Curated OER
Simple Machines
Here is an inventive plan that should get your young scientists excited! In it, groups of pupils test out the work done by six different simple machines. The machines are: the wedge, the lever, the inclined plane, the pulley, the screw,...
Teach Engineering
The Advantage of Machines
Show your students how to make their work easier. The first lesson in a series of 10 introduces the class to work and the way simple machines can be make work easier. The simple machines scholars can find in everyday items are inclined...
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...
Teach Engineering
A Simple Solution for the Circus
Class members are challenged to design a device that will move a circus elephant into a train car. Groups brainstorm ideas that use simple machines to load the elephant. They then choose one of their ideas, sketch a plan, and present it...
Teach Engineering
Not So Simple
Compound machines, nothing more than a combination of simple machines working together, are the focus of an activity that asks class members to use the provided information to take a look at the way innovators combine simple machines to...
Alabama Learning Exchange
Simple Machines
Learners watch a video and play a game. In this simple machines lesson, students watch a video on simple machines. They play an interactive game on the Edheads web site and share what they have learned. Throughout the day learners...
Curated OER
Simple Machines, Odd Machines
Students recognize and identify common objects that can be used as a lever. In this simple machines lesson, students experiment with materials to design and construct a machine that uses a lever. Students also design and build a catapult.
Curated OER
An Introduction to Simple Machines
Students investigate simple machines and their uses in everyday life. For this scientific method lesson, students examine physical tools such as wedges, screws, and levers using a "how does it work" approach. Students complete...
Teach Engineering
Levers that Lift
Introduce your class to to the remaining three simple machines-- the lever, pulley, and the wheel-and-axle with a plan that includes the three different types of levers in the discussion of levers. The lesson continues with the...
Curated OER
Design Your Own Rube Goldberg Machine
Students design and construct a Rube Goldberg machine that accomplishes a simple task in at least ten steps. They view and discuss various Rube Goldberg designs, identify types of simple machines, and in small groups produce a schematic...
Curated OER
Summer Machines Activity: How Can We Move This Box of Blocks?
Students discover there's more than one way to move a heavy load. In this problem solving lesson plan, students use observation and problem-solving skills as they experiment with simple machines in order to transport loads.
Curated OER
Challenger's Lost Lessons - The Lost Simple Machines Lesson
Students investigate the characteristics of simple machines. For this simple machine lesson, students investigate work as a product of applying constant force. They answer questions about what happens on Earth and what may have happened...
Curated OER
The Art of Simple Machines
Students investigate the inventions of simple machines in our past and how they affect us today. In this engineering lesson, students discover who Rube Goldberg was and his ideas about complicated machines performing very simple tasks....
Curated OER
Simple Machines Test
In this simple machines vocabulary worksheet, students match the vocabulary term found in the first column with the correct definition found in the second column. There are 23 words and definitions to match.
Curated OER
My Crazy Contraption
Fourth graders design a contraption, which contains five different examples of simple machines and works without intervention. They sketch designs and label its parts. They present their creations to the class and relate them to Rube...
Curated OER
Round and Round--Wheels and Axles
In this wheels and axles worksheet, students read a 1 page article, make a list of how many objects they can find or think if that uses a wheel or axle and then design their own machine.
Kenan Fellows
The Newton Challenge
Make Newton proud. Scholars apply their understanding of forces and energy to an engineering design challenge. They learn about simple machines, create a presentation on Newton's laws, and develop a balloon-powered car.
Curated OER
Simple Machines, Odd Machine
Pupils examine levers and design a machine that uses a lever as a central component. For this lever machine lesson students test various machine designs and evaluate their effectiveness.
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
The Gear Game
Students discuss that the conservatin of energy states that the energy imput must equal the energy output. They then figure out how can a machine help you to perform task otherwise considered impossible? Students discuss the six simple...
CPO Science
Physics Skill and Practice Worksheets
Stop wasting energy searching for physics resources, this comprehensive collection of worksheets has you covered. Starting with introductions to the scientific method, dimensional analysis, and graphing data, these skills practice...
Curated OER
Move It!
Third graders examine simple machines. In this simple machines lesson, 3rd graders observe simple machines at work in a video, then experiment with creating their own simple machines to move objects.
Curated OER
Who's the Frog Jumping Champion?
Students use a simple machine (a lever) to launch a plastic frog. students determine who is able to make their frog "jump" the farthest and graph the results.
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.