BEFORE

DURING

AFTER

Here are the curriculum links

http://bridgecontest.usma.edu/ 

This site offers a free, easily downloadable bridge design game that the kids LOVE! Originally designed for high school students, my third graders have quickly picked up the concepts taught and used by this program. It is an outstanding program that allows children to construct, test, and re-design bridges, and also allows them to analyze the cost-effectiveness of different bridge designs.

Kids begin by just trying to build a bridge that will support the weight of traffic, but can then move onto building the most cost efficient bridge possible. The website which offers the program sponsors a contest every year, and contestants submit designs, with the most cost efficient design taking first prize. I strongly encourage you to download this free program for your child. Not only does it tie in perfectly to what we are doing in class, but more importantly it promotes higher order thinking, creative problem solving, geometry, and things I probably haven’t even thought of yet. And I promise that you’ll love the program as much as your child.

http://www.pbs.org./wgbh/nova/bridge/build.html 

This excellent site allows children a hand-on opportunity to explore the 4 types of bridge designs used around the world today.