Science Learning Community: Science and Engineering Lesson Plans
Bridges – Their Successes and Failures
[Adapted From Project Provided by TryEngineering - www.tryengineering.org]
[July 21, 2014]
Wayne K. Koball, Ed.S. – School District of Siren
Summer 2014
Grade Level and Subject Area.
Physics – Grades 11/12 (Many of the students in the Physics class are either concurrently enrolled OR have already completed AP
Statistics, so there will be coordination between the two courses WITH a keen awareness for those that may not meet the criteria
described.
Time Frame
Minimum of One Week
Objectives:
As a result of this activity, students should develop an understanding of:
•
•
•
structural engineering and design
problem solving
teamwork
Students Will:
•
•
•
•
Learn
Learn
Learn
Learn
about
about
about
about
civil engineering.
engineering design.
planning and construction.
teamwork and working in groups.
The initial part of the lesson will provide a guided, close reading process- Students will be guided to the following article:
1. www.howstuffworks.com › Engineering › Civil Engineering
How Bridges Work. by Robert Lamb and Michael Morrissey
After the close reading strategy is applied, students will share their findings with the class. Students will research failures of
each type of bridge. The internet provides detailed articles on the failure of each type of bridge. These too will be shared with
the class.
Funded by an Elementary and Secondary Education Act Title IIb Wisconsin Improving Teacher Quality Grant in
Partnership with the University of Wisconsin-Stout
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Science Learning Community: Science and Engineering Lesson Plans
Next Generation Science Standards/National Science Education Standards:
CONTENT STANDARD A: Science as Inquiry
As a result of activities, all students should develop
ª Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry
CONTENT STANDARD B: Physical Science
As a result of their activities, all students should develop understanding of
ª Motions and forces
CONTENT STANDARD E: Science and Technology
As a result of activities, all students should develop
ª Abilities of technological design
ª Understandings about science and technology
CONTENT STANDARD F: Science in Personal and Social Perspectives
As a result of activities, all students should develop understanding of
ª Science and technology in local, national, and global challenges
CONTENT STANDARD G: History and Nature of Science
As a result of activities, all students should develop understanding of
ª Historical perspectives
Standards for Technological Literacy
Standards for Technological Literacy - All Ages
The Nature of Technology
ª Standard 1: Students will develop an understanding of the characteristics and scope of technology.
Technology and Society
ª Standard 4: Students will develop an understanding of the cultural, social, economic, and political effects of technology.
ª Standard 5: Students will develop an understanding of the effects of technology on the environment.
ª Standard 6: Students will develop an understanding of the role of society in the development and use of technology.
ª Standard 7: Students will develop an understanding of the influence of technology on history.
Design
ª Standard 8: Students will develop an understanding of the attributes of design.
ª Standard 9: Students will develop an understanding of engineering design.
ª Standard 10: Students will develop an understanding of the role of troubleshooting, research and development, invention and
innovation, and experimentation in problem solving.
Abilities for a Technological World
ª Standard 11: Students will develop abilities to apply the design process.
The Designed World
ª Standard 20: Students will develop an understanding of and be able to select and use construction technologies.
Funded by an Elementary and Secondary Education Act Title IIb Wisconsin Improving Teacher Quality Grant in
Partnership with the University of Wisconsin-Stout
Page 2
Science Learning Community: Science and Engineering Lesson Plans
Common Core State Standards in Mathematics:
High School: Geometry - Modeling
HSG.MG.A.1: Use geometric shapes, their measures, and their properties to describe objects (e.g., modeling a
tree trunk or a human torso as a cylinder).
HSG.MG.A.3: Apply geometric methods to solve design problems (e.g., designing an object or structure to
satisfy physical constraints or minimize cost; working with typographic grid systems based on ratios).
High School: Geometry - Similarity, Right Triangles, & Trigonometry
HSG.SRT.8:
Use trigonometric ratios and the Pythagorean Theorem to solve right triangles in applied problems
Retrieved from: http://www.corestandards.org/Math/Content/HSM/ (July 24, 2014 at 12:00 PM)
Common Core State Standards in English and Language Arts
Key Ideas and Details
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.11-12.1
Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts, attending to important distinctions the author
makes and to any gaps or inconsistencies in the account.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.11-12.2
Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a text; summarize complex concepts, processes, or information presented in a text
by paraphrasing them in simpler but still accurate terms.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.11-12.3
Follow precisely a complex multistep procedure when carrying out experiments, taking measurements, or performing technical
tasks; analyze the specific results based on explanations in the text.
Craft and Structure:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.11-12.4
Determine the meaning of symbols, key terms, and other domain-specific words and phrases as they are used in a specific
scientific or technical context relevant to grades 11-12 texts and topics.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.11-12.5
Analyze how the text structures information or ideas into categories or hierarchies, demonstrating understanding of the
information or ideas.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.11-12.6
Analyze the author's purpose in providing an explanation, describing a procedure, or discussing an experiment in a text,
identifying important issues that remain unresolved.
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.11-12.7
Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., quantitative data, video,
multimedia) in order to address a question or solve a problem.
Funded by an Elementary and Secondary Education Act Title IIb Wisconsin Improving Teacher Quality Grant in
Partnership with the University of Wisconsin-Stout
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Science Learning Community: Science and Engineering Lesson Plans
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.11-12.8
Evaluate the hypotheses, data, analysis, and conclusions in a science or technical text, verifying the data when possible and
corroborating or challenging conclusions with other sources of information.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.11-12.9
Synthesize information from a range of sources (e.g., texts, experiments, simulations) into a coherent understanding of a
process, phenomenon, or concept, resolving conflicting information when possible.
Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.11-12.10
By the end of grade 12, read and comprehend science/technical texts in the grades 11-CCR text complexity band independently
and proficiently.
Retrieved from: http://www.corestandards.org/Math/Content/HSM/ (July 24, 2014 at 1:00 PM)
Prior Learning
All students have encountered crossing over, and under various types of bridges, including but not limited to the main types outlined
in this project. They may have even built a bridge to cross a stream, or get to their dock. This lesson’s goal is to create a heightened
awareness of that which we seem to take for granted. This lesson will push students to identify a goal, and to utilize a limited number
of raw materials to complete a task. Through the close reading strategies applied prior to the lesson, students will identify the types
of bridges used, and also investigate the failures of each type. With the relatively recent failure of the I35 Bridge in the Twin Cities
Minneapolis/St. Paul), students are aware that failures in engineering DO happen, and do so with very real consequences.
Materials
ª Student Resource Sheet
ª Student Worksheets
ª One set of materials for each group of students: o 200 popsicle sticks, hot glue gun.
LESSON IMPLEMENTATION
Objective: Upon completion of this lesson, students will:
Develop an understanding of:
•
structural engineering and design
•
problem solving
•
teamwork
•
Learn about civil engineering.
•
Learn about engineering design.
•
Learn about planning and construction.
•
Learn about teamwork and working in groups.
•
Pre-Assessment
A pre unit assessment will be developed that asks students to identify NOT just the types of bridges, but the
Funded by an Elementary and Secondary Education Act Title IIb Wisconsin Improving Teacher Quality Grant in
Partnership with the University of Wisconsin-Stout
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Science Learning Community: Science and Engineering Lesson Plans
design process in general, including cost, function, and aesthetics. After the unit is complete, the same
assessment will be given to determine the relative success of the unit.
Procedures
Day 1
Close Reading
Article as per plan
Day 2/3
Failure of Bridges Review
Web Based
Day 4
Group work on plans for bridge
Day 5/6
Construction of Bridges
Day 7
Testing of Bridges
Day 8
Closure
Day 9
Flex – Follow up with Notebooks
Formative Assessment:
Given the relative open-endedness of this lesson, relying heavily on guided questions on the science notebook will be
important. At the end of each day, I would like the students to comment on (but not limited to):
-
What was your goal for the day ?
Did you reach your goal ?
What success did you have ?
What failures did you have ?
Biggest Obstacle of the day
Goal for tomorrow
Closure:
EACH team will present their projects, including successes, and failures. Bridges will be judged based on design
parameters and their ability to hold weight. Given there is an aesthetic perspective on architecture, the class
will put together a rubric for aesthetics, and rate each bridge. Prior to the beginning of the project, the class will
decide a location for the bridge to guide the aesthetic nature of the bridge. The rubric will address uniqueness
and attention to the location of the bridge.
Funded by an Elementary and Secondary Education Act Title IIb Wisconsin Improving Teacher Quality Grant in
Partnership with the University of Wisconsin-Stout
Page 5
Science Learning Community: Science and Engineering Lesson Plans
Summative Assessment:
A pre unit assessment will be developed that asks students to identify NOT just the types of bridges, but the
design process in general, including cost, function, and aesthetics. After the unit is complete, the same
assessment will be given to determine the relative success of the unit.
Funded by an Elementary and Secondary Education Act Title IIb Wisconsin Improving Teacher Quality Grant in
Partnership with the University of Wisconsin-Stout
Page 6