Irvington Middle School Sixth Graders Build Tiny Tables that Support Most Mass

Irvington Middle School sixth graders built the most decorative tiny tables that would support the most mass. Photos courtesy of the Irvington Union Free School District

Irvington Middle School sixth graders were challenged to put their science and engineering knowledge to the test and build the most decorative tiny tables that would support the most mass. They worked in groups to construct the tables, which were required to be at least six centimeters tall, before placing a variety of boxes on top to test their builds.

“Some of these decorative and amazing tiny tables supported over 20,000 grams,” science teacher Amy Panitz said. “Through STEM challenges such as this one, students build an understanding for how physical laws operate. This is essential for understanding how systems and the designed world work. Even a simple design like this one operates through principles that define the interactions of forces, energy and matter.”

Panitz said the STEM challenges promote student creativity, encourage teamwork and collaboration, and cultivate exploration and problem-solving skills. As part of the project, the students partnered with the PTSA and worked with a variety of donated food boxes for their mass calculations before the items were donated to the Irvington Senior Center.

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