Sign Up
Student Instructions
1. Work with a partner. 2. Use A4 paper and masking tape to build the tallest tower you can that stands for 10 seconds. 3. Try ideas and change your design if it falls. 4. Take a picture or video of your tower when it stands.
Teacher Notes (not visible to students)
This activity asks first graders to design and build a tall paper tower using only A4 paper and masking tape. It focuses on concepts of base, balance, and teamwork. Students should practice predicting which designs will stand and then test their ideas. Materials needed: 15 sheets of A4 paper per pair and a small roll of masking tape. Prepare a clear open floor or table space for building. Set a 10-second standing test rule and a time limit (e.g., 15 minutes) for building. For open-ended responses: a high-quality answer shows the student explaining or showing their tower (photo/video/drawing) and naming one idea that made it stronger (wide base, folded paper columns, tape at joints). For the partner activity, a strong response shows both partners participating (photo or short video), one design change they tried, and whether it worked. Teachers will grade these as correct if the student shows the tower and names or shows a clear strength idea; incorrect if the student only shows a tower with no explanation or evidence of partner work.
