Curated OER
Put Your Truss in Building Bridges
Students apply abstract concepts, such as stress, fulcrums, the law of gravity, and the strength of different geometric shapes. Groups of student contractors operate simulated architectural firms to create strong, economical bridges.
Berkeley Engineering and Mentors
Bridges
This engineering activity gets youngsters working together to design and construct a bridge. Each bridge is tested in front of the class to discover how much weight it can hold before showing any change in form. The lesson plan does not...
Curated OER
Bridge to Terabithia: Visualizing to Optimize Comprehension
Good readers visualize. And in our image-rich culture it is imperative that children are provided with opportunities to practice this important skill. A selection from Shel Silverstein’s Where the Sidewalk Ends and Bridge to Terabithia,...
Curated OER
Build a Cardboard Bridge That Can Hold Potatoes
Students identify the characteristics of a bridge and build with junk materials. In this bridge building lesson, students use cereal boxes, paper towel or toilet paper tubes and tape to create their bridges. Bridges must be a certain...
Curated OER
Intro to Building Bridges
Students participate in groups to complete the best bridge. In this bridge building lesson, students are assigned a role in building the bridge. Students will have to keep to their budgets. After the bridges are built, parents will be...
Curated OER
The Math in the Design and Building of Bridges
Research various types of bridge designs. Your class will be asked to consider what it would be like without bridges while learning about how they work. They will construct a model bridge based on given parameters. They then calculate...
Teach Engineering
Service-Based Engineering Design Project
Do some good for the community while learning about engineering. Groups complete a service-based engineering design project over the course of five weeks. The resource provides guidance on how to conduct the project and help pupils get...
Curated OER
Civil Engineering: Designing Bridges
Students examine the bridges of the United States. They discuss the concept of balance. They draw their own design of a suspension bridge.
Curated OER
Suspension Bridges: Connecting Lives
Students explore bridges. In this bridge lesson, students design and build a suspension bridge after visiting related websites and reviewing famous bridges in non-fiction books. Students follow the instructions from the "Build a Bridge...
Curated OER
Bridge Building
Students design and build their own balsa wood model bridges. The technological development of bridges, the science principles that apply to bridge building, and the construction techniques and skills necessary for creating a bridge be...
Curated OER
Construction Technologies: Construct the Strongest Bridge
Students investigate how engineers use different types of bridges for different places. In small groups they design and construct bridges for three different scenarios, and answer a series of investigating questions applied to the...
Curated OER
Spaghetti Bridge
Students work together to build their own spaghetti bridge. They test the bridge to see how much weight it can hold before breaking. They discover how engineers use this type of information to design bridges.
Curated OER
Is London Bridge Really Going to Fall Down?
Students discover what forces work together to hold up a suspension bridge. They see various bridges around the world, and learn the basic principles that enable each bridge to support itself. Groups design their own bridge, testing how...
Curated OER
Building a Bridge
Learners design a bridge. In this science lesson, students research different types of bridges and create a bridge using marshmallows, toothpicks and construction paper.
Curated OER
Physical Science: Bridge Building
Students study bridges and design and build their own. They explore different types of bridges and build a basic beam bridge in pairs. After creating their beam bridge, they design a truss bridge and then build a suspension bridge and...
Curated OER
Bridge Collapse
Students read about and view a real bridge that collapsed. They examine the fundamentals of building a solid and safe bridge and then construct their own bridge model using rolled newspaper and tape.
Curated OER
Peace Bridge Game
Students examine the border between the United States and Canada. As a class, they are introduced to the purpose of the Peace Bridge which is located from New York into Canada. In groups, they use the internet to research the...
Curated OER
Suspension Bridge Drawing Lesson
Students study the basic artistic styles of suspension bridges. They follow step-by-step instructions to draw a suspension bridge. Students discover volcabulary related to the architecture of bridges. They examine websites of bridges.
Curated OER
Stable and Unstable Structures
Middle schoolers consider ways to create stable bridges. In this bridge design lesson, students view pictures of bridges that have collapsed. They use the information to work in small groups creating a blueprint for a bridge of their...
Curated OER
Bridges
Learners compare and contrast the three primary types of bridges. In this technology lesson, students design and build a bridge that spans 25 cm. They test their design and present the results to class.
Curated OER
Famous Bridges
Students explain how significant bridges are in our lives. In this technology lesson, students research the history and characteristics of their assigned bridge and draw it on butcher block paper. They write a short tour script and...
Curated OER
"Bridge Designer" Lab
Learners become civil engineers and assist in designing a Truss Bridge to carry a two-lane highway across a river valley using the West Point Bridge Designer 2003 Software. They construct bridges based upon budget and demos. Students...
Curated OER
Designing an Earthquake-resistant Structure
Students attempt to design and build the most stable "earthquke resistant" structure. They create model buildings and test them on a shake table to see which design holds up the best.
Curated OER
Reinforced Concrete Bridges
Pupils analyze bridge designs and functions. For this reinforced bridge lesson students brainstorm bridge ideas, divide into teams and give an oral presentation to the class to show them their bridge design.