Structural engineering starter

In this activity students will investigate the design of roofs in terms of purpose and structure.

This activities accompanies our Structural engineering and How to design a spaghetti roof structure resources as part of a series of activities that explores structural engineering. The lesson has been designed to either reinforce or extend basic knowledge of structures to students by providing a real-life context. It is not intended to form an introduction to structures.

This is one of a set of resources developed to aid the class teaching of the secondary national curriculum, particularly KS3. It has been designed to support the delivery of key topics within design and technology (D&T) and engineering.

Activity: Looking at the style and purpose of different roofs
This activity will introduce students to basic structural concepts by looking at the familiar context of roofs.

Students will start by viewing our Structural engineering starter presentation to discuss the purpose and different styles of roofs. They will next consider how their own roof might be structured. They will then be introduced to key terms relating to structural engineering such as tension, compression, structs and ties to give them context for subsequent engineering activities.

By working through our presentation, students will be asked to identify which structural members are in tension and compression.

Download our activity overview for a starter lesson plan on structural engineering for free!

The engineering context
Ingenious structural engineering has been responsible for many impressive roofs such as the O2 Arena, Stanstead Airport or Beijing National Stadium. Understanding roofs can be a gateway to appreciating the ingenuity behind larger structures like bridges, skyscrapers, and other structures that form our built environment.

Suggested learning outcomes
At the end of this lesson students will be able to identify the key features of a structural component. They’ll also know how to identify the various pressures a structural element can undergo. They will be able to apply their knowledge of structures to a given problem in order to design an effective solution.

Download our activity sheet and other teaching resources
The activity sheet includes teachers’ notes, useful web links, and links (where appropriate) to the national curriculum in each of the four devolved nations; England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

All activity sheets and supporting resources are free to download (including the video), and all the documents are fully editable, so you can tailor them to your class’s and your schools’ needs.

You can download our classroom lesson plan for free!

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