Activity
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: A Simple Solution for the Circus

For Teachers 6th - 8th
In this activity, students are challenged to design a contraption using simple machines to move a circus elephant into a rail car. After students consider their audience and constraints, they work in groups to brainstorm ideas and select...
Handout
eSchool Today

E School Today: Simple Machine

For Students 4th - 8th
Learn about the different types of simple machines.
Handout
Ohio University

Haptic Augmented Simple Machines: The Lever

For Students 9th - 10th
An explanation of the three types of levers, with examples of each. The formula for the law of equilibrium is also demonstrated.
Handout
Utah Education Network

Uen: Force, Energy, and Motion: Complex Machines for Simple Tasks!

For Students 3rd - 8th
Designed for Grade Eight, this collection of lessons provides information, examples and quizzes related to simple machines. Elementary students studying this topic will find this site informative as well.
Activity
Technovation

Curiosity Machine: Challenges: Build a Cam Mechanism

For Students Pre-K - 1st
Create a simple machine that transfers a rotational motion into linear vertical motion with this challenge. The site gives more details on the challenge as well as tips and place to document your design process. Teachers can find a...
Activity
Technovation

Curiosity Machine: Challenges: Build a Joint Mechanism

For Students Pre-K - 1st
This website challenges students to make a simple machine out of a straw to mimic the movement of joints in your body. The website includes a lesson plan, tips, and a place for students to document their design process.
Activity
Technovation

Curiosity Machine: Challenges: Build a Robotic Face

For Students Pre-K - 1st
Build a robotic face that can make facial expressions using simple machines on this website. This website includes the challenge, tips, a lesson plan, and a place for students to document their engineering design process.
Activity
Technovation

Curiosity Machine: Challenges: Make a Mechanical Theater

For Students Pre-K - 1st
Make a simple machine that creates characters for a theater show on this site. This site contains a lesson plan, tips, and a place for students to document their engineering design process.
Activity
Technovation

Curiosity Machine: Challenges: Build a Crank Mechanism

For Students Pre-K - 1st
In this challenge, students will transfer rotational motion into linear motion by building a simple machine. The site also includes tips, a lesson plan, and a place for students to document their engineering design process.
Activity
Technovation

Curiosity Machine: Challenges: Construct a Crane

For Students Pre-K - 1st
Can you build a crane that uses simple machines and mechanical advantage to move heavy objects? This website contains a challenge, tips, a lesson plan, and a place for students to document their engineering design process.
Lesson Plan
Alabama Learning Exchange

Alex: Machines All Around Us

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Student will examine different rooms in the school looking for simple machines. They will use digital cameras to take pictures of the simple machine they have found in the school and Microsoft PowerPoint to create a presentation of their...
Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Give It a Lift With a Lever

For Students 3rd - 8th
Simple machines allow us to do difficult tasks like lifting objects heavier than our body weight. In this science project you'll build a tabletop lever and measure how much effort it takes to lift an object by altering the length of the...
Activity
Other

Professor Beaker's Learning Lab

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
This site provides information on simple machines in machines and features links to a question and answer section as well as a learning lab.
Activity
Technovation

Curiosity Machine: Challenges: Make a Wave Machine

For Students Pre-K - 1st
Take the design challenge to make a wave machine with simple materials on this site. Site contains a design challenge and an interactive journal to document the challenge. Find a video with an example of one way to make the wave machine.
Activity
Technovation

Curiosity Machine: Challenges: Make a Root System

For Students Pre-K - 1st
Inspire students to make a root system to help a plant stay put with simple materials like pipe cleaners, string, and marbles. This STEM challenge allows students to not only solve a problem but get tips and document their process all on...
Activity
Technovation

Curiosity Machine: Challenges: Create a Circuit to Light an Led

For Students Pre-K - 1st
This website contains a challenge for students to build a simple circuit that enables you to turn on a small LED. The website includes a lesson plan, tips, and a place for students to document their design challenge.
Activity
Technovation

Curiosity Machine: Challenges: Make a Flat Ball

For Students Pre-K - 1st
Using simple geometric shapes cut out of paper and taped together to create a ball that is as round as possible with this challenge. This page also includes a lesson plan, tips, and a place for students to document their engineering...
Activity
Technovation

Curiosity Machine: Challenges: Build a Wind Powered Sailboat

For Students Pre-K - 1st
Powered by the wind watch your boat move through the water. This challenge has students making a boat using simple household materials. The website also includes tips, a lesson plan, and a place for students to document their engineering...
Lesson Plan
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: Let's Move It!

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students explore methods employing simple machines likely used in ancient pyramid building, as well as common modern-day material transportation. They learn about the wheel and axle as a means to transport materials from rock quarry to...
Activity
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: Design and Build a Rube Goldberg

For Teachers 9th - 10th
In this two-part activity, students design and build a Rube Goldberg machine. The open ended problem uses the engineering design process and can have a preset purpose, such as rolling a marble into a cup from a distance, or can be left...
Handout
Integrated Publishing

Integrated Publishing: The Wheel & Axle

For Students 9th - 10th
A solid chapter explanation of the wheel & axle simple machine. Examples, the basic math, explanation of mechanical advantage, drawings, solved problem. Use the Next button. There are four pages in this chapter.
Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Gears Go Round!

For Students 3rd - 8th
Music boxes, bicycles, and clocks all have one thing in common: GEARS. You might say that gears make the world turn, since they are in so many mechanical instruments. How do they work and how do you know which gears to use? Find out in...
Handout
Integrated Publishing

Integrated Publishing: Mechanical Advantage

For Students 9th - 10th
Good descriptions and diagrams to help explain the mechanical advantage of machines. Includes sample calculations of this quantity.
Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Give Yourself a Lift: Lightening the Load With Pulleys

For Students 9th - 10th
Before the Industrial Age, people relied on muscle power for moving and lifting heavy objects. Here's a project that shows you how you can use your head to make heavy lifting easier on your muscles - and your back.

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