1. Getting Started in the Classroom

2. Ordering Materials Materials used here Other Materials
9797 Kit (NXT kits)
LEGO Mindstorms Education NXT Software (NXT-G)
Other Materials
Extra Pieces
NXT Education Resource Kit – 671 pieces

3. Organizing your LEGO collection
Kits
More accountability for students
Everyone has same access to pieces
Intensive Sorting
Bins
Easier to sort
Students have access to all pieces
Can run out of limited pieces
Mini-Kits
Essential/limited pieces, everything else in bins

4. Student Groups Ideal - 2 students : 1 kit : 1 computer
Realistic Solutions
Give students roles - programmer, builder, designer, spokesman - rotate roles
Design Contracts - I build this part, you build this part
Timers - 5 minutes on computer, then switch

5. A Note on Gender In general, same sex pairs work better
Girls tend to plan before building
Boys tend to grab pieces and start building without a plan
Types of activities
Variety - not all cars or animals
Consider competition carefully

6. Book Recommendations
The Unofficial LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT Inventor’s Guide by David J. Perdue
Primary Engineering: Projects for Grades K-2 by Terry Green
Engineering with LEGO Bricks and ROBOLAB (3rd edition) by Eric Wang
Physics by Design (2nd edition) by Barbara Bratzel