Types of Bridges Worksheet

Identify eight types of bridges by their structural features (beams, arches, cables, trusses).

Determine the main idea and author's purpose of an informational passage.

Distinguish a statement of fact from a statement of opinion within a text.

Have students match each labelled diagram to its bridge type before reading the passage, then check their guesses against the text.

Use question 7 (fact vs. opinion about the Brooklyn Bridge) as a quick discussion starter on how to tell factual claims from opinions.

Let students research a local or well-known bridge and identify which of the eight types it matches as an extension activity.

Bridge-type identification — students match structural features (arches, cables, trusses, beams) to the correct bridge type.

Main idea and author's purpose — students identify what an informational passage is mostly about and why it was written.

Fact vs. opinion distinction — students determine whether a given statement about a bridge is factual or a matter of opinion.