Sixth-graders at GEMS have been inspired this holiday season to discuss and discover what makes a good Lego kit. They were then given the challenge to become the Next Great Lego Designer. Students brainstormed what makes a good designer and quickly went to work.

The class began by creating a Lego structure with 100 or fewer pieces, keeping in mind their target audience of third-grade students. When they were finished they took apart their creations and worked at taking photographs that would help a young student reassemble the exact same structure. These images were then tested on their classmates and the designers made any necessary revisions.

The class then went to the Innovation Lab where they used Google Slides to create a two-page direction sheet for their kits. The final steps were to create per-brick prices followed by an algebraic equation to determine the cost of their kit.

The designers will now be delivering their kits with a feedback form and related comic strip to third-grade classrooms to await the return of their structures and see if their communication was clear.

Will these students become the Next Great Lego Designer? Stay tuned for future posts to find out.