L02 · 5 Bridge Types + Vocab Arena + Index-Card Mini-Build

🎯 Learning intentions

I know my tier (Support / Core / Extension) and what it means for how I'll be taught.
I can name and recognise the 5 bridge types — beam, arch, truss, suspension, cable-stayed — from real photos.
I can label 4 parts of a bridge (deck · pier · abutment · span) and identify 4 forces (compression · tension · shear · torsion).
I can build a paper bridge that spans 20 cm and holds a load — and explain WHY it worked using technical vocabulary.

✅ Success criteria

My Bridge Workbook Folio cover page has my name, class and date.
I scored at least 8/13 on the Vocab Arena game and can name the 5 bridge types unprompted.
My index-card bridge held a pencil case for at least 5 seconds without collapsing.
My folio Q1 has my TOP 5 anchor terms written in my own words (not 23 — five well-chosen).

Do Now · 5 min

Tier reveal (2 min). Ms Gao hands back the L01 diagnostic with your tier sticker (Support 🪜 / Core 🎯 / Extension 🚀) on the front. Tiers are PRIVATE — yours is for you and Ms Gao only. Tiers change during the term, so keep working hard.

Hook (3 min) — guess the bridge! Ms Gao flashes 5 photos for 8 seconds each: Sydney Harbour Bridge · Golden Gate · Millau Viaduct · Akashi-Kaikyō · Pont du Gard. Whisper to your partner the type. We'll come back to these in 10 minutes.

I Do · ~10 min Teacher demonstration

Meet the 5 bridge types (12 min) — each gets 2 minutes: photo, type, force pattern, real-world example.

Type	How it works	Real example
1. Beam	Flat deck on two supports. Top of beam in compression, bottom in tension.	Concrete highway overpass
2. Arch	Curve pushes load OUTWARDS to abutments. Whole arch in compression.	Pont du Gard (Roman, 2,000 yrs old!)
3. Truss	Triangles distribute load through compression + tension members. Light AND strong.	Old steel railway bridges
4. Suspension	Deck hangs from main cables draped between tall towers. Cables in tension.	Golden Gate (USA), Akashi-Kaikyō (Japan, 1,991 m main span)
5. Cable-stayed	Cables run STRAIGHT from each tower to the deck — no draped main cable. Cheaper than suspension for medium spans.	Millau Viaduct (France, taller than Eiffel Tower)

🤚 Class gesture drill (1 min): Ms Gao calls a force, you do the action.
Compression = clap hands SLOWLY together (push). Tension = pull a stretchy band apart. Shear = slide your two palms past each other. Torsion = wring out a wet towel (twist).

We Do · ~15 min Guided practice

🎮 Vocab Arena — game time (10 min). Open the Vocab Arena on your laptop:

🎮 Open Vocab Arena →

13 quick MCQ questions covering today's anchor terms: 5 bridge types · 4 parts (deck/pier/abutment/span) · 4 forces (compression/tension/shear/torsion). Each question shows a photo or icon — you pick the correct word. Live score. Aim: 8/13 minimum.

🚀 7TECJ extension — Boss Round: Score 11+/13 to unlock 3 expert questions where you have to JUSTIFY your answer in one sentence using technical vocabulary. The justification is the gifted-class win, not the speed.

You Do · ~35 min Independent pair work

🌉 Index-Card Bridge Challenge (28 min) — paired build with prize for heaviest load!

The challenge: Build a bridge that spans 20 cm (gap between two stacks of books) using ONLY 3 index cards + 30 cm of masking tape. The bridge must hold a pencil case for at least 5 seconds without collapsing. Heaviest pencil case wins.

Build phase (18 min):

Sit with your elbow-partner. Collect: 3 index cards · 30 cm masking tape · ruler.
Set up your gorge: 2 stacks of books, 20 cm apart on the desk.
Plan FIRST (3 min). Talk: which of the 5 bridge types will you copy? Why?
Build (15 min). You can fold, roll, twist, layer, triangulate the cards. Tape allowance is strict — 30 cm total.

Test phase (10 min): Each pair places their pencil case on the deck. Bridges that hold for 5 seconds qualify. Heaviest qualifying case wins. Ms Gao weighs each on the digital scale and writes it on the board.

Folio touch-down (during test phase): While your bridge is being weighed, take a photo with your laptop or phone, paste it into your Workbook Folio Q1, and write your TOP 5 anchor terms in your own words (pick from today's 13). NOT all 23 — five well-chosen.

Differentiation

🪜Support

Pre-printed planning sheet with 3 starter shapes (folded V, rolled tube, accordion). Pair with a Core student. Vocab Arena: aim for 5/13 — that's a win. Folio: top 3 terms is enough today.

🎯Core

Standard 3-cards-30cm-tape rules. Vocab Arena: 8/13 is the success line. Folio: top 5 terms.

🚀Extension

After your bridge holds the case, try AGAIN — span 30 cm with the same materials. Predict if it'll hold the same weight, then test. Vocab Arena: unlock the Boss Round and write all 3 justifications in your folio.

Exit Ticket · 5 min

Exit ticket (5 min) — write in your folio:

Name the 5 bridge types from today.
Which type did YOUR card-bridge act like? Why? (use one technical term)
One word you want to lock in your memory before next lesson — and a tiny picture or arrow showing what it means.

📊 Homework — Vocab Presentation (10 marks). Each of you picks ONE word from the full 23-term folio glossary, builds a 6-slide Canva presentation about it, and teaches it to the class in 2–3 minutes. Pick your word + see the slide-by-slide template + rubric on the assignment page:
📊 Open Vocab Presentation Assignment →
Bring it next lesson (L03). Presentations happen in L03 or L04. Submit your Canva share-link via Google Classroom private comment.

📚 Resources for this lesson

Before you leave Quick check-in

🚩 Stuck or confused?

Click this button to flag to Ms Gao that you need a 1-to-1 next lesson. Your message is copied — paste it into a Google Classroom private comment.

📄 Export journal so far

Save your journal as a .txt file to upload to Google Classroom for Ms Gao's Friday review.

📓 Open journal + export