January 2022

LEGO My Lunch

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Academic Standards

 

 

Reading Objective:

Kids will recognize that builders can use old parts in fresh ways to create new designs.

 

Reading Level:

Lexile: 470L; GRL: K

 

Next Generation Science Standards:

K-2-ETS1: Engineering Design

 

Vocabulary:

builder, internet, nickname, surprising, texture

Use these questions to check students’ understanding and stimulate discussion:

 

1. What does this builder make with LEGO bricks?
(He makes LEGO food.)

2. Is Tary his real name?
(No. Tary is his nickname.)

3. Where does Tary live?
(in Japan)

4. Name something Tary built. What parts did he use to build it?
(Answers will vary.)

Go online to print or project the Reading Checkpoint.

 

  • Tary started playing with LEGO as a kid. He didn’t have many parts then, and he had to get creative.
  • Tary first made LEGO food for a contest at a LEGO store in Japan. He won first prize!
  • Tary first made LEGO food for a contest at a LEGO store in Japan. He won first prize!
  • In his culture, Tary says, it is strange to use your real name on the internet, so he uses a nickname.

Materials: LEGO bricks or similar blocks, pencils, markers, copies of the skill sheet

Overview: Working in groups, students will plan, build, and tweak a LEGO tower. They’ll record and share what they built and learned.

Directions:

  1. Before the lesson, gather enough LEGO bricks for each group of 4-5 kids to build.
  2. Tell kids that engineers solve problems—like how to make a tower that stays up!
  3. Ask kids: What kind of tower will you build? How many bricks will you use? What will help it stay up?
  4. Divide students into small groups and send them to their building stations.
  5. Let kids build their tower’s “first draft.” Ask: What works and what doesn’t? Engineers do this step before they make improvements. Let them!
  6. Pass out the skill sheets. Kids can draw their towers and record what they learned as engineers. They can share if time allows.