make learning science, technology, engineering, and mathematics through real-life robotics engaging and fun for students.

The curriculum features three main sections with five design projects per section, for a total of 15 projects:

Make It Move: Students are challenged to design, build, and program robots that move using motors with rotation sensors. In five projects, students apply mathematics and science knowledge to create robots that measure distance and speed, move without using wheels, maximize power to move up an incline, and move and turn to create regular polygons. Students will also apply their knowledge of simple and complex machines and use ratios to describe proportional relationships.

Make It Smarter: Students are challenged to add sensors to their robots to control behavior and to measure, graph, and analyze sensor data. In five projects, students develop robots that use sensors that measure ambient and reflected light, distinguish specific colors, measure distance from an object, recognize a touch-sensor state (pressed or not pressed, or pressed and released), and measure angular displacement or rate of change.

Make a System: Students are challenged to design, build, and program robotics systems built from subsystems. In five projects, students develop systems that move a ball, pick and place objects, simulate manufacturing, sort colors, and communicate their location. Students test their system, gather data, and use that evidence to engineer system optimizations and improvements.
The structure of the activities in the Design Engineering Projects curriculum mimics the engineering design process used by scientists and engineers in many industries. Each project starts with a design brief explaining the challenge, uses videos of robots in action to make real-world connections, and culminates in a final project that can be shared and presented. Throughout the process, students gain and use knowledge of science, technology, and mathematics as they engineer a solution. This structure is designed to help students develop the 21st-century, creative-thinking, problem-solving, teamwork, and communication skills required for success in school and beyond.

The curriculum is digitally delivered and installs directly into the LEGO MINDSTORMS® Education programming software lobby. The built-in content editor makes classroom management and assessment easier. with it, teachers can customize the curriculum and create their own lessons and students can capture their work directly inside the content to create their own digital workbooks.

Key Learning Values:

  • Learn and use engineering design process skills
  • Understand and use mathematical skills and concepts, such as proportions and ratios, graphing data, and multi-digit computation
  • Apply knowledge of science concepts, such as speed and power, motion and stability, and forces and interactions
  • Understand cross-cutting concepts, such as systems, patterns, structure and function, and logical thinking
  • Understand the core concepts of technology
  • Understand the role of troubleshooting, invention and innovation, and experimentation in problem solving
  • Plan and manage activities to develop a solution or complete a project
  • Demonstrate creative thinking and construct knowledge using technology
  • Use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively


ELECTRONICS


Snap Circuits® makes learning electronics easy and fun! Just follow the colorful pictures in our manual and build exciting projects such as a flying saucer; alarms; doorbells and much more! You can even play electronic games with your friends. All parts are mounted on plastic modules and snap together with ease. Enjoy hours of educational fun while learning about electronics. No tools required. Includes Projects 1-101 manual. Build over 100 projects including:

  • Flying Saucer
  • Spin draw
  • Sound Activator
  • Alarm Circuit
  • Photoresistor
  • Music Integrated Circuit
  • Motor
  • Space Sound Integrated Circuit


FUN STEM IMPLEMENTATIONS


Makey Makey makes STEM Education fun! Students start out with a banana piano then move on to game controllers, musical instruments, and finally their own inventions!