Critical thinking fueled student designs recently as all fifth-grade students at Merrimac Elementary School participated in a STEAM activity aimed at enhancing student collaboration.

The activity, led by Merrimac art teacher Jenna Motroni, challenged student groups to design and construct the tallest tower possible out of predetermined amounts of spaghetti, tape and string, which at the end of the build would have to hold a marshmallow at its peak. Students were given a 20-minute build time to carefully construct a functional tower out of the limited resources provided. 

“It is fun to teach students traditional concepts in a unique way,” Ms. Motroni said. “Students get to work on solving different problems through teamwork.” 

At the conclusion of the activity, students collectively discussed alternative construction approaches that could improve the design of their towers.