Student Instructions
Focus Question: What is the strongest shape for building?
Materials: Paper, sticky tape, straws or rolled-up paper tubes, a few books for testing.
Beginner (5 mins):Shape Poll
Seesaw Activity: "Which shape do you predict will be the strongest for building: a square, a circle, or a triangle? Circle your choice on the template."
Beginner (5 mins):Bridge Builders
First, make a square and a triangle using straws or rolled paper tubes taped together. Gently push on the corners. Which one changes shape easily? Which one is rigid and strong?
"Your engineering challenge is to build a bridge from a single sheet of A4 paper that can span a 15cm gap between two desks or books."
"How can you fold or shape the paper to make it stronger? Think about the strongest shape you discovered!"
"Test your bridge by carefully placing one light book or object on it at a time. How much weight can it hold before it collapses?"
Online Interactive: Students can explore the PBS Kids Bridge Builder Game https://pbskids.org/dinosaurtrain/games/bridgebuilder.html
to test different bridge designs virtually.
Exit Slip (10 mins): Bridge Success!
Activity: Post a
of your strongest bridge design. Use the
tool to point to the part that you think made it so strong and tell us how many books it held.
Teacher Notes (not visible to students)
Unit Overview: Think Like an Engineer! Focus: Students will explore basic engineering principles by designing, building, and testing solutions to simple problems. They will learn about strong structures, simple machines, and how different parts can work together in a system. Lesson 1: What is an Engineer? Lesson 2: Super Strong Shapes