Lesson Plan – Science: Building a Bridge

Organizational Information

- Name: Danny Cuadra

- Subject: science
- Grade Level: 3/4
- Lesson #: 6
- Lesson Length: 1h 10m

Overarching Questions

- What makes bridges so strong?

- What are some ways that we can make a bridge made of weak materials strong?

Learning Outcomes

-Investigate a practical problem, and develop a possible solution

-Construct structures, using a variety of materials and designs, and compare the effectiveness
"of the various materials and designs for their intended purpose

" o Using a variety of materials and techniques, design, construct and test structures that
are intended to:
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! ▪ support objects
in ▪ span gaps
" ▪ serve as containers
to ▪ serve as models of particular living things, objects or buildings.
o Identify the intended purpose and use of structures to be built, and explain how
knowing the intended purpose and use helps guide decisions regarding materials and
design
o Understand that simple designs are often as effective as more complex ones, as well
as being easier and cheaper to build, and illustrate this understanding with a practical

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one example.
o Apply skills of listening, speaking and cooperative decision making in working with

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other students on a construction project
- Evaluate the suitability of different materials and designs for their use in a building task
o Identify and apply methods for making a structure stronger and more stable; e.g., by
adding or joining parts to form triangles.
o Apply procedures to test different designs
o Apply procedures to test the strength of construction materials, in particular, different
stocks of papers, plastics or wood
o Compare and evaluate the strength and stability of different models or objects
constructed
- Investigate a practical problem, and develop a possible solution
- Demonstrate positive attitudes for the study of science and for the application of science in
responsible ways
 Learning Objectives

- SWBAT use a variety of techniques to create a structure that spans gaps

- SWBAT demonstrate that simple structures can be as effective as complex ones
- SWBAT compare the strength and stability of different models or objects constructed

Pre-Lesson Preparations

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- Have enough paper, textbooks, and weights ready for the kids to use for their
experiments
- Have the video ready for the kids to watch alongside a review and brainstorm of key
concepts to remember before starting their experiments

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- Print out their worksheets as well!

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Lesson Outline
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Introduction – 5 Minutes
- So far we have been focusing on bridges as our example
structure, from the one right near us here, to those all over
alberta.
- One of the key things we’ve been looking at is how we make

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materials stronger, how we can create strong shapes, and how
all this goes into building structures, today, we’re going to put
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that to the test.

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- So, what makes bridges so strong? Let’s find out.
What makes bridges so strong video – 20 minutes
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Bridge Making Activity Explanation – 10 Minutes
-
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Talk about the scientific method with them, including what our
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hypothesis, method, and conclusions will be.
- Do a quick review about some concepts that they should keep in

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mind,
o Strong shape
o Ways to make materials stronger
 o rules for the assignment
o trestles and other important supports
o types of bridges
Bridge Making Activity – 30 Minutes

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- :The students will be using two pieces of paper to make the
strongest bridge they can, when ready I’ll come around to test

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h - They’ll receive a recording sheet to plan and make observations
u on, this will also help them draw conclusions
The students will make a paper bridge across the gap created by
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some textbooks.
so Wrap Up – 5 Minutes
- To wrap up I’m going to ask the class what some of the things
they learned/observed were.
- What bridge type did they use?
- Did anyone incorporate triangles?
- What techniques did you use to improve their designs?
- If time allows, I’ll do a quick demonstration of some of the
techniques they might have used.

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