In the footsteps of Brunel...
Over the course of the final week of term, in our topic lessons, we earned about the Industrial Revolution and, in particular, the work of Isambard Kingdom Brunel. The children were then tasked with following in his footsteps...
The children learnt about different types of bridges and viewed design tips for making an effective bridge. Once they had all created their own design for a bridge that would span a gap of one metre between two classroom tables, they got themselves into groups and incorporated these ideas into one final design.
They then had Thursday morning to construct their bridges using their design as a guide. Most groups collaborated brilliantly and were in a position to test the bridges in the afternoon. The children were marked in four different areas: original design, collaboration, appearance and functionality.
To test the functionality, we sent a 'school bus' across the bridge. After each journey, a further weight was inserted into the bus to test the structural integrity of the bridge. Although most of the bridges were fantastic, a huge well done must go to our winning team of India, Olivia, Darcie, Coco and Dexter! Brunel would be proud!