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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Simple Machines

For Teachers 5th
Have your class conduct research to learn all they can about simple machines. They use the web, take notes from a video, write a script, then make a film describing various simple machines found in real life. These videos are then...
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Lesson Plan
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Workforce Solutions

Simple Machine Scavenger Hunt

For Teachers 6th - 8th
How are simple machines used in professional settings? To find out, scholars examine various pictures, cross-reference a list of simple machines, and write or verbally share how those items are used in specific jobs.
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Lesson Plan
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Curated OER

Allowing Students to Explore Simple Physics and Marketing in English Class

For Teachers 9th Standards
Scientific method, linear measurements, friction, inertia. Imagine learning scientific vocabulary in an ELA class. Before researching and developing a presentation about simple machines, class members build a common, but decidedly...
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Lesson Plan
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Purdue University

Simple Machines

For Teachers 3rd
What's the best way to use a simple machine to solve a real-world problem? Scholars construct their own simple and complex machines to explore the concepts of work and force. They discuss examples of simple machines they have found in...
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Lesson Plan
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Teach Engineering

The Advantage of Machines

For Teachers 7th - 9th Standards
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...
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Lesson Plan
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Purdue University

Simple Machines – Dog Gone It!

For Teachers 3rd
How can people use simple machines to solve real-world STEM problems? Learn about simple machines using a hands-on, project-based learning activity. First, pupils investigate and evaluate simple machines. Then, they receive a task that...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Simple Machines

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students examine six simple machines and investigate who Rube Goldberg is. They explore various websites, write an article, write ten interesting facts about Rube Goldberg, and design and construct a simple machine.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Simple Machines

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Learners create a pyramid design based on the 6 simple machines that they are introduced to. In this simple machines lesson plan, students are introduced to the wedge, wheel and axle, inclined plane, screw, and pulley.
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Simple Machines

For Students 5th - 8th
Here is a good four-page worksheet designed to get your young inventors thinking about a simple machine they could design and build. They must answer some basic questions about their machine, draw a sketch of their idea, and write a...
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Lesson Plan
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Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary

Simple Machines, Ben Franklin and the Technology of the 1700s

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Benjamin Franklin was an inventor, and he was fascinated by the mechanics of machinery. Using a fun exploration, pupils examine simple machines from the pre-Industrial era. Then, they must identify and build their own using common objects.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

New Creations from Six Simple Machines

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students explore different types of simple machines and research the concepts of force, effort, and work. They conduct Internet research and complete a worksheet about examples of simple machines used in everyday life. Students also...
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Activity
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Teach Engineering

A Simple Solution for the Circus

For Teachers 6th - 8th
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...
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Lesson Plan
Scholastic

It's a Whatchamacallit

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Learners formulate new applications for simple machines in an original invention that solves a common problem. They brainstorm ideas for a new product using simple machines and communicate a finished project through an oral, written, and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lever as a Simple Machine

For Teachers 2nd - 6th
Students study the three different types of levers and develop a simple machine. In this levers and simple machines lesson, students look at different types of levers, and experiment with a ruler and a marshmallow to determine how they...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Engineering: Simple Machines

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders participate in activities to examine how simple machines help build things. They identify the six types of simple machines. They discover how simple machines where use historically to build pyramids and how they are still...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Not So Simple Machines

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students design a simple machine for a simple machine contest. In this simple machine lesson, students design a simple machine that will solve a problem. They draw a diagram, label it, and test the machine before they present it in a...
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Lesson Plan
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Curated OER

Simple Machines, Odd Machines

For Teachers 4th - 8th
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.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Simple Machines

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders discover the principles and uses of gears noting that they can be used to change the direction of motion or the speed of an object. They may also change the force and/or distance through which an object turns. They then...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Simple Machines I - Inclined Planes, Wedges, and Screws

For Teachers 4th
The principles and uses of inclined planes, screws, and wedges are the focus of a science lesson. In it, youngsters come up with every day examples of simple machines, and build an example of one in class. That project is then used to...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Pyramid Building: How to Use a Wedge

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students explore the simple machine of a wedge. In this wedge lesson, students test wedges on different materials including wax, soap, clay and foam. They learn how a wedge was used to build the ancient pyramid and modern day skyscrapers.
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Lesson Plan
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Curated OER

Motion Commotion!

For Teachers 4th - 12th
Young scholars explore the drawings of Rube Goldberg to design and construct a simple machine. They discuss simple machines, and using various materials and toy parts, design and construct a "Rube Goldberg" style machine to ring a bell.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Modern Day Pyramids

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students investigate the ways in which ancient technologies - six types of simple machines and combinations - are used to construct modern buildings. As they work together to solve a design problem (designing and building a modern...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Leprechaun Trap

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Create leprechaun traps using various materials and modeling traps using simple machines. Middle schoolers will build their trap and demonstrate it in front of their classmates. Additionally. they can create a commercial advertising...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Simple Machines

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students engage in a lesson that is concerned with the concept of a simple machine and uses the law of motion to justify why they operate. Students explore the laws by constructing some simple machines to illustrate the concepts.