Curated OER
Paper Bridge
Young scholars view a video about bridges. They create their own bridge out of paper and share it with the class. They create an advertisement for a bridge shown in the film.
Curated OER
Stable Structures
Consider what it means to create a stable structure. The words stable and structure are defined, then stable objects are depicted and discussed in terms of their design features. Learners are asked to design a photo frame that includes...
Discovery Education
STEM Camp—Urban Infrastructure
Build a bridge to learning in a STEM-aligned unit about urban infrastructure. Young engineers explore the many aspects of civil planning and design in a five-day unit. Content includes the challenging aspects of balancing building with...
Scholastic
STEM Challenges and Activity Sheets 3–5
How can engineers help their communities? Three challenges in the first unit explore why STEM is important to communities and how neighborhoods are engineered to experience those benefits. The second unit prompts groups to plan an...
Teach Engineering
Protecting Our City with Levees
Teams use the design process to design, build, and test a model levee to protect the town from a wall of water. A handout provides a price list for the materials learners can use to build their levee within a budget.
Curated OER
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.
Curated OER
Bold Bridges
Young scholars explore bridge construction. In this bridge building activity, students view bridge websites and discuss how bridges are designed and built. Young scholars design and construct their own bridge using the directions provided.
Curated OER
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...
Curated OER
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.
Curated OER
Building Your Bridge Building Basics
In this technology worksheet, middle schoolers examine the basic principles of bridge building design in order to answer the nine questions with the help of the web links on page 2.
Curated OER
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...
Curated OER
Engineering: Simple Machines
Fourth graders participate in activities to examine how simple machines help build things. They identify the six types of simple machines. They discover how simple machines where use historically to build pyramids and how they are still...
EduGAINs
Form and Function
Will that structure survive the force? The differentiated lesson allows pairs to choose the structure they would like to construct and the building materials they wish to use. Individuals record their findings in...
Curated OER
Tension and Compression
Students explore the forces of tension and compression by manipulating a variety of objects, and apply what they learned in the construction of a model bridge.
Curated OER
Suspension Bridge Construction
Students build a model of a suspension bridge and test the amount of weight it support. They identify different types of bridges: suspension, arch, girder, truss, cantilever, cable-stayed and moveable.
Curated OER
Galloping Gertie
Middle schoolers use the internet to discover what a galloping gertie is. After reading an article, they answer questions and view a slideshow of various bridge designs. They examine what happened to the structure when the bridge...
Curated OER
Carve That Mountain
Students investigate major landforms (e.g., mountains, rivers, plains, hills, oceans and plateaus). They build a three-dimensional model of a landscape depicting several of these landforms. Once they have built their model, they act as...
Curated OER
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.
Teach Engineering
Ranking the Rocks for Desired Properties
Math rocks! Cavern design teams determine the rankings of rock types based upon desirability points. The points are connected to the properties of the rocks and their usefulness in building a cavern.
Curated OER
Suspension Bridge Construction
Young scholars study types, strength and construction of a variety of bridges. They build a model bridge and test the amount of weight it support.
Curated OER
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.
Curated OER
Building a Bridge
Third graders discover architecture and functionality by constructing a bridge. In this bridge engineering lesson, 3rd graders utilize cardboard, straws, towel tubes and plastic bottles to create a model bridge similar to ones seen...
Curated OER
Incredible Edible Bridges
Students create a bridge using engineering and geometric concepts. In this geometry lesson, students identify the missing measures of polygons sides and angles. They work together to solve real life situation using problem solving...
Curated OER
Bridge Building
Eighth graders will create model drawings of bridges and integrate technology into the process of creating a visual representation. Technology is used in the industry of design and architecture. This lesson helps to build real life skills.