Event Focus Learning Area / Strand Year Level Implementation Date

Engineering Design Process STEM Saturday 24 June 2014

5/6 Duration
2 hours

Prior knowledge of learners

Learning in Design and Technologies builds on concepts, skills and processes developed in earlier years, and
teachers will revisit, strengthen and extend these as needed.
Lesson objective/s
By the end of this lesson, students should be able to:
Lesson focuses on how bridges are engineered to withstand weight, while being
durable, and in some cases aesthetically pleasing. Students work in teams to design
and build their own bridge out of up to 25 Paddle Pop sticks and tape. Bridges must
have a span of at least 30cm. Students are encouraged to be frugal, and use the
fewest number of popsicle sticks whilst still achieving their goals. Students then
evaluate the effectiveness of their own bridge designs and those of other teams.
Links to Curriculum (identify relevant Strands and Content Descriptors)
General capabilities

DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGIES : Design and Technologies Processes and Production Skills

Critique needs or opportunities for designing, and investigate materials, components, tools, equipment and
processes to achieve intended designed solutions (ACTDEP024)

Generate, develop and communicate design ideas and processes for audiences using appropriate technical terms
and graphical representation techniques (ACTDEP025)

Select appropriate materials, components, tools, equipment and techniques and apply safe procedures to make
designed solutions (ACTDEP026)

Negotiate criteria for success that include sustainability to evaluate design ideas, processes and solutions
(ACTDEP027)

Develop project plans that include consideration of resources when making designed solutions individually and
collaboratively (ACTDEP028)

Evidence of learning
Students effectively work in groups of 2/3 to produce a strong and aesthetically pleasing bridge. They reflect on
the design of theirs and other students work.
Event Management Strategies
 The State of Qld, Department of Education and
Training. (2006). The code of school behaviour:
Better behaviour, better learning. Brisbane, QLD:
Author.

Assistants: other teachers, aides, parent helpers and experts

Resources
Paddle Pop sticks
Tape
Textas
Sticky notes

Worksheets and pencils

Differentiation strategies
Students working in chosen groups to support and collaborate designs.
Worksheets have written and drawing components.
ICT games available
Lesson Introduction https://theardentteacher.com/2015/05/26/a-week-of-stem-activities/
Introducing the topic For this activity, the set-up was simple. I separated the students desks by 1 foot,
Engagement of the gave each group 25 Popsicle sticks and 3 feet of tape. Their goal was to make the
learners
strongest and most aesthetically pleasing bridge across the great desk divide!
(So, I guess because of the artistic component of this bridge, this challenge could
be classified as STEAM rather than STEM). Some students initially grumbled
about having to air their bridge nice looking; however, when I explained that this
is a real issue addressed when bridges are built because people dont want to
look at an eye-sore, they want bridges to be beautiful!

In pairs, you are going to design and make a bridge.

Introduction
Have you ever driven across a bridge or seen a building that is under
construction and noticed the large metal support girders? What about wooden
beams in a house that is under construction? Did you notice how sometimes the
supports form different geometric shapes such as triangles or squares? In this
project you will be a structural engineer and make your own "support" shapes
out of popsicle sticks. What shape do you think will be the strongest?

Background
When civil engineers build large structures such as bridges and buildings, they
have to take into account how forcessuch as gravity, compression, tension and
torquewill act on the building materials. Gravity is constantly working to pull
materialsespecially heavy onestoward Earth. The weight of cars driving
across a bridge, for example, can push (creating compression) or pull (tension)
on a structure, causing them to break if they are not designed properly. Engineers
also have to design structures to handle torque, or "twisting." An example of
torque is when you turn a screwdriver to twist a screw or if you were to hold a
ruler in both hands and try to bend it.

Bridges and buildings usually have their frames built as a "truss," or a series of
beams that are connected at their ends. The engineer's goal is to design a truss
that will slightly flex but not bend or breakeven with strong forces acting on it.
In this project you will make trusses by connecting popsicle sticks end to end
with tape. Can you guess what simple geometric shape will resist bending the
most? Get ready to find out!
(https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/popsicle-stick-trusses-what-shape-
is-strongest/)

When engineers design a bridge, they must consider how the bridge will be used,
how long and wide it should be, and how much weight it has to hold. There are
four main types of bridges:

1. PP SLIDE 1 Beam bridges are made of horizontal beams supported by

piers at each end.

2. Truss bridges PP SLIDE 2 are a combination of triangles made of steel.

The longest truss bridge in the world is the Quebec Bridge 987m PP
SLIDE 3

3. Arch bridges PP SLIDE 4 are made up of arches supporting the bridge

and are naturally strong. The Chongqing Chaotianmen Yangtze River
Bridge cost US$ 468.5 million

Who can tell me the name of this next arch bridge? PP SLIDE 5 The
Sydney Harbour Bridge is a steel arch bridge across Sydney Harbour that
carries trains, vehicles, and pedestrian traffic between the Sydney central
business district and the North Shore area. According to Guinness World
Records, it is one of the world's widest long-span bridge and its tallest
steel arch bridge, measuring 134 metres (429.6 ft) from top to water
level. It is also the fourth-longest spanning-arch bridge in the world.

4. Suspension bridges PP SLIDE 6 are long bridges, such as the Golden

Gate Bridge. The earliest suspension bridges were made of ropes or vines
covered with pieces of bamboo. In modern bridges, the cables hang from
towers that are attached to caissons or cofferdams which are embedded
deep in the floor of a lake or river

A real issue when building the bridge is that it is nice looking. Make sure yours
is beautiful you may use the coloured pencils provided.

The challenge PP SLIDE 7

Students must construct a bridge made of 25 popsicle sticks (11.5cm long and
1cm wide and 0.2cm thick) and 1 metre of tape. No other materials may be used.

The bridge must span a gap of 30 cm.

The bridge must have a continuous driving deck that spans the entire length of
the bridge upon which to hold a weigh cup.

This deck must be unobstructed and 8 cm wide.

 Consider the artistic look of the finished product.
the bridge will also be judged on its aesthetics, so students should be encouraged
to be creative
Students will be encouraged to use the fewest number of Paddle Pop sticks
possible to achieve their goal.

Hand out STEM challenge worksheet

Lesson Body Research and imagine
Delivering the content Students meet and develop a plan for their bridge.
through specific They brainstorm ideas, make sketches and choose final design
strategies

Once page 1 of the worksheet is completed, students are then given the materials
to build their own bridge.
Design & Create

Student groups next execute their plans. They may need to rethink their design,
or even start over.

Each group of two to write on a sticky notepaper their choice of the most
aesthetically pleasing bridge. Hand to teacher for final outcome.

Bridges are then tested using a weighted cup.

Lesson Conclusion Outcome PP SLIDE 8

Concluding activities
Summarizing the
lesson
1. Did you bridge hold the required weight? If not, why?
2. Did you decide to revise your original design while in the construction phase?
Why?
3. How many paddlepop sticks did you end up using?
4. How aesthetically pleasing was your bridge? How did this compare to the rest
of the class? What design elements of other bridges did you like the best?

Evaluate
1. If you had to do it all over again, how would your planned design change?
Why?
2. What designs or methods did you see other teams try that you thought worked
well?
3. Do you think you would have been able to complete this project easier if you
were working alone? Explain