Unit Plan
Science Museum, London

Making the Modern World: Bridges

For Students 9th - 10th
Learn all about bridges in this interactive learning module.
Unit Plan
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: Building Towards the Future

For Teachers 6th - 8th
This curricular unit introduces students to basic Civil Engineering concepts in an exciting and interactive manner. Bridges and skyscrapers, the two most visible products of Civil Engineers, will be discussed in depth. Students will have...
Interactive
PBS

Pbs Building Big: The Skyscraper Challenge

For Students 3rd - 8th
A site for all users interested in the engineering behind the building. Site engages users in a job that requires them to investigate troubled buildings and then figure out how to fix them.
Activity
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: Natural Frequency and Buildings

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students learn about frequency and period, particularly natural frequency using springs. They learn that the natural frequency of a system depends on two things: the stiffness and mass of the system. Students see how the natural...
Unit Plan
Next.cc

Next: Bridge Design

For Students 3rd - 8th
Investigate the three basic bridge spans by engaging in the activities provided. Includes links to explore related sites pertaining to bridge design.
Primary
Calisphere: University of California Libraries

Calisphere: Great Depression: Building Bridges, Dams, Power Plants

For Students 9th - 10th
Primary source material on California during the Great Depression and how unemployment affected the building of the infrastructure including bridges, dams and power plants.
Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: The Effect of Bridge Design on Weight Bearing Capacity

For Students 9th - 10th
This Science Buddies project asks that you identify different kinds of bridges, discover why they are built as they are, and then build three different bridges of your own out of balsa wood. See which one you think can bear the heaviest...
Interactive
CK-12 Foundation

Ck 12: Chemistry Simulation: Building Bridges

For Students 9th - 10th
[Free Registration/Login Required] Learn about temperature and molecular motion and why they are important to consider when building a bridge.
Unit Plan
PBS

Pbs: Nova: Super Bridge

For Students 9th - 10th
Online companion to a NOVA program on bridges. Includes teacher resources, including a class activity through which students construct and test their own bridge,
Website
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: Smart Bridges

For Students 9th - 10th
In this video segment adapted from NOVA scienceNOW, learn about engineering innovations that could help detect a bridge's structural weaknesses before they become dangerous. [5:21]
Activity
Texas Instruments

Texas Instruments: How Strong Is Your Bridge?

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Build a bridge of straw and straight pins. Data is collected and analyzed with handhelds by the students measuring the height of the bridge vs the number of marbles (in a cup.)
Lesson Plan
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College

Serc: Bridges, Building and Breaking

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students will design, build and test the load bearing capacity of a scale model bridge. They will explore types of bridges. Learn about forces that effect bridges. Make scale drawings. Grading rubric is included as is a presentation for...
Lesson Plan
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: Bridging the Gaps

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students are presented with a brief history of bridges as they learn about the three main bridge types: beam, arch and suspension. They are introduced to two natural forces - tension and compression - common to all bridges and...
Graphic
Tech4Learning

Pics4 Learning: Images for Education: Bridges

For Students Pre-K - 1st
A large collection of beautiful photos of various bridges from around the world! A visual reference for teachers and students. Browse through the examples, then click to enlarge.
Handout
Other

Nbi National Bridge Inventory Database Search Form

For Students 9th - 10th
NBI National Bridge Inventory Database search form from Nationalbridges.com allows one to enter the information related to a specific rail line in order to acquire related bridge information.
Website
University of California

University of California: Roman Building Technology and Architecture

For Students 9th - 10th
This site offers information on Roman Engineering, Roman Baths, Roman Aqueducts, roads, bridges, buildings and concrete.
Unit Plan
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: Bridges

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Through a five-lesson series that includes numerous hands-on activities, students are introduced to the importance and pervasiveness of bridges for connecting people to resources, places and other people, with references to many...
Activity
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: Straw Bridges

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Working as engineering teams, students design and create model beam bridges using plastic drinking straws and tape as their construction materials. Their goal is to build the strongest bridge with a truss pattern of their own design,...
Website
PBS

Pbs: Who Builds Big

For Students 9th - 10th
Who Builds Big? Learn about careers in engineering and architecture. Scroll to the bottom for more links in this PBS series to find about individuals who build bridges, domes, skyscrapers, dams, and tunnels.
Activity
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: Bridge Types: Tensile & Compressive Forces

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students explore how tension and compression forces act on three different bridge types. Using sponges, cardboard and string, they create models of beam, arch and suspension bridges and apply forces to understand how they disperse or...
Handout
Library of Congress

Loc: Today in History: June 12: Roebling and the Brooklyn Bridge

For Students 9th - 10th
Read about the building of the Brooklyn Bridge, the first steel-wire suspension bridge. This site, from American Memory, has a biography of John A. Roebling, the designer of the bridge, and many links to photographs of the construction...
Lesson Plan
Other

Sprk: Sphero Bridge Stem Challenge [Pdf]

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
SPRK STEM challenges are fun, interactive activities that challenge students to use creativity and team-work to move through simple steps of the design process in order to build Sphero-based creations. In this challenge students will...
Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Bridge Building Bonanza: Which Design Wins?

For Students 9th - 10th
In this activity, you build and test two types of bridges: a simple suspension bridge and a beam bridge. Which bridge design is stronger?
Lesson Plan
Scholastic

Scholastic: Building Bridges of Friendship

For Teachers Pre-K - 1st
Learn how to build better friendships when you explore this resource. This site provides detailed games, activities, and other resources to help students learn about the importance of building relationships.

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