Year 5 & 6 Bridge Building

In year 5 & 6, the children used their DT lessons to investigate different structures and types of bridges. They started by identifying stronger and weaker shapes. One of the first bridges we made was a truss bridge using spaghetti and masking tape. Truss bridges are strong because they use multiple tessellated beams in a triangle formation, which help to distribute the load across the bridge evenly. In their next lesson, the children moved to making a wooden truss bridge. They had to cut beams to the correct size (using a saw), measuring out lengths and angles. They needed to smooth down any rough edges using sandpaper. The children had loads of fun: working in teams, supporting each other and using their resilience. After the bridges were completed, they evaluated them; looking at what worked well and how it could have been improved.