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Physics Around the School: Simple Machines In and Out of the Classroom
Students explore different machines and the components that encompass the science of physics. In this physics lesson students explore how things move.
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Farming 1: Farming Machines
Second graders explore different farm machines. In this farm instructional activity, 2nd graders discover the importance of farmers, and crops. Students discuss healthy eating and how crops are packaged. Students read books about farms...
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Wheels, Gears, and Compound Machines
Fifth graders read selected pages from their science text and explain forces affected by wheels and axles. They read and discover that gears transfer forces and that gear combinations relate to compound machines.
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Simple Machines
First graders discuss work, force, and energy. They study how work is done. Students discuss various types of work that are done. They act out how work is done. Student draw pictures of types of work they have done.
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Move It!
Third graders examine simple machines. For 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.
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Rube Rube
Learners examine and discuss simple machines and Rube Goldberg cartoons, listing real-world examples. They design and illustrate a Rube Goldberg device, identify the simple machines involved, and write a paragraph explaining how the...
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Pulleys 1
In this simple machines scientific investigation worksheet, students follow the provided procedures to examine how pulleys work and then respond to 2 short answer questions.
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How Does a Lever Work?
In this lever activity, students read and do the 8 detailed steps in an investigation about levers. Students answer 2 essay questions and record their data on a chart.
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Powerful Pulleys
Students explore the building of a pyramid and how pulleys were used to change the direction of applied force. They demonstrate the mechanical advantage of using a pulley and apply it to modern engineering.
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Using Fulcrums
Learners engage in a lesson that concentrates on the use of a lever and fulcrum. They define how a lever is used to lift a load. The lesson has background information to justify it. Students demonstrate how to use the lever while lifting...
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Levers: What Can Leverage Do For Me?
Learners determine the identity of the three classes of levers while explaining how each works. They wait a video clip that shows uses for different types of levers and work as a class to write a KWL chart. Finally, they make a model fo...
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Is a Pulley a Special Kind of Lever?
Fifth graders use information from their text to read and discuss pulleys and levers. They examine a top sketch of the arrangement of a fixed pulley. Working in groups, 5th graders perform experiments to test the effect of using a pulley...
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Incline Planes
Students determine the forces necessary to move a truck on an inclined plane with weight and slope as variables. They identify the cheapest way to transport trash to local garbage disposal sites.
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Simple Machines
Third graders listen to a short story entitled, "Phil's Adventures" from a book called Animal Stories. They stop at each obstacle in the story and do a quick write about how they would overcome the obstacle and draw a picture to...
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Simple Machines/Technology
Third graders examine the concept of work as the movement of an object through a distance. They define gravity and determine what type of work is caused by gravity. They measure how far an object is moved by a force. They make a...
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Machinery In Society
Students explore technology by completing a worksheet in class. In this common machinery lesson, students define the different designs that make simple machines work such as wheels, pulleys and gears. Students utilize verbs to describe...
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Gadget Anatomy
Fifth graders examine and identify different simple machines that make up complex machines. They analyze and discuss different gadgets and appliances brought in from home, then in small groups examine one of the machines in detail. ...
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Connection to Social Studies-The Pyramids
In this simple machines instructional activity, learners read about the pyramids and the simple machines used to build them. They answer three critical thinking questions about the building of the pyramids.
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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.
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Stop Pulling My Bot Around!
Students investigate the relationship between work and mechanical advantage. In this physics lesson, students calculate the work and efficiency of pulleys. They identify the different types of pulleys.
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Household Tools
Students explore parts of a system. In this simple machines lesson, students discover that simple machines are composed of two or more systems. Students examine household tools and assess the parts of the system.
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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.
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Introduction to Work
Fifth graders define work, force, and energy and calculate work done using a simple formula. They observe the teacher using an Equi-beam and identify the fulcrum, calculate different work problems, and participate in a class discussion.
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TE Activity: Pulley'ing Your Own Weight
Students experiment with common objects such as spools, string and soap to determine how pulleys make it easier to move large objects. They look at the difference between fixed and movable pulleys. They examine the many uses engineers...