STEM Tuesday– Bridges and Skyscrapers– In the Classroom

For this month’s theme, I read two books about bridges and read/wrote two books about skyscrapers. Two of these books were on this months book list and two were “bonus” books. Here’s what I read/wrote.

Skyscraper

by Lynn Curlee

Skyscraper is presented in picture book format and includes beautiful illustrations. It follows the history of skyscrapers in general and then focuses on specific, noteworthy skyscrapers. Through this history, Skyscraper explores advances in design, construction, and materials that facilitated the building of the world’s tallest structures. This book is a bit older, so some of the later information is a bit outdated.

The Bridge: How the Roeblings Connected Brooklyn to New York

by Peter J. Tomasi, illustrated by Teo Duvall

If you like graphic novels and want to fully immerse yourself in Washington and Emily Roebling’s story, read The Bridge. This book follows the design and construction of the Brooklyn Bridge, including the politics and intrigue surrounding it. The book includes details about the ground-breaking processes used to construct the bridge, as well as the health and safety issues these new techniques raised. As Washington struggled with his health, his wife Emily took over the on-site oversite of the bridge, raising additional issues to be overcome.

Bonus Books:

Engineering the Eiffel Tower

by Janet Slingerland

This book covers the design and construction of the Eiffel Tower, including the controversy surrounding the tower when it was built. It includes a look at Gustav Eiffel, the tower’s creator, including important life events that led up to his building of the Eiffel Tower.  At the end are a list of fast facts, as well as a set of questions to answer based on the book.

Golden Gate: Building the Mighty Bridge

by Elizabeth Partridge, illustrated by Ellen Heck

Golden Gate: Building the Mighty Bridge is a picture book that follows a lighthouse keeper’s family as the Golden Gate Bridge is constructed right in front of them. Each two-page spread includes an illustration that follows the bridge from its concept through its construction.

As always, there are lots of different things that can be done with these books.

There are lots of great museums/sites to visit. Here are a few:

• Roebling Museum in Roebling, New Jersey: https://www.roeblingmuseum.org
• The Skyscraper Museum in New York City: https://skyscraper.org – This museum also has lots of things to explore from home: https://skyscraper.org/topics/museum-from-home
• McCormick Bridgehouse & Chicago River Museum in Chicago: https://www.bridgehousemuseum.org
• Walk the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City: https://newyorkdearest.com/walking-across-brooklyn-bridge-tips
• Visit the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco: https://www.goldengate.org/bridge/visiting-the-bridge – more information on the Golden Gate Bridge Welcome Center is here: https://presidio.gov/explore/attractions/golden-gate-bridge-welcome-center
• Visit the Skydeck at the Willis Tower in Chicago: https://theskydeck.com/for-kids
• Here is a list of skyscrapers around the U.S. you can visit (this post is older, so some info could be outdated): https://parade.com/332421/minitime/7-spectacular-us-skyscrapers-to-spark-kids-imagination

Here are some websites and activities to explore:

• When I wrote Engineering the Eiffel Tower, I collected some activities and websites worth exploring. You can find those links here: http://janetsbooks.com/eiffel-tower
• Building BIG from PBS – includes information on both bridges and skyscrapers, including activities to try: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/buildingbig
• Skyscraper Day (September 3): https://www.skyscraperday.com
• Paper skyscraper challenge: https://www.thetech.org/education/education-resources/lessons/paper-skyscraper
• Create a skyscraper using toothpicks and marshmallows: https://www.centerforarchitecture.org/k-12/resources/build-your-own-skyscraper-using-toothpicks-marshmallows-and-spaghetti
• Famous building art lesson: https://leahnewtonart.com/2019/07/30/middle-school-famous-buildings-art-lesson-projects-for-kids
• Draw a skyscraper: https://helloartsy.com/how-to-draw-a-skyscraper
• Science Buddies activity – Build the Best Paper Bridge: https://www.sciencebuddies.org/stem-activities/build-best-bridge
• Bridge Design Challenge from Discover Engineering: https://discovere.org/engineering-activities/bridge-design-challenge
• Designing Bridges Lesson from Teach Engineering: https://www.teachengineering.org/lessons/view/cub_brid_lesson02
• Draw a bridge: https://www.drawyourworld.com/blog/bridge-lesson-draw-your-world.html
• Draw the Golden Gate Bridge: https://artprojectsforkids.org/how-to-draw-the-golden-gate-bridge

Here are a few other ideas for exploring bridges and skyscrapers.

Create a Timeline

Skyscraper follows the design and construction of key skyscrapers through history. Put together your own skyscraper timeline. This is great as a group activity.

For each skyscraper, illustrate or print a picture to show on the timeline. Make sure the scale is the same for each skyscraper so everyone can see how their heights compare to one another.

Do some research on the architect, building materials, construction processes, cost, and other interesting facts about the building. Consider including breakthroughs in materials, understanding, or other critical events on the timeline.

Explore a Local Marvel

Pick an interesting local bridge or skyscraper. Think about how to search for information about its design and construction. Do some online searching, using keywords like “design” and “construction” along with the name of the structure. Visit a local library to see if there is information there about it. Meet the research librarian there to get some help with the research. If possible, visit the structure in person. Some structures provide informational tours.

Think about how to present the information found about the structure:

• Write a “biography” of the structure. Think about how to tell its story, using inspiration from this month’s books. Include photos found during the research.
• Put together a “Get to Know Me” poster for the structure. Include basic information and fun facts. Think of fun ways to describe the height/length and weight of the structure – for instance, how many giraffes tall is it and how many school buses does it weigh?
• Make a graphic novel or assemble a photo essay about the construction of the structure.

Janet Slingerland has written over 2 dozen books for young readers. To find out more about Janet and her books, check out her website: http://janetsbooks.com

STEM Tuesday

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