Bridge

Ages: 5-11
Contributor:
Sam Collins

Discover what happens when four animals all try to cross the same bridge at once, and use our teaching ideas in your classroom.

Watch this video with your children, and then try some of our teaching and activity ideas below.

Teaching Ideas and Resources:

Watch each character as they enter the story. What adjectives could you use to describe them? (Moose 0:08 – 0:11, Bear 0:12 – 0:14, Racoon 0:46-1:49, Rabbit 1:06 – 1:09)
Invent some dialogue for the film. What would the characters say to each other?
Watch some Road Runner cartoons. What are the similarities to this film?
Collect verbs of movement that you could use to describe the action in the film.
Write the story from the viewpoint of one of the characters.
Where do you think they are all going?
Discuss other stories with bridges, for example, The Three Billy Goats Gruff.
‘Bridge’ can be either a noun or a verb. Which do you think it is in the title? Can you think of any other words that can be either a noun or a verb?

Set some problems based on making a log bridge. For example, if you have a ravine 100 metres across, how many logs with a diameter of 50cm do you need to make a bridge? How much rope will you need if you have to allow 2 metres of rope per log, plus 3 metres at each end to tie it off?
What shapes are used in the design and construction of different bridges?

Watch the “Making of” video below. Stop at 0:37, which shows the 3d modelling for the bridge. Can you create your own in SketchUp?

Design a bridge so that everyone could get across. Which materials would you use? What would you have to consider?
Try our popular ‘Build a Bridge’ activity.
Watch this video about the most amazing bridges ever built. Could you make a model of one of them (or design your own amazing bridge)?

Look at paintings of ravines, for example, Van Gogh’s The Ravine of the Peyroulets and paint your own version.
Look at the filmmaker’s website and scroll down to the character designs. Look at how the artist worked out the details for facial expressions. Draw your own version of the same character with different facial expressions.

Learn some songs about bridges, for example, Bridge over Troubled Water or London Bridge is Falling Down.
Try turning the sound down and playing different music over the film. What effect does it have? Try the Flight of the Bumblebee by Rimsky-Korsakov or Dvorak’s Largo. Which do you prefer?

Research how rivers cut through rock to form ravines and valleys.
How do people living in difficult terrain get around? Look at the images on this page and compare to how you get to school.
Show children images of different famous bridges. Find out about when and how they were built.
Visit and research bridges in your local area. What types of bridges are they? Who built them?

Research the word for ‘bridge’ in different languages, for example, French (le pont), Spanish (el puente) and German (die Brücke).

Discuss how the bigger animals treated the smaller animals. What do you think about it?
How did the raccoon and rabbit work together? Was there another solution?
The raccoon and rabbit both come along and get caught up in the situation. When has that happened to you? What did you do about it?
The rabbit and raccoon have solved their problem, but now no big animals can use the bridge! Is that fair?