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Activity

Trust in the Truss: Design a Wooden Bridge

Curated and Reviewed by Lesson Planet
This Trust in the Truss: Design a Wooden Bridge activity also includes:

Obviously, a sturdy bridge is the desired outcome. Pupils select from one of four different types of truss bridges, then construct a model of the bridge from craft sticks and glue, making sure that it satisfies certain constraints. They calculate the strength of the bridge and test their predictions by placing objects on the bridge.

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CCSS: Designed NGSS: Designed
Concepts
bridges, bridge design, force, tension, compression, technology resources
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Instructional Ideas
  • Have a contest to see which group's bridge can support the most weight
Classroom Considerations
  • There is an associated lesson, Doing the Math: Analysis of Forces in a Truss Bridge, that should be completed before the activity
  • Requires a variety of materials; see resource for complete list
Pros
  • Provides a student worksheet and rubric
  • Lists relevant vocabulary terms and their definitions
Cons
  • None