Products & Materials

MPACT engages students in the excitement of 3D making—with everything from quick-dry clay and cardboard to digital tools for 3D modeling and printing. Students engage in computational thinking (CT), spatial reasoning, and mathematical concepts through design and hands-on making projects.

• Four units—one for each of grades 4–7—guide students in design and making with purpose, while providing rich opportunities for developing deep understanding in three content areas:
  • Math concepts such as dimensionality and 3D measurement (e.g., volume)
  • CT practices such as creating and debugging algorithms
  • Spatial reasoning such as mental rotation, key to later success in STEM
• A 2-year study showed that 4th–5th graders demonstrated significant learning gains on an assessment of math, computational thinking and spatial reasoning.

MPACT website

The study presented here is supported by the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE), U.S. Department of Education, through Grant U411C180070 to SRI International. The federal grant provides $3,926,461, or 90% of the total project funds. Ten percent of project funds are provided by additional generous donors. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by OESE, the U.S. Department of Education, or our other donors.