Design and Engineering Challenge

Frank J. Carasiti Elementary School first-graders worked as engineers as they completed a bridge designing and building project with the help of teacher Jennifer Meschi.

After reading a short story about a village of gnomes who were in need of a bridge to cross on the walk home from work, the students collaborated in small groups to design the bridge and figure out which materials were needed to build it.

As an added challenge, the students were tasked with creating a bridge that would hold the weight of four gnomes and one wheelbarrow, which equated to the weight of three crayons. The crayons needed to be able to roll over the bridge, and the bridge was required to have guardrails.

The project was directly connected to the grade level’s Next Generation Science Standards.