1 - Getting Started ~5 mins
Someone in our school needs something that can hold a real load without falling or tipping. Who might that be, and what might they need held up?
2 - Test Small Before You Build Big ~6 mins
While we load: Watch this small shelf bracket on the desk edge. I will add coins one at a time until something gives way. What do you think will fail first: the triangle shape, or the tape join?
Once it has given way, there are two things worth writing down from what we saw:
- Who needs help, and what must be held up for them.
- The two or three things the full-size build has to do, taken straight from what broke on the small one. For example: hold four books, and the back join must not peel.
The way it failed (for example a tape peel at the back) tells us what to fix. The real user need sets the real load — for a library shelf that might be four books. Coin count is not the success target for the full build.
We tested a small version on purpose so the weak spot shows early. Why is that useful before we build the real thing?
3 - Choose the Job and the User ~6 mins
In your group, pick one real school job that has to hold something up. Someone nearby is waiting for a better answer than a pile on the floor. Ideas on the board:
- a shelf for the classroom library
- a stand that holds a tablet at reading height
- a hook rail that takes wet coats
- a small classroom model of a bridge for the wet corner of the yard
Name who it is for, what load it must hold, and why that person or place needs it. Use a board idea or invent another school job that holds a real load and can later be built on a desk from card, sticks, tape, pins or string. No building yet — talk it through first.
4 - Build a Half-size Test Piece ~15 mins
Now build a half-size version of your idea. Half-size means a model that fits on the desk — roughly half as tall or half as long as a full classroom version of the job (a shelf or stand that could sit on a table, or a short desk-edge span for a bridge model). Neat measuring is not the point today. A rough piece is enough.
Use one strong shape you trust (a triangle, a tube, an arch, or a flat strip with a triangle stuck under it) and one main join that holds straight away (tape, a split pin, or string). It only needs to stand and have a place to put a load. You have about fifteen minutes. Keep it small so we can break it on purpose next.
5 - Load It Until It Fails ~12 mins
Engineers break the small one on purpose so the weak spot shows early. Add light weights one at a time at the load point. Stop when something sags, tips, peels or breaks. Say out loud what gave way first and roughly how much it held — that failure is useful news, not a mess.
Unlock the full learning experience
You're previewing this lesson. Get full access to this lesson and hundreds more — each one ready to teach, with interactive activities, printable resources and pupil progress tracking built in.
This lesson is copyright of Coding Ireland 2017 - 2025. Unauthorised use, copying or distribution is not allowed.