3rd Grade Idea Lab: "Unearthed"

We’ve kicked off our First Lego League theme of “Unearthed”-- a journey into discovering what’s hidden beneath the surface. To start, students created their own artifacts and clues to represent who they are. Just like archaeologists, we “unearthed” these treasures to get to know our teammates better. It gave us a fun way to learn more about each other while also practicing how archaeologists use clues to figure out the people of the past.

We also introduced the 6 Core Values of First Lego League, which guide all of our teamwork and projects. To show their understanding, students built LEGO scenes where LEGO people acted out one of the values. We displayed these creations in a little LEGO Museum of Core Values—a fun reminder of the importance of teamwork, discovery, and innovation.

Next, we dug deeper into what unearthed really means by researching the fascinating field of archaeology. 

Students worked in teams to jigsaw their learning into four areas: 

Tools Archaeologists Use

Artifacts and What They Teach Us

Famous Archaeological Discoveries

How Archaeologists Protect the Past

Soon, each group will present their research to the class, because we believe the best way to retain our learning is by teaching others. If you would like to see the First Lego League sneak peek into the season, click HERE. 

New School Year-- New 1st Grade Members!

We’ve had such a fun couple of weeks in Idea Lab getting to know each other! Welcome to our new 1st grade members!

Another student will join us next week!
 
To start our time together, students created “brains” filled with our hobbies, interests, and talents so we could all learn more about what makes each of us unique. We shared our creations using a Kagan cooperative learning structure called Mix, Freeze, Pair. With music playing, students mixed around the room and, when it stopped, they paired up and traded their “brains” to peek inside each other’s minds.

We also built LEGO scenes to show something we love to do in our everyday lives. From arcades to playgrounds, swimming pools to skate parks, and even museums—our LEGO worlds gave us a glimpse of the places and activities our friends enjoy most.

Looking ahead, we’re excited to start meeting our P.E.T.S. (Primary Education Thinking Skills) characters. 
First, we’ll be introduced to Max the Magician, who helps us stretch our visual-spatial intelligence. 

It’s been a wonderful start to the year!