This bridge building activity was created for Year 6 students. Students will learn about the structures of bridges and use the (modified) engineering design model to design and test a bridge. Students will learn about changes in materials that can affect the strength of the bridge drawing on previous work about earthquakes. Furthermore, as an introduction to “Change Detectives” (Primary Connections), students will explore chemical changes that impact on bridge stability.
In this activity, students carry out the following:
- Learn about aspects of civil engineering and chemical engineering and engineer’s roles.
- Learn about structures of bridges and how to design a bridge that withstands a force.
- Describe changes to the bridge that can affect its stability including natural disasters and chemical changes.
- Develope their problem-solving skills and applying the engineering design processes.
The following booklets will enable you to carry out the bridge building activity in your classroom