Building with Blocks Challenge

PA STEELS Standards (Pre‑K–3)

🧪 Scientific & Engineering Practices (SEPs)

SEP1 – Asking Questions & Defining Problems

• Students ask questions about how to build a stable structure.
• Identify the problem: build the tallest, strongest, or most creative block structure.

SEP2 – Developing & Using Models

• Use drawings, simple models, or block arrangements to represent ideas.
• Build prototypes and compare designs.

SEP3 – Planning & Carrying Out Investigations

• Test how different block shapes, sizes, and arrangements affect stability.
• Explore cause‑and‑effect (e.g., “What happens if I add weight?”).

SEP4 – Analyzing & Interpreting Data

• Observe which structures fall or stay standing.
• Sort and compare results (tallest, strongest, most balanced).

SEP6 – Constructing Explanations & Designing Solutions

• Explain why certain designs work better.
• Use evidence to improve structure design.

SEP7 – Engaging in Argument from Evidence

• Share ideas and support them with observations (“My tower stayed up because…”).

SEP8 – Obtaining, Evaluating & Communicating Information

• Communicate findings through drawings, models, or discussion.

🔧 Engineering, Technology & Applications of Science (ETS)

ETS1.A – Defining Engineering Problems (Pre‑K–3)

• Identify the challenge (build a structure that meets specific criteria).
• Recognize constraints (materials, time, stability).

ETS1.B – Developing Possible Solutions (Pre‑K–3)

• Brainstorm building strategies.
• Build and test multiple versions.

ETS1.C – Optimizing the Design Solution (Pre‑K–3)

• Improve structure based on testing.
• Reinforce weak points, adjust shapes, or redesign for balance.

⚙️ Physical Science (PS)

PS1: Matter & Its Interactions

• Explore properties of materials (weight, texture, shape).
• Investigate how blocks behave when stacked, balanced, or combined.

PS2: Motion & Stability — Forces & Interactions

• Explore how pushes, pulls, and gravity affect structures.
• Investigate balance, center of mass, and stability.

🌎 Earth & Environmental Science (ESS)

(Optional but relevant if you discuss real‑world buildings or materials.)

ESS3: Human Impacts & Problem‑Solving

• Connect block structures to real buildings and how humans design them.
• Explore how engineers solve problems in communities.

📐 Math Connections (Pre‑K–3)

Counting: number of blocks used, grouping, comparing quantities

Geometry: shapes, symmetry, spatial reasoning

Measurement: height, width, comparison

Data: sorting structures by attributes, recording results