Presented by: James Wahila

Introduction I think that it is pretty safe to say that everyone has traveled over some sort of bridge either by foot or car at least once in their lives. Where do we see bridges? What do they span? How would life be different here in Oswego if we did not have the two bridges on Bridge and Utica Streets? How was life effected while they were replacing the Bridge St. bridge?

The purpose of this WebQuest is to make you aware of the importance of bridges in you everyday lives. You will be researching the history of bridges and famous bridges throughout the world. You will also have the opportunity to create your own bridges and test them online using West Point Bridge Builder.

Task One You and a partner will choose a famous bridge that interests you. You will conduct research on the bridge of your choice and construct a PowerPoint presentation that you will share with the class. The presentation must contain a minimum of six slide which will include…

Title page with name of Group and name of bridge. What type of bridge is it?(ie. Truss, Arch, Suspension, Cable Stay etc.) Who was the designer of the bridge? What year did construction begin on the bridge? When did it open to the public? A brief history of the bridge There must be at least 1 picture on 4 different slides Other items you may include… How much did it cost to build? What is the length of the bridge, what does it span? Why did you chose this particular bridge?

Task Two This will be an individual assignment. You will use the West Point Bridge Builder program to design your own Bridges. You are able to construct and test your bridges using the program. Keep in mind the design of the many famous bridges you have learned about throughout the unit. Also keep in mind the stresses that there will be on the structure including tension and compresson.

Criteria for a successful bridge The bridge must span a 26 foot wide canyon The bridge must be free standing with no abutments in the middle of the span. The bridge must also be no more than $70,000 when completed.

Resources The links below will help you during your research on the history of bridges, types of bridges and famous bridges throughout the world. - This website provides descriptions of the many types of bridges. It also explains how the design works and gives examples of many famous bridge designs throughout the world. I recommend looking at this website first. – This website provides a history and timeline of bridge design and construction This site provides a list of many famous bridges it tells the type of bridge and the construction date, while also providing pictures of the bridges Another site which list famous bridges from around the world, also provides pictures of the structures.

Evaluation Task1234 Famous bridge PowerPoint & presentation. Did complete requirements for PowerPoint Did not present. Answered half of required questions, presented without PowerPoint Answered all questions used PowerPoint but less than quality presentation. Answered all questions used PowerPoint and had excellent presentation. West Point Bridge Builder Did not complete bridge Completed bridge but did not follow all requirements Completed bridge but was not under budget Completed successful bridge within all requirements.

Conclusion At the completion of this WebQuest activity you will have learned about the history of many bridges throughout the world through both your own research and the research and presentations of others. You will also gain the skills needed to navigate through and create a eye popping presentation using the Microsoft PowerPoint program and gain public speaking skills through the presentation of your findings. Finally you will have used software that will allow you to design and build bridges that can be tested and evaluated to see if they can be successful bridges in the real world. These tasks and this WebQuest will give you a better understanding of the importance of bridges in the past and today.