LEGO®


Metropolis: Urban Design & Architecture (Grades 2-3)


What are the best strategies for planning and building a city? Imagine a whole city made out of LEGO®


architecture concepts come to life when students collaborate to plan and create buildings, roads, and city infrastructures using LEGO®


s


created for architecturally accurate construction. Course activities engage students’ spatial-relational thinking skills with activities such as producing blueprints and maps. Students consider how to meet a community’s needs by applying principles of urban planning and brainstorming solutions to design and engineering challenges. During this course, students will:


Research and discuss different urban maps, plans, and infrastructures Create original LEGO®


Analyze various challenges that LEGO® possible strategies for overcoming them


structures, implementing plans and designs architects face and identify


Heroes and Villains (Grades K - 1)


Can there be a hero in a story without a villain? Is the Big Bad Wolf really a villain? What traits make one character a hero and another a villain? Students read stories and focus on the portrayal of characters they enjoyed most. By analyzing character development, readers and writers identify plot devices and the importance of well-developed characters. Using a variety of resources, including familiar fairy tales and comic books, students evaluate common traits of a hero and a villain. Through role-play, writing, illustration, and dictation, students create character profiles or a story of their own hero or villain. During this course, students will:


Identify the difference between a protagonist and antagonist Read stories to explore and discuss different types of heroes and villains


Compare and contrast heroes in stories to those who are considered heroes in real life


CTD PATHWAY: In this course, students focus on effective story development with an emphasis on character analysis in plot-driven stories. They learn to identify authors’ techniques for developing characters and apply what they learn to their own writing. Identifying and applying writing techniques such as these lay the foundation for more complex and extensive fiction writing in the future.


Probability: The Math of Prediction (Grades 1-2)


How do you know if a game of chance is fair? Predicting the outcome of an event may seem magical, but it’s something more powerful, it’s mathematical! Students learn to use the language and numerical expression of probability, the math behind making predictions. They predict the outcomes of events and test their own predictions through games of chance and other fun challenges. During this course, students will:


Predict outcomes using mathematical calculations (theoretical probability) and test their predictions (experimental probability)


Show event outcomes in data tables, charts, and graphs Create their own games, problems, and brain teasers using probability


CTD PATHWAY: This course introduces students to how the likelihood of an event can be expressed using the language of mathematics. The logic and the use of multiple ways to represent both a concept and a number are valuable in the study of higher-level mathematics, especially statistics.


Center for Talent Development


View all courses online at ctd.northwestern.edu/courses


ctd.northwestern.edu 15


CTD PATHWAY: This course introduces students to engineering design concepts at a macro level in buildings and communities. The practice of problem-solving within a context of multiple parameters and the use of computational thinking as they are employed in this course are valuable in the study of engineering and math.


Introduction to AI: EV3 Sensors and More (Grades 3-4)


What is artificial intelligence? Can a robot make its own decision? By building and programming LEGO®


Mindstorms EV3 robots, students


develop engineering and computer science knowledge. This course focuses on the EV3 sensors and the ways the robots respond to their environment. Hands-on experience with sensors leads to a discussion of artificial intelligence (A.I.) and the traits of “intelligent machines”. Students with previous EV3 experience are challenged to apply their existing engineering and coding skills to new ideas and projects. During this course, students will:


Demonstrate, using LEGO robots, an understanding of the function and uses of sensors


Collaborate with other students to analyze tasks and solve problems effectively


Research and discuss concepts of artificial intelligence


CTD PATHWAY: This course introduces and extends students’ experience with programming and engineering. Problem-solving and computational thinking skills central to this course are valuable in the study of engineering and programming.


bricks! Introductory urban design and


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