Curated OER
Forces and Movement
In this forces and motion learning exercise, students study the 3 illustrations of cars traveling down a ramp. Students determine which cars will earn 1, 2, 3 place based on their motion. Students then draw 2 more cars: one that will...
Curated OER
Balls and Ramp
Students role several balls of different weights down a ramp and into a paper cup and record how far each ball made the paper cup move. They then answer questions that help them analyze their results and reinforce the idea that energy...
Curated OER
Simple Machines and Mechanical Advantage
In this machines activity, students review the six simple machines and how to calculate mechanical advantage. Students complete 8 matching, 16 fill in the blank, and 6 problems to solve.
Chicago Children's Museum
Simple Machines: Force and Motion
Get things moving with this elementary science unit on simple machines. Through a series of nine lessons including teacher demonstrations, hands-on activities, and science experiments, young scientists learn about forces, motion,...
Cherokee County Schools
Simple Machines Project
The choice is simple: create a PowerPoint presentation, write a book, or invent a compound machine. Whichever project your young scientists choose, they will be engaged in creatively demonstrating their knowledge of simple...
Rube Goldberg
Rube Goldberg's Simple Normal Humdrum School Day
If you're going to build a machine, you might as well make it interesting and amusing. A set of eight lessons and activities introduces simple machines using Rube Goldberg machines. A culminating project challenges techies to create and...
Teach Engineering
Portable Wheelchair Ramp Challenge
Ramp up the engineering design process in your classroom with an activity that challenges teams to design, build, and test a small-scale portable wheelchair ramp. The class develops design requirements, and teams test their designs...
CK-12 Foundation
Ramp and Piano
Can you lift a piano into a truck? Simulation allows scholars to explore the relationship between force, ramp length, and weight. Pupils control the variables of truck bed height, ramp length, weight of piano, and the number of friends...
Curated OER
Geometric Applications
In this geometry worksheet, students solve 5 word problems. Each of the problems involves finding one side of a right triangle. Story problems relate the Pythagorean Theorem to building ramps, shadows, and the length of a banner.
Purdue University
Simple Machines – Dog Gone It!
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...
Curated OER
Farming in the 1930's
Students research and conduct experiments with several types of simple machines. They examine levers, pulleys, inclined planes, wheels, axles, wedges and screws and then consider the physics behind "Green Eggs and Ham".
Curated OER
Friction Flyers
Young scholars explore the principles of magnetism and friction. They complete an interactive puzzle on the Gizmos and Gadgets computer software, construct a vehicle, build and modify ramps and vehicles to produce various outcomes, and...
Curated OER
Simple Machines V - Wheels and Axles and Gears
Fourth graders investigate the principles and uses of gears, and examine how gears can be used to alter the direction of motion or the speed of an object. They observe two cars with different sized wheels roll down an inclined plane,...
Curated OER
Applied Science - Technology (2A) Lab
Second graders experiment with simple machines. In this machine activity, 2nd graders go to different labs to see examples of a lever, inclined plane, wedge, pulley, gears, and wheel and axle. They discuss how a machine makes work a lot...
Curated OER
Three, Two, One, Go!
Students work in teams conducting an experiment that demonstrates why the height of an inclined plane affects the speed at which an object travels. They record data on a chart and calculate speed to reveal the results of three trials at...
Curated OER
Simple Machines and Modern Day Engineering Analogies
Young scholars apply the mechanical advantages and problem-solving capabilities of six types of simple machines (wedge, wheel and axle, lever, inclined plane, screw, pulley) as they discuss modern structures in the spirit of the...
Curated OER
Rotational Inertia
Students spin themselves to understand rotational inertia. In this Inertia activity, students will also use ramps, balance beam and pendelum to conduct rotational inertia experiments. Students draw conclusions to explain rotational...
Curated OER
Simple Machines
Fifth graders create a Power Point presentation to relate to their study of simple machines. They create a title page, a page introducing six simple machines, slides explaining real world use to each simple machine and import pictures...
Curated OER
Math Mediator Lesson 10: Slope
Students explore the concept of slope. In this Algebra I lesson, students investigate the definition of slope as rise over run or change in y compared to change in x. The lesson includes a real-world problem in which the...
Curated OER
I'm Inclined to See; Physics, Math, Science, Experiments, Graphs
Young scholars discover the motion of a sphere on an inclined plane and discover basic relationships involving distance, time, speed(velocity), and acceleration.
Curated OER
Simple Machines
In this simple machines worksheet, students review the different types of simple machines and examples of each machine. This worksheet, has 1 graphic organizer and 6 short answer questions.
Teach Engineering
A Simple Solution for the Circus
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...
Broward County Public Schools
Force and Motion
Get the ball rolling with this upper-elementary science unit on forces and motion. Offering over three weeks of physical science lessons, this resource is a great way to engage the class in learning about simple machines, friction,...
Science Companion
Simple Machines Design Project
Make your work as a teacher a little easier with a physical science project on simple machines. After introducing young scientists to these devices and identifying their different uses around the school, this project engages...