Scholars in Mrs. Tejada's 5th grade class have been discussing the importance of persevering through difficult tasks. Scholars learned that even if you're struggling to understand something, that "struggle time" can be productive. The class defined "productive struggle" as effortful practice that is challenging and requires perseverance. Groups of scholars were then challenged to build towers out of marshmallows and uncooked spaghetti. Scholars knew that they were going to struggle but were encouraged to work together to solve problems, and to not give up despite the task's difficulty. After this fun and messy challenge, scholars reflected on how they could use what they learned in building their towers to other challenging tasks.