Rock Stacking
In this provocation, students will engage in a rock stacking challenge to build towers and walls, promoting problem-solving and data interpretation.
Objective:
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How many rocks can you stack without falling?
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How many rocks can you stack into a tower or wall?
Problem-solving and strategic thinking:
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Students will use varying sizes of rocks to build a tower or structure without it falling.
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Students will compare structures, how tall, who used the most rocks? Who used them fewest?
Standards/Objectives addressed:
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1MD.C.4: Organize, represent, and interpret data with up to three categories; ask and answer questions about the total number of data points, how many in each category, and how many more or less are in one category than in another.
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KMD.A.1: Describe measurable attributes of objects, such as length or weight. Describe several measurable attributes of a single object.
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Social Studies - History 1.1 - compare life in the past to life in the present (how were stone walls used in the past?
Background knowledge needed:
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How to make a plan - sketch a design
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Observe rock walls/structures where rocks are stacked to make something
Materials:
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Any rocks! - Good engagement activity would be to look outside for rocks, go on a hike or walk
Prompts – questions or statements to elicit engagement:
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Why would people stack rocks? (i.e. rock walls)
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Which rocks would help make this structure more sturdy?
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How can you change the base to make it even taller?
Vocabulary:
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Base, sturdy, rock, stone, sketch, stack
Reflection prompts:
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What worked well? In the end, how did you get it so your rock structure wouldn’t fall?
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(i.e. bigger rocks at the bottom, flatter rocks to make it more sturdy)
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What did you learn that would make it easier to do this build again?
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What else could you have done about…?​