Building Bridges

Civil engineers need new bridge designs for three real locations in New York City — and students are the engineers. They investigate the four main bridge types, learn how compression and tension act on every structure, and run hands-on tests to compare how design choices affect strength and span. Each team is assigned one of the three NYC locations and must design and build a bridge that holds weight, allows passage underneath, and fits the constraints of its location.

What Students Learn

• The strengths and weaknesses of the BATS Bridges: beam, arch, truss, and suspension

• How compression and tension act on different parts of a bridge

• How engineers evaluate design trade-offs based on location and constraints

• Authentic practice with all 8 Science and Engineering Practices

What's Included

• 10 slide-based lessons with embedded graphics and media

• Step-by-step teacher guide with facilitation notes

• Student worksheet packet with pre/post assessment

• All hands-on building materials

• Maker skill video tutorials

NGSS Alignment
‍3-PS2-1 · 3-PS2-2 · 3-5-ETS1-1 · 3-5-ETS1-2 · 3-5-ETS1-3