Lesson Summary This learning experience will take two class periods.  Students learn about tension and compression in their own bodies.  Then they look for tension and compression in their own classroom structures and discuss where they might find these forces in real structures.  Teacher Background The students will learn that tension and compression are forces that push and pull on a structure.  The students will identify where tension and compression are acting on a structure. Set-up/Management Tips Locate examples of tension and compression in the classroom ahead of time so you can help students during their explorations. Examples are listed on page 167 of the teacher’s manual. Collect photographs of structures or objects that are in tension or compression to add to the Observations of Structures bulletin board. Make copies of Group Recording Sheet What It Feels Like to Be a Structure: Tension and Compression, Group Recording Sheet What It Feels Like to Be a Structure:  Tension and Compression Page 2, and Science Notebook Page What It Feels Like to Be a structure: Tension and Compression, on pages 157 and 159 of the teacher’s manual. Optional Home-School Worksheet What It Feels Like to Be a Structure:  Tension and Compression page 169 of the teacher’s manual. Reread the book What It Feels Like to Be a Building by Forrest Wilson.  Ask the students to make a T chart about how Forrest Wilson uses words to describe tension and compression.  Record the students’ ideas on a class poster titled Tension and Compression. Science notebook questions and writing suggestions for this learning experience are listed below: When the students have completed their tension and compression challenges with their bodies have them respond to the writing prompts listed on page 151 of the teacher’s manual. After the students have shared the classroom objects that were in tension and compression have them respond in their notebooks to questions listed on page 155 of the teacher’s manual. Literacy Support Scientific Vocabulary The following words are key vocabulary words that will be introduced in this lesson and reinforced throughout the unit: tension                  compression