Unit Plan
Chicago Children's Museum

Simple Machines: Force and Motion

For Teachers 2nd - 4th Standards
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,...
Unit Plan
Colorado Unit Writing Project

Simple Machines

For Teachers 2nd - 5th Standards
Planning an elementary science unit has never been simpler! These twelve lessons guide young scientists through an exploration of simple machines and their many uses in the real world before asking them to apply their learning...
Activity
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Teach Engineering

Machines and Tools (Part 2)

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Which pulley system will give us a whale of a good time? Teams compare the theoretical and actual mechanical advantages of different pulley systems. They then form a recommendation for how to move a whale from an aquarium back to the ocean.
Activity
Cherokee County Schools

Simple Machines Project

For Teachers 3rd - 8th Standards
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...
Unit Plan
Norwich Institute for Language Education

Simple Machines

For Teachers 4th - 8th Standards
Planning a unit on simple machines? Save some time and energy with this collection of lessons and activities that explores how these devices are used in the real world to make life a little easier. 
Handout
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Curated OER

Simple Machines Worksheet

For Students 3rd - 8th Standards
Simplify students' lives with this physical science note-taking guide. From inclined planes to moveable pulleys, this resource supports young scientists with defining each type of simple machine while identifying their mechanical...
Activity
Science Companion

Simple Machines Design Project

For Teachers 3rd - 6th Standards
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...
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...
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...
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...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Powerful Pulleys

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
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.
Lesson Plan
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Teach Engineering

Levers that Lift

For Teachers 7th - 9th
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...
Lesson Plan
TryEngineering

Pulleys and Force

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students investigate pulleys and pulley systems. They demonstrate how multiple pulleys dramatically reduce required force. They study hoe pulley systems are used in machines and impact everyday life.
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...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Pulling with a CEENBoT!

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students investigate the pulling force of CEENBoT. For this physics lesson, students suggest modifications to increase the kinetic coefficient of friction and eventually the pulling force. They write a complete lab report about the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Wheel & Axle Tractor

For Teachers 1st - 5th
Young scholars design and build a tractor using LEGO materials. They write and draw their designs.