Knoxdale Public School170 Greenbank Road

Nepean, Ontario, K2H 5V2Tel: (613) 828-0010 FAX: (613) 828-2973

November 5, 2015

Dear Parents,

The Grade Four students are showing a lot of interest in structures. I will provide them the opportunity to build their own popsicle stick bridges. If you have any books, models, or photographs that are appropriate to this theme, we would appreciate borrowing them for a short while. Please label them with your child’s name.

If you know of people with experience related to structural engineering who might be willing to talk with the class, please let me know.

The Project - Bridge Busting

Our unit will finish with a bang. Carefully designed and built popsicle stick bridges will be tested for strength until... CRASH. Here’s what the process consists of:

1. A “blueprint” of the bridge will be made. It can be drawn with pencil and ruler or done on computer. The good copy should be done when the bridge is finished.2. A descriptive paragraph describing the engineering features of the bridge will accompany the project. 3. The bridge will be made with 40 popsicle sticks and be 30 cm long.

The choice of the bridge design is left to each student. Parental input is encouraged - this is a fun way to be involved in your child’s learning. These bridges will be tested for load bearing capacity. The testing procedure is as follows:

A rod will be laid on the centre of the bridge’s deck, perpendicular to its length. A board will be hung from both sides of the bar, ensuring even weight distribution on the very centre of the bridge. The board will be loaded with books until the bridge breaks. The number of books will be recorded, along with observations as to what part of the bridge broke first.

The blueprint, paragraph and bridge are due Wednesday, November 25.

Some guidelines:1. The bridge will be 30 cm long, span 25 cm, and at least half a popsicle stick wide.2. A maximum of forty (40) popsicle sticks may be used (I will provide the sticks). Strive for the greatest strength in design.3. Glue will be used to attach sticks. Toxic glues such as epoxy and polyurethane should not be used. Carpenter’s and white P.V.A. glue work very well with wood. You may send a small container and I will provide carpenter’s glue.4. The descriptive paragraph should be neatly written or typed “en français” and mounted on a coloured background (I can provide coloured paper).5. Attached is a list of criteria which will be used to evaluate the project. A list of vocabulary has been included to help with labeling the blueprint and writing the paragraph.

This assignment offers your child a chance to combine some of the structural principles learned in the classroom with his/her own creative ideas. I look forward to the variety of projects that will be produced! Please write a note in your child’s agenda should you have any questions or suggestions.

Sincerely,

A. Campbell