Objective:To introduce the study of bridges to the students, including principles of forces and bridge design, as well as the different kinds of bridges.
Activity: - Show slides of different bridges and pass around books and pictures.
- Discuss what makes bridges stand up (forces and structure).
- Demonstrate forces with rulers and popsicle sticks.
- Demonstrate
how a suspension bridge works using three students as the structure. Two
students hold the third student's feet and arms to represent the road
surface and show the forces of gravity with the sag of the third student's
body.
Vocabulary:
- truss
- tension
- compression
- arch
- suspension
Materials:
- popsicle sticks
- wood ruler
- slides, books, photographs of different bridges
Comments:
It was difficult for students to
understand the concepts of force and structure, so we demonstrated them.
The first demonstration dealt with truss design and how trusses work. The
second involved three students acting as components of a suspension
bridge. Both were extremely successful.
Objective:To introduce what an architect does as a professional. We also planned to reinforce the concepts of structure and forces introduced during the first session.
Activity:- An architect introduces himself and explains what an architect is and does. He/she shows the children drawing instruments and a set of architectural drawings.
- Discuss what plan, section, and elevation drawings are.
- Video "Why Buildings Stand Up" by Mario Salvadori, which is devoted to bridges.
Vocabulary:
- plan
- section
- elevation
Materials:
- VCR and video tape
- architectural drawings
Comments:
The video was a
great way of reinforcing the topic of bridge design and forces, which had
been covered in the first week.
Objective:Set up groups of six children and have them work together to figure out what type of bridge to build.
Activity:
- Groups talk and plan their ideas of the bridge type to construct.
- Groups draw their designs.
Vocabulary:
- form
- anchor
- pinning connector
Materials:
- paper, pencils, rulers
- books and photographs of bridge examples
Comments:
We grouped the children into three
groups of six. Each group began talking about their ideas of what type of
bridge to design. The children drew their ideas on paper and attempted to
figure out who was going to do what. The groups picked a truss bridge, a
suspension bridge and an arch bridge.
Objective:Children begin to design their bridges while working in a team.
Activity:- The students begin to work on their final project.
- The architect and architecture student float around the class answering questions and showing the students better ways of constructing bridges.
- Discuss the problems and what to do about them.
Materials:
- cardboard
- glue, string
- tongue depressors
- paper and pencils
- books and photograph examples of bridges
Comments:
To help the truss
bridge group, we had to teach them how each individual stuctural member
was joined. The arch bridge group discovered they needed to build an arch
form out of cardboard. We helped the suspension bridge group figure out
the stages of the construction process and what should be built in what
order. The children had to keep going back to figure out what was wrong
with the bridge. Although they were sometimes frustrated with the
construction process, they were excited when they completed it.
Objective:Continue working together on the design and construction of bridge projects.
Activity:
- Students get into their groups while the teaching team answers questions and shows students ways to construct their bridges.
Materials:
- cardboard
- glue, string
- tongue depressors
- paper and pencils
- books and photograph examples of bridges
Comments:
There were fewer questions on how
to build things than before and the projects were developing at a much
faster rate. Several children began to show excitement when they came up
with the answer to questions that eluded them the week before. The
children were working much better together in the groups than in previous
weeks.
Objective:Each group completes bridge construction and presents their project to the class, working on presentation skills.
Activity:- Complete bridge construction.
Materials:
- cardboard
- glue, string
- tongue depressors
- paper and pencils
- books and photograph examples of bridges
Comments:
The students
worked at a frantic pace during the first half of the class to finish
their projects. During the second half of the class we asked them to
present their projects to the class by describing what type of bridge they
had made and what components made the structure work. This was an
opportunity to see what they recalled from the previous weeks, and they
did not let us down.
Objective:Take a field trip to an actual bridge to reinforce the lessons of the previous weeks.
Activity:- Go on a field trip to the Ben Franklin Bridge and give the students a brief history of it.
Comments:
We walked to the midspan of the bridge pointing out
structural elements, such as cables and piers. After walking over the
bridge, we went underneath to see more structural elements, such as
trusses, pinned connections, and foundation.
After the students had struggled with their understanding of bridge construction this field trip brought real insight to the immensity of a bridge. The field trip tied up loose ends and clarified question the students had been pondering throughout the program. It was a wonderful experience.
