8th Grade Designs Like Engineers
Eighth graders are learning about the design process of engineers. To introduce the unit, students were challenged to build a barge out of a piece of aluminum foil that measured 20 cm X 20 cm and four straws. Students came up with very interesting designs. The barges held anything from 8 pennies up to 133 pennies. The lab lead to a discussion of the Minneapolis Bridge which collapsed in 2007. As the discussion proceeded, there were many opportunities to reference their designs and how important design, materials, and support are to bridges.
