Show students how crucial good design and engineering are to the strength and durability of a structure as they take on the role of architects.

GUIDING QUESTION
How does design or the strength of a material affect how much weight a structure can
support?

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Students will be able to:
• work with a partner to construct a triangular pyramid out of sheets of newspaper.
• use uniform weights to test their pyramid for strength.
• discover applications in construction that use the same principle as their pyramid.

OVERVIEW
Architecture is a practical application of design and engineering, which utilizes applied math
and science principles. In this lesson, students create a simple but strong structure from tubes made from rolled-up newspaper. Once constructed, students use weights to measure how strong their structure really is. At home, students will demonstrate their building skills to their parents and together they will construct more structures out of newspaper for a different purpose.

Grades 3 – 5