Newspaper Table Challenge
Description:
In this challenge, I had teams of four students get together to plan and build a table out of newspaper that could support the weight of Mr. Turtle.
Resources:
The PBS Design Squad site Paper Table
English PDF
Paper Table Video
More resources
Reflections:
I think the paper table challenge was a great way to get our feet wet with design challenges. What made it challenging for first graders at the beginning of the year was creating a table with four students who are still learning how to do teamwork. Some students were able to break apart the tasks and share in the building of the solution. Many groups were dominated by one or two people's ideas and hands. I think if I were to do this next time, I would scaffold what sharing and collaboration looks like before diving in. I also would make two person teams instead of four.
In this challenge, I had teams of four students get together to plan and build a table out of newspaper that could support the weight of Mr. Turtle.
Resources:
The PBS Design Squad site Paper Table
English PDF
Paper Table Video
More resources
Reflections:
I think the paper table challenge was a great way to get our feet wet with design challenges. What made it challenging for first graders at the beginning of the year was creating a table with four students who are still learning how to do teamwork. Some students were able to break apart the tasks and share in the building of the solution. Many groups were dominated by one or two people's ideas and hands. I think if I were to do this next time, I would scaffold what sharing and collaboration looks like before diving in. I also would make two person teams instead of four.
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