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How Do We Use Simple Machines?
In this simple machines worksheet, students will come up with five problems that we use simple machines for to help us solve that particular problem.
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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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Evaluating Observations and Measurements
Third graders review the scientific method and how and in which steps scientists use observations and measurements. Then as a class, they hypothesize which ramp will send the car the farthest. They break into groups and send cars down a...
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Stellar Spectral Fingerprints
Students listen as the teacher introduces Newton's early discovery of the diffraction of light. They use multiple sources of light (fluorescent, incandescent, sunlight, etc) to bend the light. They first use a prism then a diffraction...
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Toys and Forces
Third graders discuss the collection of toys and demonstrate to the class how a given toy moves. They discuss the part of this toy that could be broken or missing to cause the toy not to work. Which parts could be broken and the toy...
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We Have Work To Do - Science
Students begin to think of ways to make work easier. They will focus on ways to extend their abilities to lift heavy things. They will identify levers, pulleys, and inclined planes through the examination of concrete objects and hands on...
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Getting Geared Up!
Students create their own Power Point presentation displaying clip art pictures of simple machines and telling how each machine makes tasks easier. They break into small groups and review information on simple machines from website and...
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Four Forces of Flight
Students explore the four forces of flight. They investigate the four forces of flight: lift, drag, thrust and weight (gravity). They experiment with flight-testing various objects commonly found around the house and constructing paper...
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Ramps 1: Let it Roll!
Students perform the following activity as a group so that they can gain experience with how ramps work. Students will first construct a simple ramp and then time how fast different objects roll down that ramp.
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Falling
Students should describe the path that the motion would take as well as what might begin or stop the motion. The common characteristic of all the motions that students have experienced directly is that one or more forces are acting on...
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Curricular Correlations
First graders listen to prerecorded sounds and put them into categories. They discus the sounds that would be heard outdoors, and indoors. They go outside for a few minutes and take a "hearing walk." Then they come inside and close their...
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Electricity/Magnetism
Second graders experiment with ballons to see which objects will cling and which objects will not. They use an assortment of objects, paper clips, pennies, button, scraps of paper, or puffed cereal. They make predictions and record results.
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Color Dots 3
Students make simple observations, test mixtures, and make generalized inferences from their observations. They observe bleeding of colored inks with water.
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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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Machines Use Energy
Third graders observe and discuss examples of friction. They discuss what experimentally increases and decreases friction. They then predict which surface will produce the most friction and verify the prediction.
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Manipulate Sound Waves
First graders use the scientific process to investigate sound in the classroom and at home. They participate in several hands-on activities exploring sound. They then are introduced to sound vocabulary such as muffled, sharp, and tinkling.
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What Goes Up Must Come Down!
Students hypothesize about the nature of falling objects, design an experimental test to answer the question using everyday objects, analyze data to form conclusions, and infer that mass does not affect the speed of falling objects. This...
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StarDarts
Learners divide into groups of four or five and distribute materials to design StarDarts by drawing and cutting out 6-8 cardstock stars, each about one and a half inches across. They decorate their stars with phosphorescent paint...
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Design Weather Instruments using LEGO Sensors
Students design and create a LEGO structure that will house and protect a temperature sensor. They leave the structure in a safe spot and check the temperature regularly and chart it. After the students have built their structures, the...
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Mystery Card 3
Students will make a circuit on a mystery card. They will connect wires, bulbs, and battery to form an electrical tester. After students learn how to make one following the directions, they can create their own mystery card by...
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Keep Cool
Pupils design an experiment to determine which type of container would be best to use to keep drinks cool on a hot day. Students test paper cups, styrofoam cups, and metal cans by filling them with ice water and they use a thermometer...
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Mystery Card 2
Students make a circuit on a mystery card. They then use an electrical tester to determine where electricity flows between circles on the card. They will connect wires, bulbs, and a battery to form an electrical tester.
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Mystery Card 1
Students test their knowledge of electrical conductors and circuits by constructing an electric tester and using it to determine where electricity flows between circles on a mystery card.
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A Change of Scene
Young scholars are challenged to create optical illusions using using cut-outs. The activity provokes thoughtful discussion about scale.