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Bold Bridges
Students explore bridge construction. In this bridge building activity, students view bridge websites and discuss how bridges are designed and built. Students design and construct their own bridge using the directions provided.
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Many Kinds of Bridges
Students examine how there are many elements that need to be considered before building a bridge. Groups are given materials and they are to make a structure that can hold an object in suspension.
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Bridge Building
Students explore bridges and how they are constructed. After reviewing materials on bridges, they work in groups to record their findings. They design and construct a bridge using K'NEX or straws and predict which bridge will hold the...
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Pasta Bridges
Students design a bridge using pasta. They explore the elements of architecture involved in bridge building. They practice problem solving in a hands-on cooperative group effort.
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Fair Haven Community and the Grand Avenue Bridge
Students use the internet to research the history of Fair Haven, Connecticut. In groups, they are introduced to the socio-economic developments and how the area has grown over time. They work together to create their own bridge design...
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Physical Science: The Three Billy Goats Gruff
Explore science through problem solving and learning how to solve the problem of the story "The Three Billy Goats Gruff." Young investigators will learn how to construct a model and design a solution. They will also keep records of their...
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Bridging Communication
Students investigate how to create drawings using a word processing program. They examine the use of draw tools in Microsoft Word. They combine drawing with the patterns they made for a truss bridge projects. They follow the teacher's...
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Toothpick Bridge Design
Eighth graders are introduced to what makes a strong, sound structure. They explore about the truss structure, the importance of the strength of the triangle and the distribution of forces along the truss. Students work in teams to...
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Building Bridges
Students, in groups, design and test a scale bridge. They use the Internet to research three basic bridge designs -- beam, arch, and suspension -- and the forces that act upon them.
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Cross That Bridge
Students create paper bridges. In this geometry and architecture instructional activity, groups use legal paper and paper clips to design a bridge that will hold 100 pennies. Links to mini-lessons exploring stability of different...
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Roebling and Suspension Bridges: A Thread of Steel
Students create a model bridge using steel. In this bridges lesson plan, students study John Augustus Roebling and how he created bridges out of steel and the impact it had on society. Then students build their own bridge model.
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Designing a Safe City Like a Civil Engineer
Students study civil engineering, safety apparatuses in their city, and design their own city. In this civil engineering lesson plan, students discuss their towns safety apparatuses and define civil engineers. Students then design their...
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Stable and Unstable Structures
Students research three major bridge collapses. In this Physical Science lesson plan, students will sketch a bridge design for their area after their research. All bridge designs will be presented to the class to discuss strengths and...
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Pasta Bridges
Students analyze the correct use of technology as it relates to math and science. In this science lesson, students investigate force and weight as it relates to building an object. They build a bridge and draw conclusion based on the...
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Building Paper Bridges
Young scholars construct a bridge that can hold 100 pennies. For this math lesson, students evaluate the strength of their bridges. They predict how much weight a bridge can hold based on its design.
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Simple Machines
Students create a pyramid design based on the 6 simple machines that they are introduced to. For this simple machines lesson plan, students are introduced to the wedge, wheel and axle, inclined plane, screw, and pulley.
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Build and Test
Students display what they have learned about bridges as they construct their bridge. They present their projects to the rest of the class. They compare and contrast the construction of the bridges.
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Building a Bridge
Third graders discover architecture and functionality by constructing a bridge. In this bridge engineering lesson plan, 3rd graders utilize cardboard, straws, towel tubes and plastic bottles to create a model bridge similar to ones seen...
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Design and Construct a Road Sign Support
Students use simple materials to design, build and test a model of a free standing structure used to support overhead road signs.
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Bridge Cable Corrosion
Young scholars investigate the corrosion of different materials in the lab. In this chemistry lesson, students construct a bridge considering different bridge designs. At the end of the lesson, they play the role of scientists and...
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Cross that Bridge!
Middle schoolers design a bridge that can hold a hundred pennies. In this physics instructional activity, students follow the scientific method to solve a given problem. They analyze possible problems in their design.
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Where in the United States Are We?
Fifth graders collaborate with another fifth grade classroom while learning about various locations in the United States. This is a telecollaborative video conferencing project that is designed for students studying United States history...
Odyssey of the Mind
Odyssey of the Mind Curriculum Activity: Extend-sive Thinking
Can knowing about things of the past help predict the types of things seen in the future? Advanced learners consider the idea that things extend. In other words, concrete things like bridges and intangible things like ideas extend from...
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Constructions and Creations: Sturdy Structures
Have your class draw the plans and design a structure. Learners discuss and investigate the variables in the stability of a 2D and 3D model. They also consider how to add a circuit to the design. Afterwards, they present their work.