Skip to content

🌉 Week 10: Strong Bridges

Lesson Overview
Grade Level Grades 1-2
Duration 30 minutes
STREAM Focus E (Engineering), M (Math), R (Religion)

Week 10: Strong Bridges

🎯 Learning Objectives

STEM Objectives

Students will be able to: 1. Identify different bridge types (beam, arch, truss) 2. Design and build a bridge to meet specifications 3. Test bridge strength with weights 4. Measure and compare results

Faith Integration Objectives

Students will be able to: 1. Understand Jesus as the "bridge" between God and people 2. Recognize how we can be "bridges" to help others 3. Connect strength and support to faith community

Week 10: Strong Bridges

🙏 Faith-Reason Integration

Catholic Teaching Connection

Jesus as Bridge — Jesus connects us to God the Father. Through Jesus, we can reach God. Like a bridge that lets people cross a gap, Jesus bridges the gap between us and heaven.

Scripture Connection

"Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'" — John 14:6

Saint Connection

St. John Paul II — He was called a "bridge builder" because he brought people of different faiths together. He built bridges of understanding between people.

📚 Materials Needed

  • Pictures of different bridge types

  • KEVA planks or craft sticks

  • Small plastic cups

  • Pennies or small weights for testing

  • Rulers

  • Recording sheets

📝 Lesson Procedure (30 minutes)

Opening Prayer & Introduction (5 min)

Prayer: "Jesus, You are our bridge to God. Help us build strong bridges today and be bridge builders in our community. Amen."

Show pictures of real bridges:

  • Beam bridge (flat across)

  • Arch bridge (curved)

  • Truss bridge (triangle shapes)

Discuss: "What makes bridges strong? Why do we need bridges?"

Faith connection: "Bridges connect people. Jesus connects us to God!"

Bridge Challenge Introduction (3 min)

Today's Challenge:

  • Build a bridge that spans 8 inches

  • Bridge must hold a cup of pennies

  • Use only KEVA planks or craft sticks

Setup: Books or blocks on each side, 8 inches apart.

Design & Build (16 min)

Partner planning (2 min): Sketch your bridge idea.

Building time (12 min):

  • Work with partner

  • Build bridge across gap

  • Test periodically with empty cup

Testing (2 min per group):

  • Place cup on bridge

  • Add pennies one at a time

  • Count how many before bridge fails

  • Record on class chart

Reflection & Closing (6 min)

Compare results:

  • Which bridges held the most?

  • What designs were strongest?

  • What would you change?

Faith Connection: "Just like we tested our bridges, our faith is tested sometimes. And just like adding supports makes bridges stronger, our church community supports us and makes our faith stronger!"

Closing Prayer: "Thank you, God, for engineers who build bridges. Help us be bridge-builders too — connecting people with love and kindness. Amen."

✅ Assessment

  • Participated in bridge design and building

  • Tested bridge and recorded results

  • Identified what made bridges strong or weak

📎 Home Connection

"We built and tested bridges today! Ask your child: 'How many pennies did your bridge hold?' 'What would make it stronger?' Look for bridges in your community and talk about how they help connect people."

Lesson Version: 1.0 | **