Students in Miss Desmarais’s class at Williams Elementary School in Oakland recently completed their annual boat building challenge! The goal was to create the strongest boat using only aluminum foil, popsicle sticks, masking tape, and plastic straws. Students had to work as a team to manage a budget, brainstorm a design, calculate the cost of materials needed, build their boat, test their boat, and reflect on their process. Group by group, boats were put to the
test by Miss Desmarais as the class watched. She dropped base ten blocks onto each boat until boats either began taking on water, or proved they could hold 100+ blocks!! This is a fun annual activity that incorporates mathematical skills, strategic planning, and collaboration among students.
