Race to the Top! Modeling Skyscrapers

Each group needs:

• 75 Kapla® blocks; classroom sets of these reusable construction plank blocks are available from Amazon.com, such as a 200-block set for $60 and a 1,000-block set for $300, ~30¢ per block; also see kaplaus.com
• stable chairs, for students to stand on
• Pre-Activity Quiz (PDF), one per student
• Race to the Top! Worksheet (PDF), one per student
• Post-Activity Quiz (PDF), one per studentFigure 1. Schematic of test weight made from eight Kapla blocks and tape.CopyrightCopyright 2015 Elementary MESA Day Competition, University of California Davis

To share with the entire class:

• test weight, made of eight Kapla® blocks held together with masking tape (see Figure 1)
• tape measure or meter stick