Curated OER
Pulleys Experiment
In this pulleys experiment worksheet, students follow the procedures to set up an experiment with one and two pulleys, a rope, bucket and load.
Curated OER
Levers 2
In this levers instructional activity, students conduct an experiment on lifting levers including materials such as pennies, stickers, pencils, and weights. Students then answer 2 questions about what they found.
Curated OER
Positioning the fulcrum in class one levers
Students explore the relationship between force and the distance of the load from the fulcrum. In this experimental lesson students get into groups and make a lever and record the force that is needed to move it, they then try this with...
Curated OER
Steep, Steeper, and Steepest
Fifth graders discuss ways to move large rocks. They relate this to building a rock garden, and the ways people might load boulders into a truck. Students discuss the use of a ramp vs. lifting the boulder straight up onto the bed of the...
Curated OER
Lawnchair Larry Flies!
Learners research and experiment to discover the lifting power of helium gas.
Teach Engineering
Just Plane Simple
It is plane to see that simple machines help reduce the force needed to perform a task. This resource introduces three of the simple machines--the inclined plane, the wedge, and the screw, and the formulas in order to be able to...
Curated OER
Understanding Simple Machines
In this simple machines worksheet, students read about various types of simple machines. They then use what they learned to answer 17 questions. The answers are on the last page.
Curated OER
What is a Class One Lever?
Fifth graders understand what a lever is, how it works and what the parts of a lever are. In this first class lever lesson, 5th graders label pictures and design a lab lever. Students predict the outcome of experiments with their lever...
Curated OER
Welcome to the Wonderful World of Machines
Designed for a lower elementary school classroom, this presentation on simple machines is a wonderful way to introduce this topic. The resource begins by identifying and defining the six types of simple machines, and then goes on to...
Curated OER
Tens! Hundreds! Thousands!!! of Tons
Fifth graders take a close look at the types of ships that travel through the Hudson River Valley on the Hudson River. They utilize worksheets embedded in the plan in order to answer questions about exactly what is being shipped, and how...
Smithsonian Institution
Cold War
The Cold War was not necessarily always cold in temperature, but the relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union sure was frigid! Scholars read various passages, view exhibition graphics, and observe an artifact from the...
Teach Engineering
Machines and Tools (Part 2)
Which pulley system will give us a whale of a good time? Teams compare the theoretical and actual mechanical advantages of different pulley systems. They then form a recommendation for how to move a whale from an aquarium back to the ocean.
Curated OER
Experiments with Levers
Students investigate levers. In this simple machine lesson, students study levers and the mechanical advantage of using levers. They will collect data and illustrate their systems for eight different tests.
Curated OER
Science-- "Moving the World?"- Learning About Levers
In this levers worksheet, students read a one page information text about the three classes of levers. Students then analyze 10 pictures of simple machines and circle the fulcrum point. Students classify each machine according to the...
Curated OER
Levers 1
In this levers worksheet, students follow directions to making levers with a ruler, weights, pennies, and more. Students then see how much force is needed when adding more weights.
Curated OER
Mechanical Advantage
For this mechanical advantage worksheet, students use the equation for mechanical advantage to solve for output force or input force. Students complete 3 problems.
Curated OER
Mechanical Advantage
In this forces worksheet, students use the mechanical advantage equation to solve for input distance or output distance. The worksheet has 17 problems to solve.
Curated OER
Student Exploration: Levers
In this earthquake exploration activity, students complete 2 prior knowledge questions, then use "Levers Gizmo" to conduct several activities, completing short answer questions when finished.
Curated OER
Big Boats Up The River
Using boats along in the Port of Albany as the focus, learners practice adding single-digit numbers and interpreting data. This lesson comes with the worksheets, resource links, and other materials to make it a worthwhile experience.
Curated OER
Renaissance Man: Leonardo Da Vinci
Scientist, artist, inventor - was there anything Leonardo da Vinci couldn't do? Supplement your lecture on Leonardo da Vinci and the Renaissance with this presentation. Viewers will be surprised at how many modern scientific revelations...
Curated OER
Add and Subtract with Hudson River shipping
Rivers aren't just a place for animals to live, they also provide industrial transportation. The class will examine the Hudson River on a map, discuss all the commercial vessels that use the River to transport materials, then complete a...
Curated OER
What's in a Name? Considering the Shakespeare Authorship Question
Did Shakespeare really write all that stuff? After viewing a trailer for the film, Anonymous and reading Stephen Marche’s article “Wouldn’t It Be Cool If Shakespeare Wasn’t Shakespeare?” class groups read articles about the Shakespeare...
Mr. E. Science
Work and Machines
What would you be if you were attached to another object by an inclined plane wrapped helically around an axis? In this fourth presentation that covers work and simple machines, young physicists look at Newtons and Joules as well as...
Curated OER
Pulleys
In this simple machines worksheet, students learn about pulleys. They then answer the 11 questions on the page. The answers are on the last page of the packet.