First students were given a sheet of 8.5" x 11" white paper and 24" of
masking tape and asked to construct a structure using their knowledge
from the lesson. Some students structures could hold 2.5 pounds,
others could hold a teacher standing on it! Students took what
they learned from this basic activity and began to design a structure
that would be constructed from 240" of balsa wood. They began
their design process brain storming ideas and creating thumbnail
sketches. They would than conference with a partner to pick a
design they thought would weigh the least, yet hold the most weight.
Students than drew a full scale drawing of the front view of their
structure. They needed to calculate how much wood their design
would use to ensure they were using less than 240". Students than
spent a week constructing their structures. Than it was time to
test!
