Learning Goals: Students will have opportunities to learn

howtocorrectlyusethetermsstructure, purpose, load, struts, ties, frame, compression, tension, stable, building, foundation, forces, gravity, architects

whatastructureis aboutthepurposeofdifferentstructures aboutframesofbuildings howdifferentshapesmakestructures

stronger howafoundationstrengthensastructure aboutforcesthataffectstructures howstructuresareaffectedbytheirsurroundings

andviceversa

Discussion Prompts: Whatisastructure? Whatkindsofstructuresarethereandwhatistheir

purpose? Whatistheframeofastructure? Howcandifferentshapesmakeastructure

stronger? Whatisafoundationandhowdoesitmakea

structurestrong? Whatforcesmuststructuresstandupto? Howcanstructuresaffecttheirsurroundingsand

viceversa?

Assessment Prompts: Dostudentsdemonstrate,intheirdiscussionand

answerstoquestions,understandingofthesciencevocabularyusedinthecardsforthisunit?

Arestudentsabletocarryouttheskillsofscientificinquiry,followingactivityprocedurestepssafely

andaccurately,andmakingobservationswhenappropriate?

Assessstudentsresponsesduringdiscussions. -Dostudentsunderstandwhatstructuresare? -Cantheyidentifydifferentkindsofstructuresand

theirpurposes? -Canstudentsexplainwhataframeis? -Canstudentsdescribehowdifferentshapesmake

astructurestronger? -Arestudentsabletodescribewhatafoundationis? -Canstudentsidentifysomewaysinwhichforces

affectstructures? -Cantheyidentifyanddescribedesignfeatures

thathelpstructureswithstandearthquakes? -Canstudentsidentifywaysstructuresaffecttheir

surroundingsandviceversa?

Links to PCSP Student Book Build It Up:Card 1: see Lessons 13Card 2: see Lessons 4 and 6Card3:seeLessons3,10,and11Card4:seeLessons79,and11Card5:seeLessons3,5,7,8,and10

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Students explore different kinds of structures, their purposes, the forces they must withstand, and what makes them stable.

Focus:

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PCSP Interactive Science Teachers Notes

Introduce students to the topic with the video of highway traffic. Discuss the video and any comments or questions students may have.

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Activity Description: Students are shown a series of names of different materials and an example of a structure that was made using that particular material. A caption gives a brief description of each material.

Learning Goals: Students explore different materials and learn why they suit different kinds of structures.

Ask Students: Why is plastic a good material for a toy? Can you think of other structures that are made from plastic? Does plastic suit these structures? How? Use the same pattern of questions to elicit students ideas about the other materials described activity.

Assessment: Can students explain why each material is suited to the structures shown in the activity? Can they provide other examples?

Activity Description: Students learn that some different structures are built to do the same (or similar jobs). Students click on the orange icon to engage in a timed drag-and-drop activity. They are shown a series of structures that either surround something or support a load, and must drag each picture into its corresponding category.

Learning Goals: Students identify two different structures that do the same job. They identify structures that support loads or surround objects.

Ask Students: Can you think of two different structures that are made to do the same job? Can you find structures in the classroom that support loads? Surround objects?

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Students explore different kinds of structures and their purposes.

Focus:

Activity Description: Students are shown a picture of a road vehicle and must drag and drop labels (rubber, metal, glass, plastic) onto the appropriate parts of it. Students then click the orange icon and are taken to another timed activity. They examine pictures of different structures and identify the structure in each row that is made of only one material.

Learning Goals: Students explore how structures can be made up of many parts and identify different materials with which those parts are made. Students also identify structures that are made of only one material.

Ask Students: Are some structures made of many parts? Are these parts often made of different materials? Look around the classroom. Can you identify

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PCSP Interactive Science Teachers Notes 3

Assessment: Can students identify two different structures that are made to do the same job? Can they identify which structures in the activity support a load and which surround objects, and make similar identifications in the classroom?

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Activity Description: In step 1, students are asked to find out why beavers and people make dams. Two reasons are provided to help students get started. They then click the orange icon associated with the Think question. Text and visuals describe that people often copy the designs of natural structures when building. Two examples are given: a human-built dam and a beaver dam, and a birds nest and the Birds Nest stadium in China.

Students click on the orange icon to engage in a timed drag-and-drop activity, placing pictures of human-built structures below the animal-built structures they best match. Students are also presented with captions that explain important features of the human-made structures.

Learning Goals: Students explore how people often copy aspects of natural structures and identify with features that are similar to those of natural structures. Students research and explain why beavers and people build dams.

Ask Students: Why do beavers build dams? Why do people build dams? What are some structures made by people that copy some of natures designs? Why do you think people like to copy natures designs?

Assessment: Are students able to explain why beavers and people build dams? Can they identify some structures that people build that copy natures designs? Are students able to suggest why people often copy natural designs?

some structures that are made of many parts? Of only one part?

Assessment: Can students identify objects that are made of more than one part and the kinds of materials they are made of? Can they identify objects that are made of only one material?

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Activity Description: Students are shown three shapes: a rectangle, arch, and triangle. As they click on each shape students are shown illustrations and captions that explain the ways the shapes are weak or strong.

Learning Goals: Students explore and identify what makes three different shapes weak or strong.

Ask Students: When you look at buildings or pictures of buildings, do you see any shapes such as triangles, rectangles, or arches? Find examples in magazines or on the Internet. If you were going to build a structure, how could you use these three shapes to make the building stronger?

Assessment: Are students able to identify ways in which to make shapes stronger? Can they find examples of these shapes in buildings or other structures?

Activity Description: Students click on the arch and the triangle and are shown examples of structures that use these shapes as part of their design. Captions give a brief description of each example.

Learning Goals: Students identify examples of structures that use arches and triangles in their design.

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PCSP Interactive Science Teachers Notes 4

Introduce students to the topic with the video of the animated house construction. Discuss the video and any comments or questions students may have.

Students explore what makes structures strong.

Focus:

Activity Description: Students click on blue dots to learn about different parts of a house frame. They then click on the orange icon and are shown five illustrations of different structures. They are asked to click on the structures that have frames.

Learning Goals: Students identify and explore different parts of a house frame and find other structures that have frames.

Ask Students: What is a frame? Why does a house need a frame? Which structure in the activity does not have a frame? Why does a bed need a frame? Why does a car need a frame? What are some structures you see or use everyday that have frames?

Assessment: Can students describe why houses and

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Activity Description: Students are asked to find out which human-made and natural structures contain hexagons. They click the orange icon and are shown pictures of human-made domes made up mostly of hexagons. Students then click another orange icon and engage in a drag-and-drop activity. They are shown one example of a pattern made out of hexagons and are given different shapes from which they can design their own patterns.

Learning Goals: Students identify different human-built and natural structures that are made with hexagons. Students identify and work with other shapes that fit together to form patterns.

Ask Students: In what structures can you find hexagons? (e.g., honeycomb, snowflake, patterns for quilts, pattern on a soccer ball) In the drag-and-drop activity, which shapes fit together to form a pattern? (Studen