It was the Battle of the Bridges among fifth graders at the Taylor Elementary School on March 14 as teams competed to see who could build the strongest bridge. And when all the toothpicks had settled, it was the “Point Blank Bridges” team composed of Andrew Swanson, Colton Surdyk, Hank Wedow, and Brenna DeAngelis who could claim bragging rights. Teams trash-talked their opponents – “your bridge is mostly glue!” – but everybody cheered when the bridges held more and more of the free weights. “Thirty!” “Thirty-one!” “Thirty-two!” the students shouted, screaming when the bridges finally collapsed. The assignment started earlier in the winter when students read the story “Breaker’s Bridge” in their reading anthology book, as well as “Oniroku,” a traditional Japanese folktale, also known as “The Ogre Who Built the Bridge.” Students also studied different styles of bridges. Then in groups of five, students formed bridge building companies. Each student had a job as project director, architect, carpenter, transport chief or accountant. They designed and built bridges from toothpicks and glue. One bridge held only a pound, but others reached over 20 pounds. Bridges were placed between two planks. A ruler attached by string to a lightweight paint bucket rested on the bridge. When the weights that were added to the bucket got too heavy, the ruler broke through the bridge to rest on the planks and the test was over. “This is a great opportunity for students to try working in teams, to learn engineering principles and to figure out how to solve problems,” said Russell Grasso, fifth grade teacher who organized the project. “It’s one of those opportunities where they’re both learning and having fun.” |
