Curated OER
Tools and Machines for Work: Saving your Energy
Young scholars consider how tools and machines can make work easier. They examine specific tools for making work easier.
Exploratorium
Momentum Machine
If you have a rotating office chair in your classroom, you can have physics pupils participate in this simple, yet effective demonstration of angular momentum. One partner sits in the chair, arms outstretched, holding heavy weights. The...
Curated OER
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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The Time Machine
Challenge your class with this lesson! Learners read The Time Machine by H.G. Wells, discuss context clues, identify main ideas and details, and analyze story elements. Discussion questions and activities are broken down for each chapter...
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Simple Machines
First graders discuss work, force, and energy. They study how work is done. Students discuss various types of work that are done. They act out how work is done. Student draw pictures of types of work they have done.
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Farming 1: Farming Machines
Second graders explore different farm machines. In this farm lesson plan, 2nd graders discover the importance of farmers, and crops. Students discuss healthy eating and how crops are packaged. Students read books about farms and how...
Teach Engineering
Force on a Current Carrying Wire
What do electrical currents have to do with an MRI? Using a simple wire setup and a magnet, class members explore forces used in an MRI by investigating the magnetic force acting on a wire carrying a current.
Curated OER
Physics Around the School: Simple Machines In and Out of the Classroom
Young scholars explore different machines and the components that encompass the science of physics. In this physics lesson students explore how things move.
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What Can We Lose? What Do We Lose as we Gain Force With A Lever?
Third graders view a demonstration of a teeter totter as a basis for assessing pre-knowledge of a lever. They create a KwL chart. Students work in small groups to conduct a variety of experiments. The first requires students to tie books...
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Experiments with Levers
Students investigate levers. In this simple machine lesson, students study levers and the mechanical advantage of using levers. They will collect data and illustrate their systems for eight different tests.
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Incline Planes
Students determine the forces necessary to move a truck on an inclined plane with weight and slope as variables. They identify the cheapest way to transport trash to local garbage disposal sites.
Curated OER
Machinery In Society
Students explore technology by completing a worksheet in class. For this common machinery lesson, students define the different designs that make simple machines work such as wheels, pulleys and gears. Students utilize verbs to describe...
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Gadget Anatomy
Fifth graders examine and identify different simple machines that make up complex machines. They analyze and discuss different gadgets and appliances brought in from home, then in small groups examine one of the machines in detail. ...
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Household Tools
Young scholars explore parts of a system. In this simple machines lesson, students discover that simple machines are composed of two or more systems. Young scholars examine household tools and assess the parts of the system.
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Is a Pulley a Special Kind of Lever?
Fifth graders use information from their text to read and discuss pulleys and levers. They examine a top sketch of the arrangement of a fixed pulley. Working in groups, 5th graders perform experiments to test the effect of using a pulley...
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Introduction to Work
Fifth graders define work, force, and energy and calculate work done using a simple formula. They observe the teacher using an Equi-beam and identify the fulcrum, calculate different work problems, and participate in a class discussion.
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Machines
Young scholars explain how machines make work easier. They calculate mechanical advantage. Students describe the six types of simple machines and calculate the ideal mechanical advantage for different types of simple machines.
Curated OER
Simple and Complex Machines Used In Agriculture
Students explore agriculture and the current technologies and research that continue to make Earth a viable planet. This four lessons unit introduce students to simple machines and the concepts of force and friction through a variety of...
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Backpacks and Hills
This machines PowerPoint reviews effort and force in relation to work and informs students about different types of machines and the different ways forces are applied and how they work to increase efficiency.
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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...
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Snow Day
Eighth graders work in small groups to design and build a snow remover while looking at a snow design brief. They combine 2 or more simple machines to form a compound machine following the design brief in order to meet the required...
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Simple Machines I - Inclined Planes, Wedges, and Screws
Fourth graders examine the physics behind and uses for inclined planes, screws, and wedges. They determine examples of how these simple machines are used in daily life. Working in three small groups, they move from station to station...
Curated OER
Simple Machines
Students demonstrate an understanding of how simple machines work. They show how various forces affect movement and advantages of them. They also design a compund machine. Students decide which level of questions they want to do and...