Lesson Summary In this learning experience the students will take another tour of the school neighborhood.  This could serve as a post assessment for this unit.   The students will identify different shapes and materials in structures and explain why these might have been used.  They will identify the design elements that have been used for aesthetic purposes in structures.  The students will make observations of beams, columns, objects and parts of structures that are in tension or compression, trusses and the variety of materials from which the structures are made.  Teacher Background In this learning experience the students will identify the major structural components of a framework including: trusses, beams, columns, parts of structures in tension or compression, triangular shapes, and the variety of building materials that are used.  The students will understand that the strength of structural components is dependent on their shape and the materials used to build them.  Aesthetics must be combined with the principles of good construction if a structure is to be functional and to fit into the lives of the people it serves. Set-up/Management Tips Permission slips and parent volunteers will need to be arranged ahead of time for this field trip. Take a walk around the neighborhood yourself, looking at structures for specific examples of tension, compression and trusses and taking note of the variety of materials used in the structures  Arrange for the students to have pencils and clipboards so they have a writing surface to use on the field trip.  Photocopy the student recording sheets Science Notebook Page-The Second Tour:  What Do You See Now? pages 217, 219, and 221 in the manual for the students to record their observations on during the field trip. Make copies of the map used in Learning Experience 1 for each student.  Make sure the structures are numbered on the map. Look over the pictures on the structures bulletin board and look for additional photos that show structures providing good examples of tension, compression, trusses, and or the use of specific materials for specific purposes.  Refer to page 223 in the teacher’s manual for specific examples of tension, compression, and trusses that can be found in many neighborhoods and schools. Optional Home-School Worksheet-The Second Tour:  What Do You See Now?  This is found on page 225 of the teacher’s manual. Before taking the second neighborhood tour have the students review the Why Do Structure Stand Up? poster in a class discussion. Science notebook questions and writing suggestions for this learning experience are listed below: At the end of this learning experience have the students write about how their thinking has changed over the course of the unit in their science notebooks. Encourage the students to give specific examples. Literacy Support Scientific Vocabulary No new vocabulary words introduced in this learning experience.