William Walls, Jonathan Woessner, Zach Wagner, Anthony Paligraf

Lesson Plan:
Overview:
Students will use a simple bridge simulation software to create bridges and test
their ability to hold loads.

Objectives:

(Condition Performance Criterion)

1. Given bridge building software, students will be able to construct a bridge that spans a
given distance and minimizes cost.

Environment and Audience:

-high school
-lab with computers
-4 groups of 4 (16 students)

Goals:
The students will build a functioning bridge.

Teaching Standards:
Collaboratively describe, test through experiments, explain and defend mathematical
models of the motion of macroscopic objects in terms of Newtons laws.
Describe the magnitude and direction of kinds of forces, including both contact forces
and non-contact forces, those that act at a distance. Find the net force acting on an
object using free-body diagrams and the addition of forces. Use Newtons three laws to
deductively analyze static and dynamic systems.
Indiana Civil and Architectural Engineering Standard 3.3: Apply the steps of the design
process to solve a variety of architectural design problems.

Required Materials:
West Point Bridge-builder software https://bridgecontest.org/resources/download/
a computer
a group

Procedures:
Activity 1: Introducing the Project -10min

1. Explain the procedure and objectives.

2. Have the students sit down at computers, and insure theyre grouped
together. This will make forming teams easier later on and minimize the
amount of moving and relogging students have to do.
3. Have the students form small groups with those around them. Make sure
there are at least 4 groups of 4 students. Label the groups 4,8,12 and 16.
4. Have the mentor open the software and load proper parameters.
a. Select File, then New Design.
b. In the newly opened window, select next until you can alter the length of the
bridge and set each length to the corresponding team number.
c. Select Finish.
5. Show the students how to use joints and members and how to test a
design, let them play with the software for 5 minutes.
Activity 2: Build and Test Bridge Templates -15min
6. Show the student how to load templates.
7. Have the students build and test as many templates as they can in the
appropriate time
8. Students will then compare the different designs in strength and cost.
Activity 3: Bridge Building Competition -5min
9. Explain rules of the competition. Students should stop working and listen at
this point.
a. Each person has to design the cheapest possible bridge that will still
support the minimum payload for the distance that they were assigned.
b. They must do it without a template or a test run.
c. It must be done in 5 minutes.
10.
Students will then test and compare to see who won. Winners get a
candy bar.
Activity 4: Team Bridge Building: -5min
11.
Winners are then set as team captains and put with one person from
each group.

12.
Once grouped, the students will work as a team to win the final
contest.
13.
Showing what they learned, have them design and build the cheapest
bridge with the distance of 24m without a template or a test that will still
pass the test in 5 minutes.
14.
Have the teams test their design and compare with others. Winner
gets a candy bar. Have winning team talk about their strategy.
Assessment:
Formal assessment: Students and groups will be assessed on how well their design
meets the criteria.

Motivational Strategies:
Having the students experiment with the software to get them ready to build a bridge to
certain criteria.
Friendly competition between members of the groups.
Rewards for most successful designs.

Technology Integration:
West Point Bridge-builder software https://bridgecontest.org/resources/download/
Computer

References:
Science. (2015, January 23). Retrieved July 6, 2015, from
http://www.doe.in.gov/standards/science