Exploring bridge structures

Hi, everyone, I'm Mrs. Courts. I'm very pleased to join you for today's lesson on "Exploring bridge structures." This part of the "Frame structures: bridges" units. Our lesson outcome for today is, I can explore making mock-ups of bridges, using a range of construction methods. We've got five new keywords for today's lesson. I'll say them first and then you repeat them after me. Mock-up. Mock-up. Super, mock-up is making an example of something to test or to learn new skills. Design specification. Design specification. Super, design specification describes what a product has to do. Freestanding. Freestanding. Freestanding is something standing up by itself. Shell structure. Shell structure. A shell structure is a hollow structure with a thin outer covering. Brick bonding. Brick bonding. Super, brick bonding is a pattern in which bricks are laid to make a wall strong and stable. Well done, everyone. In our lesson today of exploring bridge structures, we've got two parts, two learning cycles, and our first part is about exploring how bridges are made. Bridges come in different shapes and sizes. And they're often unique, that means one of a kind, because each bridge needs to fit the gap it's built for and serve a certain purpose. All bridges need to be, "Stable," said Laura. "Freestanding," said Izzy. And "Strong," said Sam. Look at these bridges. What do you notice about them? Have a little look. You may wish to pause the video to have a think. Right, we've got four different bridges. They all look very different, all made of different materials. And as you can see, there's a rope bridge made of wood and rope, and underneath it, there's a special bridge, which opens up Tower Bridge in London. It opens up to let the boats go through. So all have different uses, all have different materials they're made from and all look very different, all very unique. We're ready for our first check for understanding now Hope you're listening. So true or false? All bridges are the same. True or false? Pause video now and have a little think. Welcome back. So true or false? All bridges are the same is false. Well done, everyone. Why? Brilliant! Bridges are often different because they're all built for certain purposes. Well done. To make a bridge that is strong, sturdy, and freestanding, engineers use different shapes and structures. Sam said, "The engineer will design a bridge and then make a mock-up model of it." Well done, Sam. "This will help them to spot any problems and to choose the right materials to use." Well done, Andeep. Great idea. To make a mock-up of a bridge, the designer will choose different shapes, structures, and features to test their ideas. Shell structures. Triangular shapes in structures. And brick bonding methods. Shell structures are hollow structures such as boxes, straws, and kitchen roll tubes. Tubes are a shell structure because they have a thin curved surface. Boxes are also hollow structures. A shell structure can be used to build the towers of a bridge. This shell structure is made from cardboard boxes. Cardboard boxes are strong, sturdy, easy to use, making them an ideal tower part for the bridge. Bricks are very strong and sturdy, which is why many houses are built using them. They make an excellent building material. You might have bricks on your house. If you look carefully at your house or school, the bricks are in a very special pattern. And this pattern is known as brick bonding. If the bricks are not put in place properly, the wall will fall over, break up and fall to pieces. Brick bonding makes sure that the wall stays together and is strong. This wall will fall over because the bricks do not make it a strong structure. However, this wall's stronger and more sturdy because of the special brick pattern. We're ready for our next check for understanding now. Hope you're listening. Super. Which image, which picture shows the brick bonding method? a, b, or c? Pause video now and have a little think. Welcome back. So which image shows the brick bonding method? It is c. Well done. Do you recognize this shape? This is a triangle. Can you draw a triangle with your finger in the air? Are you ready? One, two, three. This triangle has three sides. Well done. One, two, three. "Triangles are very strong shapes and often used in construction to make structures more stable." Well done, Jacob. To build large structures like buildings and bridges, triangles are often used because they add strength and stability. Using triangles in this way is called triangulation. Can you spot any triangles in this bridge structure? Here are some examples of triangles being used to make the sides of a bridge. Ready for our next check for understanding? Are you ready? Super. Which bridge shows triangles being used to create a bridge structure? Is it a, b, or c? Pause video now and have little think. Welcome back. So which bridge shows triangles being used to create a bridge structure? It's a. Well done, everyone. People who design and make bridges are called engineers. And the engineers start off with a problem to solve, a design idea, and then make mock-up models to help them to create the best bridge. To make a mock-up model of a bridge in school, we could use these materials. Construction kits, recyclable materials, art straws and tape, marshmallows and spaghetti, lollipop sticks and sticky tack, and play bricks. You can see there's lots of different ways to make a mock-up model of a bridge in school or at home. We're ready for our first task now, Task A. And I'd like you to explore building structures and shapes, using a range of materials. You might use construction kits, recyclable materials, marshmallows and spaghetti, art straws and tape, pretend bricks or cuboid shapes, and lollipop sticks and sticky tack. So I'd like you to try shell structures, brick bonding, and triangle shapes. Think about which you found the easiest. Pause the video now and have a little think. Welcome back. How did you get on? Did you manage to have a go at building structures using lots of different things? Super. Well, the children explored a range of construction materials and here are some of their creations. Recyclable materials, marshmallow and spaghetti, and pretend bricks or cuboid shapes. Well done, everyone. We're ready for our second part of our lesson now, creating a design specification. In the story of the "Three Billy Goats Gruff," the goats are trying to cross over the water to get to the other side to eat the fresher, greener grass. How can the three goats get from one side of the river over to the other side? The goats need a bridge to get them from the dry, not very tasty grass to the fresh, green grass on the other side of the river. And this is the purpose. We need to make a bridge for them. The goats all have different masses. There's the little billy goat, the middle-sized billy goat, and the big billy goat. Therefore, the bridge needs to be strong and sturdy. The little billy goat, the middle-sized billy goat, and the big billy goat are the users. What other features does your bridge need to have? Does your bridge need to be freestanding? Yes. Easy to cross? Definitely. Stable? Yes. Strong? Yes. Big enough for the biggest goat? Definitely. And use the right materials? Yes. So those are all the features that our bridge needs to have. These are the needs. We're ready for our next check for understanding. Hope you're listening. Super. The bridge needs to be, a, freestanding, b, little, and c, strong? Pause the video now and have a little think. Welcome back. So the bridge needs to be freestanding and strong. Well done, everyone. This will help the goats to get to the other side without meeting the troll. We're making a bridge to help the three billy goats cross the river, the engineer will create a design specification. This will help the engineer to, "Check that the product works." Thank you, Lucas. "Make the right bridge." Well done, Andeep. "And make the bridge that works for the goats." Super, Izzy. We're ready for our next check for understanding now. And this time, I want you to see if you can work out what the missing word might be. I'll say it first. Listen really carefully, and then it's your turn. Super. So my turn first. You ready? Super. Something that describes what a product has to do is called a design specification. Your turn. Something that describes what a product has to do is called a? Well done, a design specification. You got it right and the word appeared. Well done, everyone. We're now ready to complete Task B. And I'd like you to write a design specification as a class. I'd like you to think about who is using the bridge, because this is the user. Why are you building the bridge? This is the purpose. And what is important about the bridge design, which is the needs. Pause video now and complete Task B. Welcome back. So by now, you should have completed a class design specification, thinking about the users, purpose, and needs of your bridge. In Oak class, their design specification said, who's using the bridge? The three goats will use the bridge. Well done, Jacob, Lucas, and Izzy. Why are you building the bridge? Oak class said, to help the goats to get to the lovely, fresh grass on the other side of the river without meeting the troll. And what is important about the bridge design? The design, the bridge needs to be strong, sturdy, and freestanding. Well done, Oak class. We've reached the end of our lesson for today on "Exploring bridge structures," and hope you've had lots of fun. I'd like you to show me a thumbs up if you feel you've met these learning points. Experimenting with mock-ups helps develop designs. Super. Construction kit blocks can be used to create bridge mock-ups. Well done. Bridges are made of different shapes. Excellent. Construction kits can be used to make and test triangles and arches for strength and stability. Brilliant. And a design brief explains the problem that we need to solve. Excellent. Well, thank you for joining me for today. And I hope you've had lots of fun, and I'll see you soon. Bye!.