Improving Bridge Design, Grade 8 STEM Road Map for Middle School

by Johnson, Carla

• ISBN13: 9781681404141
• ISBN10: 1681404141
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2018-07-01
• Publisher: NSTA
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Summary

What if you could challenge your eighth graders to strengthen the nation’ s infrastructure by designing bridges that last longer? With this volume in the STEM Road Map Curriculum Series, you can! Improving Bridge Design outlines a journey that will steer your students toward authentic problem solving while grounding them in integrated STEM disciplines. As are the other volumes in the series, this book is designed to meet the growing need to infuse real-world learning into K– 12 classrooms.
The book is an interdisciplinary module that uses project- and problem-based learning. Students will draw on mathematics, science, English language arts, and social studies to do the following:
• Explore the current state of infrastructure in the United States and in their community, with a special focus on bridges.
• Construct scale models of bridges using scale factor, and explore types and parts of bridges using linear equations and models.
• Research and compare minerals and rocks involved in bridge building.
• Investigate the costs of building and maintaining bridges and of designs that could be more sustainable over time.
• Develop a decision model to help their local department of transportation select future bridge designs.
• Debate whether the U.S. government should establish another Works Progress Administration to improve the country’ s infrastructure.
The STEM Road Map Curriculum Series is anchored in the Next Generation Science Standards, the Common Core State Standards, and the Framework for 21st Century Learning. In-depth and flexible, Improving Bridge Design can be used as a whole unit or in part to meet the needs of districts, schools, and teachers who are charting a course toward an integrated STEM approach.

Author Biography

Dr. Carla C. Johnson is the associate dean for research, engagement, and global partnerships and a professor of science education at Purdue University’s College of Education in West Lafayette, Indiana. Dr. Johnson serves as the director of research and evaluation for the Department of Defense–funded Army Educational Outreach Program (AEOP), a global portfolio of STEM education programs, competitions, and apprenticeships. She has been a leader in STEM education for the past decade, serving as the director of STEM Centers, editor of the School Science and Mathematics journal, and lead researcher for the evaluation of Tennessee’s Race to the Top–funded STEM portfolio. Dr. Johnson has published over 100 articles, books, book chapters, and curriculum books focused on STEM education. She is a former science and social studies teacher and was the recipient of the 2013 Outstanding Science Teacher Educator of the Year award from the Association for Science Teacher Education (ASTE), the 2012 Award for Excellence in Integrating Science and Mathematics from the School Science and Mathematics Association (SSMA), the 2014 award for best paper on Implications of Research for Educational Practice from ASTE, and the 2006 Outstanding Early Career Scholar Award from SSMA. Her research focuses on STEM education policy implementation, effective science teaching, and integrated STEM approaches.