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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:

  • How many rocks can you stack without falling?

  • How many rocks can you stack into a tower or wall?

Problem-solving and strategic thinking:

  • Students will use varying sizes of rocks to build a tower or structure without it falling.

  • Students will compare structures, how tall, who used the most rocks? Who used them fewest?

Standards/Objectives addressed:

  • 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.

  • KMD.A.1: Describe measurable attributes of objects, such as length or weight. Describe several measurable attributes of a single object.

  • 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:

  • How to make a plan - sketch a design

  • Observe rock walls/structures where rocks are stacked to make something

Materials:

  • 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:

  • Why would people stack rocks? (i.e. rock walls)

  •  Which rocks would help make this structure more sturdy?

  • How can you change the base to make it even taller?

Vocabulary:

  • Base, sturdy, rock, stone, sketch, stack

Reflection prompts:

  • What worked well? In the end, how did you get it so your rock structure wouldn’t fall?

  • (i.e. bigger rocks at the bottom, flatter rocks to make it more sturdy)

  • What did you learn that would make it easier to do this build again?

  • What else could you have done about…?​

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