9th and 10th grade Geometry students, in Ms. Patricia Zimmer and Mr. Stephen Lewis’ classes, are working cooperatively to design, plan and construct bridges using wooden coffee stirrer sticks and hot glue. In the group project, Student contractors operate simulated architectural firms and perform the jobs of an architect, carpenter, accountant and project manager. Students learn to write checks, balance accounts, keep track of expenses, draft a bridge design, maintain a task schedule, keep a journal of their company’s progress, and work with company members to achieve a common goal.
The project offers each student the opportunity to put the abstract concepts learned in Geometry into action. Each company’s bridge is required to hold thirty pounds! On the final day each bridge is tested until it is broken. Honors Geometry students also write a comparative research paper using two structures, which includes historical structures around the world and structures using innovative construction techniques.
Jacob Rogers ’21 noted that “The Bridges Project showed us not only how bridges work in the real world, but the many responsibilities that come with the certain jobs we were given.”
Geometry Building Project
