Design, build, test, repeat! Forget popsicle stick, balsa wood, or spaghetti bridges, TeacherGeek bridges allow you to do what was never before possible: redesign and retest your bridge without the hot glue or mess. Using TeacherGeek's proprietary build system, students will have more control over their bridge than ever before; allowing them to learn through experimentation and failure, and evolve designs as their understanding grows. From arch bridges to trusses; with so many design possibilities students are never done making!

Each Breaking Bridges Activity comes with a printed Go-Guide to get kids started and inspire them to make their own unique designs. TeacherGeek also offers free science labs and engineering challenges to deepen students' understanding and challenge them even further, covering topics such as structural shapes, deflection, tension & compression, software analysis, Hooke's Law, elastic & plastic deformation, and member forces on trusses.

Pack contains components to create 10 bridges, and a hook to help test them. In addition to this kit, you need 5 or 7 gallon buckets, weights (e.g. water bottles), and tools (multi-cutter, pliers, screwdriver).

Note: We recommend using our 7 gallon buckets for bridge testing, which allows you to add more weight than a standard 5 gallon bucket.

For grades 6 and up, click here

 

MS Word or PDF - Which document format should you download? Always download the PDF document, unless you want to edit/change it. If you want to edit/change the document, download the MS Word (Microsoft Word™) version.

    Testing Guide    

You need to make a testing station so students can test their bridges. This guide walks you through setting up your testing station using common, inexpensive supplies, and provides instructions for how to test bridges.

• Testing Guide:
  English: PDF or MS Word
  Spanish: PDF or MS Word

Note: We recommend using our 7 gallon buckets for bridge testing, which allows you to add more weight than a standard 5 gallon bucket.

    Go Guide    

Give it to your students and go! This is the essential document to get students started with bridges, and it culminates in an engineering challenge.

• Go Guide:
  English: PDF or MS Word
  

    Optional Challenge    

• Optional Distance Challenge: Build the longest bridge possible!
  English: PDF or MS Word 
  Spanish: PDF or MS Word 

    Optional Resources    

Classroom Overview

• Classroom Overview: PDF or MS Word--A brief overview of the Breaking Bridges documents and their standards (NGSS, CCSS for Math and CCSS for ELA).

Bridges Engineering Notebook

STEAM Market-It Challenge

Add the STEAM Market-It Challenge to any completed TeacherGeek activity to teach students how to turn their TeacherGeek design into a retail product. Students will learn the 4 'Ps' of marketing - Product, Placement, Price and Promotion. Students have the option of completing a commercial, a billboard or retail packaging as a summative assessment.

• STEAM Market-It Challenge: PDF or MS Word

For grades 3-5, click here

MS Word or PDF - Which document format should you download? Always download the PDF document, unless you want to edit/change it. If you want to edit/change the document, download the MS Word (Microsoft Word™) version.

    Testing Guide    

You need to make a testing station so students can test their bridges. This guide walks you through setting up your testing station using common, inexpensive supplies, and provides instructions for how to test bridges.

• Testing Guide:
  English: PDF or MS Word
  Spanish: PDF or MS Word

Note: We recommend using our 7 gallon buckets for bridge testing, which allows you to add more weight than a standard 5 gallon bucket.

    Go Guide    

Give it to your students and go! This is the essential document to get students started with bridges, and it culminates in an engineering challenge.

• Go Guide: PDF or MS Word

    Optional Analysis    

The activities below can be used to extend learning by using software and/or mathematics to model your bridge!

• Hooke's Law Lab: Students graph bridge deflection while learning about deformation. Recommended for Grades 7+.
  English: PDF or MS Word
  Spanish: PDF or MS Word
• Hooke's Law Lab Answer Key: PDF --Password protected.
• Software Analysis: Students use FREE software to model their bridges, find the internal member forces, and identify their designs' weaknesses.
  English: PDF or MS Word
  Spanish: PDF or MS Word
• Physics Analysis: Students apply higher level math to find the tensile and compressive forces in their bridges (follows Software Analysis; requires physics coursework). Recommended for Grades 11+.
  English: PDF or MS Word
  Spanish: PDF or MS Word

    Optional Challenge    

• Optional Distance Challenge: Build the longest bridge possible!
  English: PDF or MS Word
  Spanish: PDF or MS Word 

    Optional Resources    

Classroom Overview

• Classroom Overview: PDF or MS Word--A brief overview of the Breaking Bridges documents and their standards (NGSS, CCSS for Math and CCSS for ELA).

Bridges Engineering Notebook

STEAM Market-It Challenge

Add the STEAM Market-It Challenge to any completed TeacherGeek activity to teach students how to turn their TeacherGeek design into a retail product. Students will learn the 4 'Ps' of marketing - Product, Placement, Price and Promotion. Students have the option of completing a commercial, a billboard or retail packaging as a summative assessment.

• STEAM Market-It Challenge: PDF or MS Word

 

 

What tools will you need to do this activity?

Process	Recommended Tool	Alternate Tool
Cutting strips and wire	Multi-Cutter	Saw, Pruning Shears
Tighten and loosen screws	Screwdriver	Nope
Hold the nuts while tightening screws	Pliers	Nope

Sets of tools can be found here.

Make your bridge even better by incorporating recycling bin material.

What's in the Breaking Bridges Activity?

Component:	Quantity:
Connector Strips	180
Wire Roll	11
Bridge Screws	110
Bridge Nuts	340
1" Screws	2
1 1/2" Screws	2
Lock Nuts	3
17 Gauge Wire (18")	2

This is an educational product and not a toy. It is intended for use by ages 7 and above with adult supervision.