Tallest Tower

Can your team build the tallest tower of cups?

What do we do?
Step 1. Make sure you have all of your supplies.
You should have 20 plastic cups.
Step 2. Talk and write about what you think
will happen.
Step 3. Try different ways of stacking one cup
on top of another cup. How tall can
you get it before it falls over?
(You cant hold the tower to keep it safe!)
Step 4, Try to build your first tower. What are
your ideas? How do you plan to build it
as tall as you can?
Step 5. STOP! - time to write and draw on your paper!
Fill in the boxes on your paper.
Ask for help if you need it.
Step 6. Talk with your group!
Even a great tower can be better.
Plan with your group and decide
what you will change next time!
How can you make your tower even TALLER?

Step 7. If your first tower is still standing,

take it apart to build your next one.
Use what you learned from your first tower
and from talking to your group to build an
even taller tower!
Test new ideas and see if they work!
Step 8. STOP! - time to write and draw on your paper again!
Fill in the boxes on your paper.
Ask for help if you need it.
Step 9. Keep going! Talk to your group.
How can you make your tower even TALLER?
Make new ideas and test them together!
If you run out of space, draw a picture of
your tower on the back!

Tallest Tower
Can your team build the tallest tower of cups?

What do we do?
Step 1. Make sure you have all of your supplies.
You should have 20 plastic cups.
Step 2. Make a prediction! What do you think
will happen?
Step 3. Try different ways of stacking one cup
on top of another cup. How tall can
you get it before it falls over?
(You cant hold the tower to keep it safe!)
Step 4, Try to build your first tower. What are
your ideas? How do you plan to build it
as tall as you can?
Step 5. Stop for a minute - question time!
Write and draw on your paper.
Is your tower as tall as it can go?
Step 6. Even a great tower can be better.
Plan with your group and decide
what you will change next time!

Step 7. If your first tower is still standing,

take it apart to build your next one.
Use what you learned from your first tower
and from your group discussion to build an
even taller tower!
Test new ideas and see if they work!
Step 8. Stop for a minute - question time!
Fill out your chart again.
What can be better next time?
Step 9. Keep going! If your tower falls, how can
you make it stronger? If its still short,
how can you make it taller?
Can you change how you stack the cups?
Can you experiment with new base shapes?
Step 10. Height isnt everything! Get a penny from a volunteer.
Test your towers strength!
Can it hold the weight of one penny?
Two pennies? MORE?
How can you make it the tallest and the strongest?

Name
_____________________________
Grade
______

Lets make a prediction! What do you think will happen when you stack the cups on top of each other?

How many cups

did you use?
Tower 1

Tower 2

Tower 3

What did your tower look like?

Draw a picture.

What are your ideas for your next tower?

What will you change?

Name
_____________________________
Grade
______

Lets make a prediction! What do you think will happen when you stack the cups on top of each other?

How many cups

did you use?

What did your tower look like?

Draw a picture.

What will you change

for your next tower?

Tower 1

Tower 2

How many cups

did you use?
Tower 3

Tower 4

What did your tower look like?

Draw a picture.

How many pennies

did it hold?

What will you change

for your next tower?