Build a free-standing structure out of spaghetti, string, tape and a marshmallow. Sounds pretty simple, right? Mrs. Miller’s ninth grade English class, in preparation for their group project on The Odyssey, participated in the famous Marshmallow Challenge this week and learned that one fluffy marshmallow can bend a seemingly solid pasta tower. They used the Marshmallow Challenge as a springboard for a discussion about the characteristics of a successful group project. There is teamwork, where everyone has a role and no single member of a group is the leader all of the time. Second is prototyping, which is understanding that a single product will have many drafts before it can be finished. Finally, there is play, which is the knowledge that there is no single “right answer” and that the best learning is active.