Bridges and Structures:
What Middle School Students Can Do with Math and Science
Leah T. Poole
West Briar Middle School
INTRODUCTION
I selected the Structural Engineering: Bridges and Buildings seminar because I have always
been fascinated with bridges and buildings for as long as I can remember. When I as young, my
father and his friend built a playhouse for me which I helped design. It was a 12’x 14’ structure
with two windows, a door, and later electricity.
In middle school, I excelled in art classes, with my favorite part being geometrical drawing.
My parents sent me to art school at the Institute of Art in Minneapolis, MN where my favorite
subject to draw and paint was buildings.
In my freshman year in high school, I took an aptitude test in Civics class that revealed my
highest aptitude was mechanical with a score in the 98th percentile. Mind you, this was in the 60s,
and when asked what type of career I should pursue, I was told secretarial work. My secret
ambition was to be an architect! Who really wanted to be a secretary with the computer industry
not evolving until I was much older? I was not allowed to take any type of shop class because
girls could only take sewing and cooking. My senior year in high school, boys were allowed to
take cooking. I felt very resigned to the prospect of pursuing a career in secretarial work for the
remainder of my high school years. Only boys were encouraged to take advanced math and
science classes, so I only took the required courses to graduate. None of the courses offered were
about careers. Welcome to the 60s-70s!
Literary pieces started to observe the differential treatment of men and women in the same
career fields (Herr). This still is evident in the business world today. Some psychologists note that
the reasons for this are attributed to the introduction of stereotypical gender bias at an early age.
Gatton reflects “gender stereotypes of occupations are manifested in the belief that certain
occupations (e.g., nurse, teacher, secretary, etc.) are ‘women’s’ occupations and others (e.g.,
automotive mechanic, engineer, medical doctor) are ‘men’s’” (1). In addition, the way in which
teachers teach certain subjects, such as mathematics and science during middle school years, are
areas of concern (Weld). Educator D. Sadker observes:
The educational rights of girls and women, so recently won, are already at risk. Only 20
years after women were allowed to attend Ivy League schools, only days before the
Citadel finally opened its tax-supported doors to women, and despite a mountain of
research documenting the gender gap in schools, the conservative backlash against
women is in full swing (1).
I continued to use my secretarial and business skills until I returned to college. During my
first years in college I received an industrial technology scholarship to study technical drawing
and computer-aided-design (CAD). My educational endeavors provided me with degrees in
Business, Computer Information Systems. Later, because of personal reasons, I pursued teaching.
I earned a Master’s in Education Technology and Specialist’s degree in Curriculum and
Leadership.
Leah T. Poole
47
Throughout my educational and vocational endeavors, I realized the need for students to
become active participants in their career choices. In retrospect, if schools had the types of
programs available for students today, I believe my career choice and today’s occupation would
definitely have been in an engineering field. Students have a plethora of choices for electives
because of the way some schools are separated into “small schools” or “academies.” This type of
structure affords students the ability to concentrate on a particular chosen major of study in
addition to their core subjects. Electives have a major concentration. Without prior knowledge
about careers, some students are unsure as to what “small school” or “academy” they should
choose to enroll in. Having witnessed this first-hand, I decided that the only viable solution for
my dilemma was to become a middle school technology teacher. I now have the ability to help
students in middle school learn about different careers, job descriptions, salaries, educational
requirements, and job outlook.
ACADEMIC SETTING
West Briar Middle School, which services grades 6-8, is located in the Houston Independent
School District. The school was built three years ago and is located at the far end of the West
District. I have a technology lab that is state-of-the-art for a middle school. My lab contains 16
different modular-based systems that allow students to interact with AES® software and
complete hands-on activities. Students work in teams to accomplish ten tasks associated with
each module. Each student is responsible for his/her own answers and work but he/she must learn
how to work as a team. The team concept is a key component to the students’ learning. Activities
are aligned with the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for technology education,
TAC Chapter 123, Subchapter A and B, and assessment is linked to all TEKS for this subject
matter.
Our students come from a vast variety of backgrounds and cultures. Our gender population is
exactly 50-50. Our race/ethnicity breakdown is 24% African American, 7% Asian, 20% Hispanic,
less than 1% Native American and 48% White. Ten percent of our students are enrolled in a
Career and Technology Education program. Our current enrollment, as of the 2004-2005 school
year was, 1,382 students.
UNIT OBJECTIVES
The underlying objective that will run throughout this curriculum unit will be how to work as
an efficient contributing team member. The main objective for this unit will be using a universal
systems model approach.
Inputs
Processes
Cyclical Process
Resources
Feedback
Outputs
Figure 1. Universal Systems Model
Lessons and exercises will support the Texas Education Agency’s (TEA) Texas Essential
Knowledge and Skills criteria for Technology Education. The first objective will be to use
reference books, newspapers, and Internet for obtaining pertinent information to supplement
research on bridges, designers, and buildings. The second objective will be to safely use tools and
equipment to design, build, and test bridges and buildings. The third objective will be to create a
multimedia presentation that portrays the completed curriculum unit from start to finish. There
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will be five lesson plans for this curriculum unit: 1) bridges and buildings; 2) famous architects;
3) pick a bridge or structure to build; 4) career reports; and 5) final presentation.
Texas Essential Knowledge Objectives
Students will follow a universal systems model to complete this unit and identify inputs,
processes, and outputs and give feedback in a cyclical pattern. The systems model is the key
structure for this unit as identified in the curriculum objectives for technology education, Chapter
123.2 Subchapter A and B for Technology Education. Students will learn about components of
bridges and buildings, architects, and how certain bridges and buildings react to the elements of
weather and how aesthetics play a role in the creation of both. Students will experiment with a
variety of materials to design, analyze and create numerous projects supporting the TEKS for
technology education. Scientific and mathematical data will influence students’ choice of material
in relationship to bridge and building type and style. Assessments of projects will be completed
by students during the testing phase of this unit. Critical analysis will also be a part of each
project at varying stages. Research projects will encompass historical data as well as futuristic
projected data. Each student will work independently on research projects. All other projects will
be in a group/team setting, to include the final presentation.
Activating Prior Knowledge
Students will be asked to identify some photographs of bridges and buildings from Houston
and surrounding areas. Then students will be asked to identify bridges and buildings from around
the United States and globally. Examples of photographs would be the Fred Hartman Bridge,
Highway 59 Bridges, Taj Mahal, Golden Gate Bridge, London Bridge, the Eiffel Tower,
Stonehenge, and the Empire State Building. Most students will be able to identify at least some
of the photographs from their Social Studies classes.
As a class, I will lead the discussion directing students to think why each structure was built
and why the specific materials were used for each respectively. An example of a leading question
would be, “Why would a suspension bridge be used over a coastal waterway instead of a beam
bridge?” or “What other type of bridge could be used to over a waterway?” Another question
could be, “If a building is built on the San Adreas fault in California, will it matter what material
is used to build it or how tall can it be and why?” As the discussion progresses students will
realize and remember various facts relating to our discussion. Our school has numerous students
from a variety of states and countries. Those students will help to ignite the discussion about the
various bridges and buildings that exist where they once lived or have visited on vacation. In
addition, many of the more famous buildings have been in more than one movie, which some
students would be able to identify.
The next set of leading questions would be about the materials used for construction of
bridges and buildings. The vast geographical regions of the United States and the world deem it
necessary to use different types of material for construction purposes. If a bridge is to be
constructed over a mountain pass, what types of materials would be advantageous to longevity,
but could those same materials be used in a salt-water area?
The next set of questions would be about the creators of bridges and buildings. These would
date back to the beginning of time until present day.
Finally, I would have students think about what type of bridge they would like to build and
why. Students will be assigned to a group/team and I would have them decided what type of
bridge they would want to build. Different scenarios will be given to each group/team and they
must come up with a viable solution to the scenario by building either a bridge or building.
Leah T. Poole
49
UNIT BACKGROUND
The proposed length of this unit would be 3-4 weeks. Included in this unit will be vocabulary,
studies about bridges and famous buildings, famous architects, hands-on activities, research
reports, timelines, current events, presentations and team building activities.
Sixth, seventh and eighth grade students will be responsible for learning the basic vocabulary
associated with bridges and buildings. They will be given a list of vocabulary words and will use
the Internet and teacher-supplied books to research vocabulary. Once the class is comfortable
with the terminology associated with bridges and buildings we will look at some of the more
famous buildings in the surrounding area and then in the world. The Internet plus teachersupplied books will be the references for students to use.
Next, students will be introduced to some of the famous bridges and buildings throughout
history. Students will create a timeline of events based on their research of said buildings. Along
with the buildings students will be introduced to some famous architects. Students will do a
research report on an architect of their choice.
The majority of this unit will be the hands-on activities. Students will be building a variety of
bridges and buildings with teacher-supplied materials. Various experiments will be conducted
during this phase of the unit. Hands-on activities will include drawing a bridge or structure.
Students may also use the CAD software available in my lab or they may opt to hand draw their
creations using compasses, drawing boards, T-squares, and graph paper. Next, students will be
broken up into groups of an indeterminate size, dependent on the class size, to build their
structures.
The final project for this unit will be a group/team PowerPoint presentation. Requirements for
the number of slides and graphics will be forthcoming. All students need to participate and will
be graded by a rubric along with fellow students for participation, delivery and content.
This unit is intended to complement the Technology Education lab that is part of my
classroom. The activities students will partake in will help students when they go to Construction
and CAD, Engineering Structures, Aerodynamic Principles or Road Transportation Applied
Educational Systems, Inc (AES) modules. The activities within these modules are Texas Essential
Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) aligned.
IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES
The methodology used for this curriculum unit will be student-centered and teacherfacilitated. Students will be active participants in all phases of this unit. We will use the group
mapping activity for vocabulary introduction. Once vocabulary is introduced students will break
into groups to view multiple web sites to solidify word meaning. For example, when explaining
the concept of force, I could refer either to the Motion CD (Discovery Education, a Division of
Discovery Communications, Inc, 2000), or the web site from PBS, Houston, that allows the
viewer to use an online virtual lab to apply different forces to see how structures react. Other
vocabulary words will be explained by activities such as determining What’s the strongest cable?
(See WGHB Educational Foundation, Building Big website at PBS.org.)
As the class progress through the vocabulary, I will supplement various other hands-on
activities to reinforce newly acquired knowledge. Use of the group mapping activity will continue
throughout the entire curriculum unit. A final review of concepts, theories and explanations will
be supported by the group mapping activity.
Vocabulary
Using the Group Mapping Activity, I will introduce a few key words to get started. Most
middle school students will be familiar with some of the vocabulary in this unit because of their
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science classes. The definitions of some of the words, however, will be different from what they
already know. This lesson will introduce middle school students to the definitions associated with
buildings and structures. The objective of this lesson is to familiarize students with common
terminology associated with this unit. Students may be new to this subject and will thus, require a
teacher-generated list to start. Terms will be written on the board in the form of mapping. As time
goes on the class will be able to fill in the vocabulary words associated with bridges and
structures. Some terms associated with bridges and structures will include:
arch, abutment, aggregates, aqueduct, beam, brace, brittle, buckling, buttress, cable, cable stay, cantilever, cast iron, cement, center, compression, concrete, crown, deck, deformation,
dissipation, dome, force cable, girder, haunch, impost, iron, joint, keystone, load, masonry,
member, pressure, reinforced concrete, resonance, rigid, span, spire, stable, steel, stiff, story,
suspension, saddles, shear, skyscraper, snapping, tension, torsion, tower, truss, unstable,
voussoirs, wood, and wrought iron.
I plan to have students create a group map of vocabulary commonly referred to in bridges and
structures for background information. The four main types of bridges (arch, beam, truss, and
suspension) plus the category of buildings will be the main vocabulary word maps.
Figure 2: Example of an Arch Bridge. One group will build an arch bridge as pictured above.
This is a picture is the 59 Arch Bridge in Houston, TX (Photo provided by Janet Purvis)
Figure 3: Example of a Beam Bridge. This cut-out picture of the George P. Coleman Bridge. This bridge is an
illustrated example of an I-Beam bridge. Pictured are barges that float members into place for construction. This
bridge type will be another group. Picture supplied by Parsons Brinckerhoff, Inc.
Leah T. Poole
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Figure 4: Example of a Truss Bridge. A cantilever bridge is a type of truss bridge. This cantilever bridge, Forth
Railway Bridge is located in Scotland, 1979. (Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of
Scotland)
This is another bridge type for a group to build.
Figure 5: Example of a Suspension Bridge. This picture is of the San Francisco Suspension Bridge.
This is another bridge type that a group will build. Photo from Discovery Channel School CD, 2000.
Figure 6: John Hancock Center, Chicago, Illinois. This picture is of the John Hancock Center Building depicting a
skyscraper. The picture also shows its five enormous external diagonal braces to secure the building. Perhaps these
are in place because Chicago is known as the “windy city”. This will be the final type of structure to build as a group.
Photo provided by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill LLP. Photographer: Hedrich Blessing.
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Students will work with individual maps as well as having a class map on the board to
complete. Some words will be demonstrated in class such as the tension. A stack of books will be
placed approximately 6-8 inches apart and a piece of folded index card, will be placed between
the stacks of books. Different objects will be placed on top of the card to demonstrate the force of
tension. Then, I students will fold the index card any way they want so they can observe the
difference between a plain index card and a folded index card.
There are numerous web sites that will allow students to design bridges and then virtually test
them. One such web site is the Bridge Designer at Johns Hopkins University engineering web
site. Students will learn about nodes, members, loads, both fixed and rolling by designing and
calculating the load of the bridge. I also tested this site and removed members just to see what
would happen. I am sure our students will be doing the same.
During the spring of 2005, I attended an exhibition at Texas Southern University and drilled
into a piece of concrete and withdrew a core sample so that I could get a sample for students to
see the aggregates used in the making of concrete. Another demonstration will be a cantilever
building activity. Students will use teacher-supplied wood, a fulcrum, and weights to see how the
cantilever system of bridges, work. Word definitions may include pictures or mechanical
drawings to define vocabulary.
Students will be graded on the validity of information obtained and a rubric for the
presentation. Students may work in groups of three to four members. One student should be
democratically elected by the group as the spokesperson/leader. Students presenting should have
handout materials for the listening class members so any questions may be answered immediately
and notes taken.
Timeline
Students will be given a teacher-supplied blank chart to research different bridge disasters.
Students may use teacher-supplied publications, such as “The Architecture Timecharts,” the
Internet, http://www.iti.nwu.edu/clear/bridge/bri_dis.htm,
http://www.iti.northwestern.edu/links/bridges/disasters.html,
http://www.engr.utexas.edu/wep/COOL/AcidRiver/allaboutbridges_Disasters.htm, “Structures,
CD-ROM” (Discovery Education, a Division of Discovery Communications, Inc. 2000), or any
other material deemed necessary to complete the timeline. Below is an example of how a
completed chart could look. This chart is part of the activities provided in the Structures CD.
Where & When
Bridge Age
Bridge Type
Cause of Collapse
Ashtabula, OH, 1876
11.00
Truss
Wear/lack of inspection
Tacoma Narrows, WA,
1940
0.33
Suspension
Design flaw
Harrisburg, PA, 1996
90.00
Girder
Failure during flood
Table 1. Timeline Activity
Students should have a variety of bridge types, bridge ages, and causes for collapse in their
timelines. The number of entries should be from 5-10.
An activity with a matrix with different bridges will be supplied to students for completion
like the table shown above. A template for this activity will be supplied in the Appendices.
Current Events
Middle school students are mature enough to recognize adversity especially if your family is
heading out on vacation during a holiday or merely for a visit to relatives. Do not, under any
Leah T. Poole
53
circumstances, underestimate traffic problems in the Houston area, particularly if it is raining.
Houstonians cope with road conditions and traffic problems on a daily basis. There is no BandAid that can repair problems overnight thus when students are traveling with their parents they
encounter multitudes of traffic problems on a fairly regular basis.
Traffic problems and road construction is not only a problem in Houston but in most major
cities throughout the United States. One may use the Rand McNally web site to locate
constructions proje cts prior to planning that long awaited vacation or trip.
Students will view a video about the Tacoma Narrows bridge disaster, Galloping Gertie, that
occurred in November, 1940. Class will view a video from the Structures, CD-ROM (Discovery
Education, a Division of Discovery Communications, Inc. 2000) about the collapse of the
Tacoma Narrows Bridge in Tacoma, Washington.
Figure 7: Tacoma Narrows Bridge. Photo by James Bashford as supplied by WSDOT.
They will also be responsible for finding a news article about construction of a bridge or
structure for the local area, such as “Construction Design Keeps Roads Open” from the Houston
Chronicle. Information needed should contain: 1) data about the type of bridge or structure being
built; people involved in the project; present impact on businesses and neighborhoods, good or
bad; 4) future impact on businesses and neighborhoods; 5) challenges/problems that occur during
the project, whether complete or not and why; 6) overall comment about the article and
recommendation to read or not to read. A worksheet template will be provided for students to
complete this lesson.
LESSON PLANS
Lesson One: Basic Bridges and Structures
Objective
This lesson introduces four different types of bridges and different structures. The objective of
this lesson is to help middle school students learn to identify bridges and structures by type.
Middle school students will also be able to identify the possible materials used in the construction
of each type of bridge or structure. This le sson will be the basis for future lessons and constitutes
the foundation for this particular curriculum unit. Vocabulary, through group mapping will be the
initial introduction to familiarize students with of bridges and structures.
Procedure
Middle school students will be divided into groups/teams to complete this lesson. Each group will
draw from five different pieces of paper to know which bridge or structure they have. A lead
spokesperson should be democratically chosen by the group to lead the discussion. Another
person should write down all the group is doing. Another student should be the spokesperson,
which may be the lead person or someone else. Students will orally present their findings to the
class as well as filling in the group mapping activity where appropriate information is needed.
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Lesson Two: Global Famous Buildings and Structures
Objective
This lesson will introduce students to some famous building and structures throughout the world.
Procedure
Half of the class will receive a list of famous buildings and structures. Students will use the
Internet, teacher-supplied books and communication with others to research famous and local
buildings and structures. Identification of famous buildings will be presented to the class by
means of Microsoft PowerPoint presentation and use of The Architecture Timecharts
(Stephenson) publication.
Students will be graded on the validity of information obtained and a rubric for the presentation.
Students may work in groups of three to four members, dependent on class size. One student
should be democratically elected by the group as the spokesperson/leader. Students presenting
should have handout materials for the listening class members so any questions may be answered
immediately and notes taken.
Upon completion of the research and presentations, students will discuss their findings in a class
setting. Discussion will be student-directed and facilitated by the teacher when necessary.
Lesson Three: Famous Architects
Objective
Students will be introduced to a variety of architects whose work has impacted the design and
construction of bridges and buildings. Students should be able to recognize a structure because
the class has learned some of the vocabulary that will be part of this lesson. Students will be able
to correlate the type of structure with the architect.
Procedure
Introduction of some famous architects will be presented to the class by a Microsoft PowerPoint
presentation. The scope of architects will range from Filippo Brunelleschi, 1377- 1446, to Mies
Van Der Rohe, 1886-1959 (Stephenson).
Students may use The Architecture Timecharts (Stephenson) for reference as a starting point and
use a variety of other resources to obtain information. Students should have three references for
this report. These will include, but are not limited to the Internet, publications, newspapers,
current events, and other teacher-supplied materials. Students will write and type a one-page
report on an architect of their choosing. Students will need to have choice of architect approved
by the teacher. All references will be supplied in the form of a “Works Cited” page following the
presentation under Credits. The content should contain information about the life of the architect,
famous bridges or structures that he/she built, location of bridge or structure, year built, and type
of bridge or structure.
Lesson Three: Build a Bridge or Building
Objective
Students need to be able to use critical thinking skills in order to accomplish tasks in life.
Students will need to learn to work as part of a team to accomplish a task or goal. Students will
plan, analyze, design/diagram, and create multiple bridges and structures. Students will use their
acquired knowledge of vocabulary to solve the challenge.
Leah T. Poole
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Procedure
This lesson is a multiple activity using the Internet and hands-on exercises. Students will be
divided into teams by numbers handed out randomly by the teacher. Each group of students will
be given a problem scenario by number selection and will complete a bridge or building to solve
the problem. Teacher will demonstrate the incorrect choice of bridge or building selection so
students see how to use the web site. Students will go to
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/buildingbig/bridge/challenge/index.html or
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/buildingbig/skyscraper/challenge/index.html, dependent on whether the
group has a bridge or a building to view their challenge. The teacher will write on the board the
web site to find challenge and procedures to follow. Each group will also have a hand-out with
the rules and procedures.
Each group of students will use a computer to decide which bridge would best fit their group’s
needs by reading and interpreting the scenarios given. This must be a team effort and project.
Then the group will decide which bridge or skyscraper to build the next phase of the lesson will
begin.
Mechanical drawings/designs must be submitted to the teacher prior to the start of building.
Material used will be decided with teacher-student approval.
Materials needed for this lesson will be teacher-supplied. They will include, but not be limited to:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Spaghetti
Index cards
Decorative gems/polished river rocks (may use any type of weight available to teacher)
Balsam wood
Colored Popsicle sticks
Glue guns
Glue sticks
Tape
Snips or scissors
Once the mechanical drawings are completed and groups have their materials, they will begin to
construct their structures. Safety procedures are addressed at the beginning of the course but will
also apply to this curriculum unit.
Upon completion of the structures, students will nominate a spokesperson to explain the
procedure the group went through to select the groups building or structure. Each group will show
their structures to the class and the structures will be put in a display case in the school for all
students to see.
Lesson Four: Career Report
Objective
Students will be able to identify the various branches of engineering. Students will be able to
associate engineering branch with type of engineer responsible for different phases of an
engineering project. Students will be able to use research skills and writing skills to complete a
career report about a career associated with engineering.
Procedure
Some engineers create the design for projects. Some engineers create the bridges and structures.
Some engineers oversee the construction of projects will others work the projects. Students
should consider which type of engineer they might be interested in being. Each student is
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responsible for his/her own research paper. Students will use a word processor to type a 2-page
paper, double -spaced in no larger than a 12-pt font. Papers will be graded for content as well as
grammar. Suggested web site for research on the Internet is Bureau of Labor and Statistics, kid’s
page. The following guidelines will help provide structure to the research paper.
The first paragraph should contain the introduction of paper – what you are going to tell the
audience about your career. The second and subsequent paragraphs should contain the following
content:
•
•
•
•
•
Description of the career
Education required to do the job
Salary or hourly wage
Job experience/training used instead of educational requirements (apprenticeships)
Job outlook – will the job be there when you graduate from college or vocational/trade
school.
The final paragraph should contain a summarization of all supplied information and why you
selected that particular career. The length of the paper will be three pages or more and must
include a Works Cited page for references.
Lesson Five: Final Presentation
Objective
Students will design and create a multimedia presentation using Microsoft PowerPoint to explain
their experiences with this curriculum unit. Students will apply their teambuilding skills to
complete this lesson. Students will use technology to appropriately complete this lesson following
the guidelines and rules for copyright laws.
Procedure
Teams will consist of the same students from the group/team activities. Teams should create a
Microsoft PowerPoint presentation that shows what the group learned from this curriculum unit.
The criteria for the final Microsoft PowerPoint presentation are as follows:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Number of slides: 10-15
Slide transitions and background should be appropriate for the class presentation
Number of graphics/photographs: 7
Video clip: 1 minute in duration
Font Size: Appropriate for class viewing, 24 point suggested
Font Color: Appropriate for educational viewing
Sound: Appropriate for educational and class viewing. Must be appropriate for slide
being viewed
Presentation length: 5-10 minutes
Slide content should consist of pictures that are explained with connection to vocabulary. Content
should include team building skills that were used to accomplish the activities. Web sites should
be included where information was obtained. Animation could be used to show different types of
forces that affect bridges and buildings, this option would depend on the version of software used
to create the presentation.
CONCLUSION
As a person who has experienced first-hand the prejudice of occupational gender
stereotyping, I would hope that 35 years later that this type of attitude does not exist. I fear that
such is not the case; however, it appears that there are more women entering the field of
Leah T. Poole
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engineering than when I was in high school. Young people need to be aware of the options that
are open to them for career choices in the engineering field. Hopefully, this curriculum unit will
peak their curiosity enough to pursue exploration in the field of engineering. Teachers are always
concerned about cross-curriculum activities and this curriculum unit is one way for students to
see the end result for math and science.
This unit was designed to enlighten students to the facts about bridges and structures. In
addition, this unit utilizes the concepts of team work, math and science skills that will be needed
for future careers.
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Appendix
Hand-out for Vocabulary
Vocabulary
Leah T. Poole
Map Location
59
Timeline Exercise Hand-out
Directions:
Fill in the table with requested information in a chronological order starting
from oldest to newest.
Where & When
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Bridge Age
Bridge Type
Cause of Collapse
Houston Teachers Institute
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
Works Cited
Bashford, James. Photo of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. Connections: Tacoma Narrows Bridge. 2005. Washington
State Department of Transportation. <http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/TNBhistory/Connections/connections3.htm>.
Blessing, Hedrich. Photo of the John Hancock Center. Building Big: Wonders of the World Databank. 2000-2001.
PBS Online and WGBH Boston.
<http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/buildingbig/wonder/structure/hancock1_skyscraper.html>
“Construction Design Keeps Roads Open.” Houston Chronicle. 3 Apr. 2005, Sunday Edition, B1, B3.
Gatton, D. S. (1999). “The Effects of Organizational Context on Occupational Gender-Stereotyping.” Sex Roles: A
Journal of Research. Retrieved June 10, 2001 from <http://www.findarticles.com/cf_0/m229478_40/5508396/print.jhtml>.
Herr, E. L. (2001). “Selected Milestones in the Evolution of Career Development Practices in the Twentieth Century.”
Career Development Quarterly. Retrieved July 10, 2001 from <http://www.findarticles.com/cf_0/m0JAX/3_49/
72703620/print.jhtml>.
Parsons Brinckerhoff, Inc. Photo of the George P. Coleman Bridge. 2000-2001. Building Big: Wonders of the World
Databank. PBS Online and WGBH Boston.
<http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/buildingbig/wonder/structure/coleman2_bridge.html>.
Purvis, Janet. Photo of the 59 Arch Bridge. Participant in the Houston Teachers Institute Seminar: Structural
Engineering: Buildings and Bridges.
Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. Photo of the Firth of Forth Bridge,
Scotland, 1979. Building Big: Wonders of the World Databank. 2000-2001. PBS Online and WGBH Boston.
<http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/buildingbig/wonder/structure/firthofforth2_bridge.html>.
Sadker, D. (1996). Where the Girls. Education Week. Retrieved June 12, 2001 from <http://www.edweek.org/ew/vol17/Olsadker.h16>.
San Francisco Suspension Bridge Photo. DiscoveryChannel School CD, 2000.
Stephenson, Michael, LLC & Worth Press Ltd. The Architecture Timecharts. Consultant Editor: Louis I. Rocah.
Chartwell Books, Inc., 2003.
Weld, J. (1996). “Separate-sex Science Shortchanges Students.” Education Week. Retrieved June 12, 2001 from
<http://www.edweek.org/ew/vol-16/19weld.h16>.
Supplemental Resources
Cowan, Henry, Greenstein, Ruth, et al. A Guide to the World’s Greatest Buildings. Weldon Owen, Inc. 2003.
Dupre, Judith. Bridges. New York: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers, Inc., 1997.
A book containing numerous famous bridges and the history associated with each. Materials used to build the
bridges are also identified.
“Motion.” DiscoveryChannel School CD, 2000. Copyright Discovery Education, a Division of Discovery
Communications, Inc. <http://www.discoveryschool.com>.
This is an interactive CD that students use to research material, watch videos about motion, learn about different
types of motion and forces, take quizzes and play games.
“Structural Engineering: Buildings and Bridges 2005.” Todd Helwig Educational CD, copyright protected and provided
for educational use only.
The CD was provided to fellow members of HTI for educational purposes. Photographs were provided in a
presentation as part of instruction.
“Structures.” DiscoveryChannel School CD, 2000. Copyright Discovery Education, a Division of Discovery
Communications, Inc. <www.discoveryschool.com>.
This is an interactive CD that students use to research material, watch videos about structures, learn about
different structures, take quizzes and play games.
Terrail, Pierre. Architectural Design for Today. Great Britain: Academy Editions, 1991.
A collection of world-renowned architects and their famous works. This book is divided into four different periods
with the architect’s drawings and a picture of the finished product.
Leah T. Poole
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Internet Resources
Applied Educational Systems, Inc., Technology Education, 5 Jun. 2005. <http://www.aeseducation.com >.
This web site shows the modular-based software that is in my technology lab at my middle school.
“The Bridge Challenge.” 2000-2001. WGBH Educational Foundation, Building Big, 9 Jun. 2005.
<http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/buildingbig/bridge/challenge/index.html>.
This web site has a virtual component with scenarios for students to be active participants. Decision-making skills
and team work are key concepts.
“Forces Lab.” 2000-2001. WGBH Educational Foundation, Building Big, 9 Jun. 2005.
<http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/buildingbig/lab/forces.html>.
This web site has a virtual component with scenarios for students to be active participants. Students may look up
a vocabulary word and see the action the word causes.
Houston Independent School District, West Briar Middle School, 4 Apr. 2005.
<http://dept.houstonisd.org/profiles/WestBriar_MS.pdf>.
This web site shows the statistics for West Briar Middle School. TEKS scores are also shown here.
Johns Hopkins University, Whiting School of Engineering. What is Engineer? 6 Jun. 2005.
<http://www.jhu.edu/virtlab/bridge-designer/>.
This web site allows students to virtually build a truss bridge and then calculate different loads to show tension
and compression. Students may draw their own version of a truss bridge but it must be within the parameters of
the software.
Rand McNally, Road Construction, 6 Jun 2005.
<http://www.randmcnally.com/rmc/tools/roadConstructionSearch.jsp>.
This web site has the capability of finding construction in any area Rand McNally has in their database. The site is
updated every two days. Very easy to navigate.
“The Skyscraper Challenge.” 2000-2001. WGBH Educational Foundation, Building Big, 9 Jun. 2005.
<http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/buildingbig/skyscraper/challenge/index.html>.
This web site has a virtual component with scenarios for students to be active participants. Decision-making skills
and team work are key concepts.
United States Government. Bureau of Labor & Statistics. 6 Jun. 2005. <http://stats.bls.gov/k12/build.htm>.
Bureau of Labor and Statistics web site for students looking for career information.
University of Texas at Austin. Engineering is Cool. 6 Jun 2005.
<http://www.engr.utexas.edu/wep/COOL/AcidRiver/lingo.htm>.
This web site is from the Women in Engineering Program at The University of Texas at Austin. This web site has
games, activities, vocabulary associated with engineering, and a page for teachers.
Washington State Department of Transportation, Connections, 9 Jun. 2005.
<http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/TNBhistory/Connections/connections3.htm>.
This web site has eyewitness accounts of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge collapsing. Students will be able to
determine by writing testimonies how and why the bridge came apart.
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Houston Teachers Institute