Northern elementary school students learning with Legos

LEGO taking over North Bay classroom In North Bay elementary students are learning techniques in S.T.E.M. using Legos.

A Grade 6/7 class in northern Ontario is using a popular building block toy to learn science, technology, engineering and math.

What once was an after school program is now available in the classroom.

The FIRST LEGO League Class Pack program is wrapping up its first year in the classroom at St. Luke Catholic Elementary School in North Bay.

The Grade 6 and 7 students who are a part of the course are involved in project-based learning by building robots and innovation projects.

"It incorporates a lot of things that we want our kids to have in order to have jobs in the future, they're all transferable," said Sue Korosec, a Grade 6 teacher at the school.

"When they had to look up their topics for their innovation projects, they had to actually look at a problem that we have in our every day lives and how to make it better."

While Korosec is the only teacher currently leading the course in North Bay, officials from FIRST LEGO are hoping it continues to grow.

"This program, I think, is just a no-brainer because of the more recent additions to coding in Ontario curriculum expectations in mathematics and science, and I wouldn't doubt it's going to be in language," said Peter Anello, technology-enabled learning facilitator, Nipissing-Parry Sound Catholic District School Board..

"The engagement levels are through the roof. Students are operating and working together in groups and coming up with an innovation project with something that's current."