Lego Building Challenge

We started off the year with a great challenge.  The students were all given a bag of Legos in which to build a structure.  They had 5 minutes in which to do this.  Next, they were to draw a diagram of their project in their science notebook.  After their diagram was complete, they were asked to close their project inside a paper bag to hide it.  They were then given a second bag of Legos and asked to rebuild their project exactly like their first only using their memories and the diagram in their notebook.  It was frustrating for some, and disappointing for a few others, as many diagrams were lacking details.  Finally, when the building time was up, the students compared the two structures to see how close their first and second project were.  It was a great lesson in the importance of careful observation and detailed note taking.  We repeated the project today with much better results.  We brainstormed ways that we could be more successful. The students came up with a variety of ideas which centered around making careful observation and noting details in diagrams.  Many used color this time as well.  It was a great challenge and a good way to prepare our Third Grade Scientist for making careful observations in their science notebooks.