Exploratorium
Take It From the Top
Experiment with the center of gravity by stacking blocks in a way that appears to defy its force. This is a fascinating demonstration that you can use when teaching about gravity, forces, or balance.
Scholastic
Study Jams! Simple Machines
Here is a tri-faceted resource that has a slide show, a quiz, and a vocabulary list that you can use to teach simple machines. Six machines are introduced: wheels and axles, planes, levers, pulleys, wedges, and screws. Slides contain...
Curated OER
Can a Mouse Lift an Elephant?
Read Just a Little Bit, by Ann Tompert as an introduction to levers. Discuss playground seesaws and then turn learners loose to experiment with the placement of a fulcrum. Their goal is to determine where to place it in order to lift ten...
Curated OER
Balanced Forces
Examples and practice questions will help real-life understanding of the Principle of Moments concept. These great slides define the types of levers and pivots, and then give examples of the typical seesaw situations that help the...
Curated OER
Student Exploration: Levers
In this earthquake exploration activity, students complete 2 prior knowledge questions, then use "Levers Gizmo" to conduct several activities, completing short answer questions when finished.
Curated OER
Inverse (Indirect) Machines
Young scholars observe relationships between quantities. Students complete activities for three different classes of levers. In groups, young scholars build each type of lever. Students identify levers in their daily surroundings. Young...
Curated OER
Simple Machines
Students investigate simple machines. In this simple machines lesson plan, students construct two simple machines and describe what they do. Students show that simple changes help machines do work with less effort. Students use a paper...
Curated OER
Just a Little Bit of Effort: Exploring Levers
Young scholars build models of types of levers. In this simple machines lesson, students use dowels and modified wooden rulers to build different types of levers. They compete to create the most efficient lever in the class.
Curated OER
Simple Machines, Odd Machines
Students recognize and identify common objects that can be used as a lever. For 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
Lifting Lever
In this levers learning exercise, students create a lever using a yardstick, a cardboard stand as the fulcrum and a cup of pennies as the load. They measure the distance from the fulcrum to the load, they measure the load and they...
Curated OER
Lifting Lever
In this lever instructional activity, students build a lever using cardboard, a yardstick and paper cups with pennies. They vary the distance the effort is from the fulcrum and determine how much effort is needed to lift the load.
Curated OER
Levers
In this levers worksheet, learners compare the three classes of levers. Students determine how the location of the fulcrum effects the amount of force needed. Then learners complete 20 fill in the blank questions and 6 word problems.
Curated OER
Levers
Fifth graders participate in a review discussion of the parts of a lever, resistance or load, fulcrum, and effort. Next, they complete activities at six experiment stations while collecting data that they share with the class. While...
Curated OER
Simple Machines - Levers
Fourth graders lift objects with the fulcrum and load in various positions and then experiment with how much force is exerted by the effort and load arms of the lever. They place 5 paper clips in the load and move the fulcrum to match...
Curated OER
Using Fulcrums
Students 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...
Curated OER
Secrets of Lost Empires II-Pharaoh's Obelisk
Students identify and analyze how levers work by raising a brick with a shish kebab skewer. Students present their work, explaining what did and did not work, including illustrations of the lever lift from different angles. Students...
Curated OER
Simple Machines: Levers
Students discover the fundamentals and daily applications of simple machines. They practice basic engineering theory through their hands-on demonstrations of levers.
Curated OER
Simple Machines: Levers
Students discover the fundamentals and daily applications of simple machines. They investigate basic engineering theory through their hands-on demonstrations of levers.
Curated OER
How Does the Elbow Work: A lesson in Levers
Students examine levers that exist in the human body. In this body function lesson students complete a lab activity that models how the elbow is a third class lever.
Curated OER
Levers in the Body: They Are Not What You Might Think!
Young scholars investigate lever systems in the human body and compare arm anatomy to model. In this human levers lesson students graph and analyze their results.
Curated OER
Positioning the fulcrum in class one levers
Pupils explore the relationship between force and the distance of the load from the fulcrum. In this experimental lesson plan students get into groups and make a lever and record the force that is needed to move it, they then try this...
Curated OER
The Lever Family
In this lever learning exercise, students determine the ideal mechanical advantage for different classes of levers. This learning exercise has 6 problems to solve.
Curated OER
Levers
In this levers learning exercise, students review how to calculate mechanical advantages using forces and using distance. Students explore the three types of levers. Then students complete 20 fill in the blank questions and 6 problems to...
Curated OER
Muscular System
In this muscular system worksheet, young scholars list the factors used in naming skeletal muscles. Then they explain how fascicle arrangement in muscles contributes to muscle mechanics. Students also describe the three classes of levers...