Bridges: Additional Resources
Lesson Plans, Videos, Images, Articles
1. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/buildingbig/index.html
PBS program about Bridges, Domes, Skyscrapers, Dams, and Tunnels. Five part
TV series and an activity guide.
2. http://www.discoveryeducation.com/teachers/free-lesson-plans/bridges.cfm
Lesson plans from Discovery Education about bridges and links to other sources
about bridges. Lesson plans are for a secondary education level.
3. http://www.discoveryeducation.com/teachers/free-lesson-plans/famousbridges.cfm
Lesson plan from Discovery Education about famous bridges. Intended for
grades 6-8.
4. http://www.tryengineering.org/lessons/popsiclebridge.pdf
Popsicle Bridge lesson plan: The "Popsicle Bridge" lesson explores how engineering has
impacted the development of bridges over time, including innovative designs and the challenge of
creating bridges that become landmarks for a city. Students work in teams of "engineers" to
design and build their own bridge out of glue and popsicle sticks. They test their bridges using
weights, evaluate their results, and present their findings to the class. Intended for ages 8-18.
5. http://videos.howstuffworks.com/science/understanding-bridges-videosplaylist.htm#video-29829
“How Stuff Works” series of videos about the factors that affect bridge design
and the three basic bridge design types: beam, arch and suspension.
6. http://www.phillyfuture.org/node/6200
Article about the Walnut Lane Bridge and the exhibition that went along with its
100th anniversary.
7. http://www.brantacan.co.uk/bridges.htm
Webpage with information and links about bridges and how they work.
8. http://www.neatorama.com/2008/03/07/10-most-beautiful-bridges-in-the-world/
Images and information about the ten most beautiful bridges in the world.
9. http://science.howstuffworks.com/engineering/civil/bridge.htm
Article by “How Stuff Works” on how bridges work (includes: Introduction to How
Bridges Work, The Basics, The Beam Bridge, Types of Beam Bridges, Truss Strength, The Arch
Bridge, Types of Arch Bridges, The Suspension Bridge, Types of Suspension Bridges, Additional
Bridge Forces, Resonance, Weather, etc.)