Forces and Structures STEM Challenge: Newspaper Bridge Activity

This Newspaper Bridge STEM Challenge is the perfect, week-long, end-of-year activity to keep your students engaged! All of the work is done for you.

This download includes content, a detailed lesson plan, visual instructions, a web quest, follow-up supplementals, and a grading rubric.

What makes Cool School Comics such an impactful learning tool?

• They are FUN! 
  • This is the most crucial benefit.
  • Students are more willing to participate and more engaged.
  • The content STICKS.

• Visual learning is EFFECTIVE. 
  • About 65% of the population consists of visual learners.
  • Visual information is processed faster.
  • Students who SEE information are more likely to retain it.

• EASY to implement! 
  • These lesson plans are complete and ready to go, requiring minimal prep time.
  • You only need to make copies, upload supplementals to your virtual classrooms, and set up the hands-on activities.
  • Lots of flexibility! You can print these as posters, add them to interactive notebooks, hand them out to students, or share them virtually. There is plenty of room for modifications.

• Comics make content ACCESSIBLE
  • Naturally differentiated, comics accommodate a wide range of learning abilities and styles.
  • Great for classrooms with a diverse population of learners
  • They can simultaneously rope in both your gifted and struggling students (and everyone in between).
  • Reluctant readers gravitate toward comics.
  • Comics help English Language Learners and SPED students find success.

Overview

Students will learn about engineering and architecture STEM career as they learn about bridges and plan their own designs. The ultimate goal is to build the strongest bridge in the classroom using only newspaper and masking tape.

Set a budget or add imaginary prices for supplies to keep supply use limited. Otherwise, they will go nuts with tape!

This project has the ability to last an entire week if not more.

STEM Challenge Contents

Content-

• Color and B&W versions
• Covers engineering and architecture careers and their roles
• Presents information in an engaging visual format

Guided Notes

• Students can actively take notes while learning
• Effective Doodle Note style
• Great for interactive notebooks

Types of Bridges Infographic

• Illustrates six common types of bridges
• Both color and B&W

Types of Bridges Web Quest

• Students research the advantages and disadvantages of each type of bridge
• Gets them to gather information and research before participating in the STEM challenge
• Both color and B&W

STEM Challenge Visual Instructions

• Instructions for the challenge in a written and visual format
• This makes the information accessible to a wide range of learners and keeps them engaged!
• Both color and B&W

Follow-up Questions

• Post STEM Challenge questions to bring the fun back to the content
• Inspires students to reflect on the activity

Grading Options

• Answer keys for supplementals
• Rubric for the bridge project itself

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