During our STEM Discovery Week 2019, we have decided to organize different activities for our students. Once we heard about the Scientix competition, we have started to search for a resource that will perfectly match with our topics. Of course, we need some fun and something non-traditional for our students. And we found a Scientix resource about natural selection with Legorogs.
We have used this resource with some changes because we do not have all the required equipment. One of our teachers brought all Lego blocks that could be found at his home (honestly, he asked a 9-year-old cousin to help with this). When we got the Lego blocks, we decided to start.
During this activity, we talked about natural selection or evolution in general. We have decided to focus on adaptation as the key thing for evolution and natural selection. We asked students to make teams of 4 or 5 students in each team. All of them got a small empty box to borrow Lego blocks from a bigger box. The first activity was to create their personal organism (we called them Legorogs) that is adapted to live underwater. That means students have to think how their Legorog is going to breathe, eat, hunt or protect itself in water. And of course, the most exciting thing – choose a name for their creature. 6thgraders worked together for about 40 minutes to finish their first ever Legorog.
After that, we made a little expo in the classroom. All teams found their place in the classroom and separated team members into two roles: guides and tourists. Guides had to present the Legorog for about a minute, tourists had to go from one object to another and listen to other groups presentations. The teacher was just a timekeeper. When tourists came back to their teams, they exchanged their roles. And the second lap started.
Presentations were really fun for children. They saw how powerful humans’ creativity is. At the end of the second lesson, after all the presentations, it was the right time for teachers’ curiosity and get the feedback students. Teachers asked several questions about each Legorog. All questions were mainly focused on adaptation and their importance for this organism to survive. But there is one very important rule: creators cannot speak about their Legorog now. And it was amazing how many facts about each creature they have remembered.
This was a great lesson about adaptation importance not only for students but also for me as teacher. We saw again the great power of humans’ creativity.