Marshmallow Math at Scales Elementary

Published February 4, 2016

What do you get when you add marshmallows and math? That’s what the math enrichment RTI students were figuring out this week at Scales Elementary School.

Made up of the top math students in the school, the math enrichment RTI group meets four days a week with Scales Math Coach Jaimee Dresdner to delve deeper into the world of mathematics.

This week, the students were given the task of creating a marshmallow catapult – or a “marshmallapult.” Monday, they created the designs; Tuesday, they tested the designs using pencils; Wednesday, they tested the designs – with some modifications – using markers instead of pencils and standing on chairs; and on Thursday, they were only given rubber bands to slingshot their marshmallows. After each test, they measured to see how far each marshmallow was launched and calculated the mode, median and average.

It’s a project the students seemed to enjoy especially since it incorporated other aspects of learning like science and engineering.

“We want to make math both challenging and engaging,” said Dresdner. “So I try to make things fun and hands-on. With this activity, the students had to build their own catapult. I just gave them the materials and said ‘figure it out,’ so they’re all different, which I love.”