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{Teachers
Guides - Science}
Preparation-
Prior to starting
this lesson, you may want to contact major amusement parks in your
area. Ask if they have packets that could help students understand
science concepts related to amusement parks.
On-Site-
Have
students read through the information on the Lego programmable
brick, as well as the interview with Dr. Fred Martin, the creator
of this Lego RCX. For more in-depth information on this subject,
Dr. Martin refers to online articles available from links. To view
Dr. Martin's personal page, go to [http://fredm.www.media.mit.edu/people/fredm/]
If you have a Lego programmable brick, students can download the programs created by our team and try them on their amusement park creation.
Also have your students answer the problems provided in the math section. While these were based on a visit to a major amusement park, they could be adapted for rides at local carnivals and fairgrounds. Students will need the formulas included on the page.
Afterward-
You may want to
consider buying the Lego amusement park set or another Lego
Mindstorms set for your students to experiment with. You may also
need the RoboLab software if you want the students to create their
own programs. Once you have the set and the Lego RCX, students may
download the programs on this site to their RCX as a demonstration.
From there, have students create their own programs with the
RoboLab software.
An alternative would be to follow our link to the Lego Mindstorms page and use one of their missions as a project for the students. However, you may need certain Lego pieces in order to do these experiments.