This week the Moriah STEM lab kicked off the beginning of the year with multi-grade newspaper engineering challenges.

Modeled after skyscrapers, the first and second grade students were broken into teams to build the tallest freestanding structure using only newspaper and tape. Though they had unconventional materials the students worked together to form structures out of the newspaper. They worked through the engineering design process and worked to not only create a freestanding structure but also a classroom community.

Third, fourth and fifth grade students used the same materials to create the tallest freestanding structure that could hold the weight of a basketball. The students’ experiences in the challenge helped to quantify what makes a good team and how they can support each other as they learn together this year.