Faculty of Education

By: Samantha Stephen

Title: Building Bridges

Subject/Course: The Four Frames
Time: 50 min
Level: Kindergarten

Lesson Description
In this lesson, students will learn all about bridges and what makes them strong. Students will then have the
opportunity to work together to build and construct bridges to hold the weight of different objects. Students will be
able to use a variety of different materials to build beam bridges. Once students have successfully built a beam bridge
that can hold an object, SK students will use their writing journal to write a sentence about their bridge while JK
students will draw a picture of their bridge.

Stage 1: Desired Results

Big Question (link to the real world)
What are bridges and what makes them strong?
Ontario Curriculum Overall Expectation
Belonging and Contributing/Problem Solving and Innovation/Self-Regulation and Well-Being
4. demonstrate an ability to use problem-solving skills in a variety of contexts, including social contexts
28. demonstrate an awareness of their surroundings

Demonstrating Literacy and Mathematical Behaviours

10. demonstrate literacy behaviours that enable beginning writers to communicate with others
14.demonstrate an awareness of the natural and built environment through hands-on investigations,
observations, questions, and representations of their findings
20. apply the mathematical processes to support the development of mathematical thinking, to demonstrate
understanding, and to communicate thinking and learning in mathematics, while engaged in play-based
learning and in other contexts

Ontario Curriculum Specific Expectation

Belonging and Contributing/Problem Solving and Innovation/Self-regulation and Well-being
4.1 use a variety of strategies to solve problems, including problems arising in social situations
28.2 recognize places and buildings within their community, both natural and human-made, and talk about their
functions

Demonstrating Literacy and Mathematical Behaviours

10.1 demonstrate an interest in writing (e.g., choose a variety of writing materials, such
as adhesive notes, labels, envelopes, coloured paper, markers, crayons, pencils) and choose to write in a variety
of contexts
10.3 write simple messages (e.g., a grocery list on unlined paper, a greeting card made on a computer, labels for a block
or sand construction), using a combination of pictures, symbols, knowledge of the correspondence between letters
 Faculty of Education

and sounds (phonics), and familiar words

20.4  build three-dimensional structures using a variety of materials and identify the three- dimensional figures their
structure contains
Key Concepts and/or skills to be learned/applied: Prior Knowledge Activation:
- problem solving
- write simple messages (using pictures)
- building three dimensional structures
Stage 2: Planning learning experience and instruction
Learning Goals: “clearly identify what students are expected Instructional Strategies:
to know and be able to do, in language that students can - video introduction
readily understand.” - hands on
Success criteria: “describe in specific terms what successful - exploratory
attainment of the learning goals looks like” (Growing
- table work
Success p. 33).
- independent
1 – Learning Goal: Today we will… Choose instructional strategies purposefully and based
- learn about bridges on the learning goal.
2 – Why: So that…
- we can work together to build a beam
bridge that will hold different objects
- we can write or draw about our findings
- we can use problem solving strategies
3 – Success Criteria for this Lesson:
You know you understand when…
- you have worked with your table to build a
beam bridge that a car can use and will
hold the weight of different objects
- you have written a sentence or drawn a
picture about your bridge
Materials/Student Groupings Differentiation
- students will be building their bridges as a table - some tables may need more support and
- students will be writing their sentence and or guidance for building their bridges (Isabelle,
picture individually Violet, Eleanor, Hailey)
- JK students (excluding Parker and Annabelle) will
Materials (you can use whatever materials you have at
draw a picture of their bridge (something they
home) learned or what their bridge was able to hold)
- cardboard - SK students will write a sentence about their
- popsicle sticks bridge using the word “bridge” spelled correctly.
- pipe cleaners - Parker and Annabelle will write a simple sentence
- tape about their bridge, but “bridge” does not have to
- scissors be spelt correctly.
- Michael will be virtual so he will be completing
- blocks
the activity at home
- plastic cups
- egg cartons

Assessment For Learning, Checking for Understanding & Feedback

- Assessment will be done through recording observations in our observation journal as well as completing of
sentence and picture in writers journal
 Faculty of Education

Stage 3: Learning Activity

Motivational Hook ( 10 MINS.):
- Students will be introduced to the activity by posing the question “what are bridges”
- Students will share what they know about bridges and will then watch a short video about bridges.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVOnRPefcno
- We will discuss the different types of bridges that we learned about in the video and students will have the
opportunity to share about the video.
Open ( 5 MINS):
- I will then introduce the activity, explaining to students that with their table they will be building a beam bridge for
a car to cross. Once they have successfully built a bridge for a car to cross over, they will then test how much
weight their bridge can hold.
- Each table will receive a variety of materials that they can use to build their beam bridge. I will go over the different
materials they have, re-explaining the activity (I will have an example for students to refer to).
Body (modeling, collaborative work, individual = gradual release of responsibility, synthesis) ( 25 MINS):
- Students will now have the opportunity to build their bridges. They will be reminded that they must work together
as a table to construct a bridge for a car to cross over.
- Once they have built their bridge, they will then test out using different objects, how strong their bridge is.
- Students will then begin working independently writing a sentence or drawing a picture of their bridge. As a SK
group we will sound out the word bridge, learning how to spell the word. They will then use “bridge” in their
sentence.
Close (success criteria visited) (5 MINS):
- As a group we will discuss different materials students used, problems, things that went well, and other thoughts
on the activity.
Stage 4: Reflection
Student Reflection of Learning (metacognition)
- Discussion after lesson
- Writing/drawing picture about their bridge
Teacher Reflection

L. Radford & T. Hollweck, adapted from "Understanding by Design", Wiggins

and McTighe (2005).