As part of their theme of "Building," first grade had investigated bridges for several months, but to prepare for their field trip their began to focus on Golden Gate information specifically. They found that facts about the bridge were filled with great mathematical questions. Students totaled the cost of building the bridge including the interest for loans (it cost 35 million dollars to build and 39 million in interest). They compared the height, cost, and length of building time to other famous structures, including the Eiffel Tower and Empire State Building. Students also considered how much more a skilled worker would make in a week than an unskilled worker, given the daily pay rates. These questions allowed us to research our project and tackle complex word problems.

As they looked forward to our upcoming trip, the students also considered the size of the bridge's cables. Given only the diameter (36 inches), students were asked to find the circumference and area of the cable. Click on the link to watch the students in action as they tackle this problem and check their work against a cable at the Golden Gate Bridge!