Bridge Building Results Chart

Supports this milestone

• analyzes results, draws conclusions, and communicates results. — Head Start ELOF

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Materials

• Blocks, craft sticks, or cardboard strips to build small bridges
• Two stacks of books to act as the bridge supports
• A basket of small uniform weights, such as toy dolls or counting bears
• A large sheet of paper and markers for a results chart

Steps

• Ask each child to predict how many weights their bridge will hold and note the guesses.
• Have children build a bridge across the two book stacks.
• Add weights one at a time, counting aloud together until the bridge bends or falls.
• Record the result on the chart and ask: "What did the data show us?"
• Compare the result to each child's prediction and talk about why a sturdier design held more.

Variations

• Build a second bridge with a different design and chart which one held more.
• Sort the bridges from strongest to weakest using the chart.

Differentiation

• For younger children, focus on building and counting the weights aloud.
• For older children, ask them to explain why one bridge held more than another.

Accessibility

• Let children show conclusions by pointing to the chart or sorting result cards.
• Provide a sentence starter such as "We found out that ..." to support spoken conclusions.

Safety

• Keep weights small but not small enough to swallow, and clear the area when a bridge falls.

Practices these skills

• Draws Conclusions from Data

Evidence

• Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework (ELOF) — U.S. Office of Head Start · 2015 · U.S. Department of Health and Human Services