Paper Towers (1st Grade)
In this introduction to making activity, 1st grade students build paper towers using limited resources and design constraints. This project can follow an ELA fairy tales unit, with stories about strong structures or towers, like The Three Little Pigs or Rapunzel.
Guiding Questions:
- What makes a building strong?
- What makes a building stable?
- How can you build the tallest tower possible?
NGSS
Performance Expectations
K–2-ETS1-1. Ask questions, make observations, and gather information about a situation people want to change to define a simple problem that can be solved through the development of a new or improved object or tool.
K–2-ETS1-2. Develop a simple sketch, drawing, or physical model to illustrate how the shape of an object helps it function as needed to solve a given problem.
K–2-ETS1-3. Analyze data from tests of two objects designed to solve the same problem to compare the strengths and weaknesses of how each performs.
Cross Cutting Concept
Structure and Function
The shape and stability of structures of natural and designed objects are related to their function(s). (K–2-ETS1-2)