Fourth Graders Build and Program Race Cars in STEM

The Fourth grade just began their STEM lesson with LEGO® WeDo robots to build race cars. The girls will also learn programming to make them move: go forward, turn left, turn right, and adjust the speed.

In STEM, the girls are discussing speed with Mrs. Bellopede. Their focus for this project is on answering the question: What is speed? And how can I make my robot go faster?

They will be running two experiments:

1. To build the robot and measure how long it takes for their race car to travel 12 inches, 16 inches, 20 inches, 24 inches, and 30 inches and chart their findings.
2. To make one modification to their build and then re-test their model making predictions of what they think will happen.

They will then discuss in their groups and as a class how their modifications impacted their results.

Villa believes in empowering girls to break the glass ceilings by teaching them to be innovative and creative thinkers who understand the power of technology and are fascinated by its multifaceted uses.

The LEGO® WeDo program helps to reinforce science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) concepts for the girls as well as problem-solving, teamwork and perseverance.