Mrs. McDonald, Mrs. Kwiatkowski and Ms. Rzepka's 5th grade students eagerly accepted the STEM Engineering Design Challenge to create a Creepy Spider Web. First, students read the article Why Do Spiders Spin Webs? and completed close reading comprehension questions. Next, students were placed into teams to brainstorm, plan, and sketch a design. Each team then created a creepy spider web using only marshmallows and toothpicks. After the creepy spider webs were constructed, students were asked to reflect on the challenge by identifying what parts of the project went well and what could be improved upon next time. Taya said, "The parts of the project that went really well included when all the members of the team participated and helped each other. We got along very well." Mya felt that she could "improve by doing more research while planning out the design." These young engineers are looking forward to their next STEM Challenge!
