Science through LEGO Engineering Learning About Gears Les s on 8 Snail Car Suggested Time Lesson Overview Learning Objectives Teacher Background One 30-minute session Students will build and program a LEGO car that uses gears to travel as slowly as possible. The students will compete in a “snail race” to see whose car is the slowest. The last to cross the finish line will be crowned the winner. - Class discussion of different building methods. - Building of sturdy car with gears. Gears must be geared down. - Overview of programming the car to move forward. - Snail car race. - Recording design and race results in Engineering Journal. By the end of this lesson, students will be able to: - Define WeDo programming terms. - Be familiar with the WeDo programming language. - Be familiar with gears. - Define engineering design as the process of creating solutions to human problems through creativity and the application of math and science knowledge. Introduction to Programming Start Block: This is the initiation of the program. This is needed to make the program go or commence. Wait Statements: This is used to stall the program in the state that it is currently in. This activity will use the wait statement to keep the motor running for a specific amount of time. Power Levels: When the motor is running, different levels of power, that relate to motor speed can be selected. The higher power level relates to a higher speed. Motor “This Way” or “That Way”: The direction of the motor is controlled by the direction of the arrow on the motor programming block. The best way for students to determine the forward direction is to test it. Science through LEGO Engineering Learning About Gears...
