Group items tagged

"Can we learn about shapes by looking at a building? Use the photograph attached either printed out, or ideally on your whiteboard, as the focus for a lesson on shapes." Students could photograph their own structures later

"Using Roger's Connection, you can build many, many different shapes. If you remember to try to use triangles in your designs, then your designs will be strong. Without triangles, a design will be much weaker, or sometimes even impossible. One day you may be a designer or engineer and create things for other people to use that make use of some of the shapes we have been discussing. The lessons you learn today about these shapes and the use of triangles, may help you to create stronger and more successful designs in the future. Many other people have had to learn these lessons only from books. If you have followed these examples then you have a big advantage in having learned these lessons first-hand. This will help you remember these lessons much more easily!"

2.31 minute video showing the building of a modern structure in China

Head Squeezer Garry Lavin demonstrates how you can make strong structures out of seemingly weak materials like paper.

Physics Games

Video showing the progression of a similar PYP unit

China: apartment poorly built falls over.  What happened?

The shape of a structure affects how strong it is

videos on how structures are built

"Strongest Shape"

Structures - teaching how to make structures 

"Students explore the various shapes engineers choose to make structures strong -- in particular, triangles, arches, and domes."