Curated OER
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.
Teach Engineering
Levers that Lift
Introduce your class to to the remaining three simple machines-- the lever, pulley, and the wheel-and-axle with a plan that includes the three different types of levers in the discussion of levers. The lesson continues with the...
Curated OER
Investigating Pulleys
Young scholars investigate pulleys and see how they have a mechanical advantage in lifting heavy loads. In this pulley lesson plan students make a hypothesis, complete and experiment then complete a worksheet.
Teach Engineering
Not So Simple
Compound machines, nothing more than a combination of simple machines working together, are the focus of an activity that asks class members to use the provided information to take a look at the way innovators combine simple machines to...
Curated OER
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.
Curated OER
Attributes of Accuracy
Students explain necessity in using accurate instruments when measuring, and how measurements can be checked for accuracy. They make a six-inch ruler, design, test, and evaluate a system to measure work, and produce a table and graph to...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Powerful Pulleys
Young scholars continue to explore the story of building a pyramid, learning about the simple machine called a pulley. They learn how a pulley can be used to change the direction of applied forces and move/lift extremely heavy objects,...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Simple Machines From Pyramids to Skyscrapers
Simple machines are devices with few or no moving parts that make work easier, and which people have used to provide mechanical advantage for thousands of years. Students learn about the wedge, wheel and axle, lever, inclined plane,...