Shore Road students lined the fifth grade wing to tape their multicolored construction paper chains to the floor, testing to see whose was the longest. The activity was the culmination of an engineering design unit to see which team can design and create the longest chain out of construction paper and 12 inches of masking tape.

Teacher Jody Leibowitz explained that through the new state science standards, students have been concentrating on engineering design. Working in teams, the students were provided the same materials. In the end, however, the length and width of the links were the determining factors in the resulting length of each chain.

After the students measured their chains and a winner was determined, the students were instructed to explain their design strategy and the changes they would make to their overall designs. The students collectively agreed that thinner strips for the links would result in longer chains.