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.
Teach Engineering
Bridge Types: Tensile and Compressive Forces
Bridges rely on tension and compression to keep them standing. Pairs test this principle by constructing simple bridges and applying a force to the center. Teams use the provided worksheet to record their observations of the...
Curated OER
Bridge Builders
Students research bridges from around the world looking for the Parisian architecture. They identify arch, suspension, cable and covered bridges. They draw half a bridge utilizing Crayola Erasable Markers. They construct their bridge...
Cornell University
The Physics of Bridges
Stability is key when building a bridge. Scholars explore the forces acting upon bridges through an analysis of Newton's Laws and Hooke's Law. The activity asks individuals to apply their learning by building a bridge of their own.
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
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...
Curated OER
Construction Technologies: Construct the Strongest Bridge
Middle schoolers 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...
Curated OER
Building a Bridge
Students 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
Bridge Construction
Students build a model of a bridge and test the amount of weight it support. They identify different types of bridges: suspension, arch, girder, truss, cantilever, cable-stayed and moveable.
James Dyson Foundation
Challenge Cards
Can you build it? Yes you can! This interactive game includes four design challenges presented on separate cards. The cards outline the challenges with limited restrictions but with an end goal in mind. The competitions include building...
Curated OER
Building Bridges
Young scholars, 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.
Curated OER
Tacoma Narrows Bridge Lesson Plans
Students design and construct a suspension bridge. Math is used to compare the actual measurements of the bridge to the student's version.
Curated OER
What Structural Challenges Do Bridge Builders Face Today?
Students investigate the process of constructing a bridge. They study the meaning of structural force and draw pictures of examples. Students identify the types of building materials have been used in history to construct bridges and how...
Curated OER
The Chaos Game
Students measure and predict the behavior of a fractal. In this investigative lesson plan students divide into groups, and participate in an activity that includes drawing triangles and coloring vertices.
Curated OER
Forest Canopies: View from the Top
Students examine the economic and ecological benefits of forest canopies. They read and discuss an article, answer questions, conduct research, draw field sketches of a canopy ecosystem, conduct a feasibility study, or prepare tourist...