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Bridges, drones and big builds: 6th to 8th science

Engineering design: structures, machines and limits. A free 6th to 8th lesson plan with a hook, practice that links to free activities, and an exit ticket. Copy it and make it yours.

Lesson plan

Goal

  • Students work toward: engineering design: structures, machines and limits.

Hook (5 min)

  • Ask the class: How can a bridge made of paper hold a heavy load?
  • Take two or three answers and write them where everyone can see them.

Teach (15 min)

  • Say the big idea in one plain sentence: bridges, drones and big builds.
  • Show one example, then one that is not an example, and ask how the two differ.
  • Have students tell a partner or a small group the idea in their own words.

Practise (20 min)

  • Choose one for the whole class or let groups pick:
  • Learn: Tension and Compression (https://peabody.kids/world/build/build-tension-and-compression)
  • Make: The egg drop challenge (https://peabody.kids/build/egg-drop-challenge)
  • Read: How Do Drones Fly? (https://peabody.kids/library/how-do-drones-fly)
  • Read: How Do Robots Work? (https://peabody.kids/library/how-do-robots-work)

Exit ticket (5 min)

  • On a slip or aloud: one thing I learned about bridges, drones and big builds, and one question I still have.
  • Sort the slips into: got it, nearly, not yet. Start tomorrow with the last pile.

Written by Peabody from its own skill pages. Free, no ads, no sign-in. Children can practise this on Peabody. More from teachers: teacher-shared resources.