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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 children in...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Simple Machines

For Teachers 5th
Have your class conduct research to learn all they can about simple machines. They use the web, take notes from a video, write a script, then make a film describing various simple machines found in real life. These videos are then...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Simple Machines

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students examine six simple machines and investigate who Rube Goldberg is. They explore various websites, write an article, write ten interesting facts about Rube Goldberg, and design and construct a simple machine.
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Lesson Plan
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Workforce Solutions

Simple Machine Scavenger Hunt

For Teachers 6th - 8th
How are simple machines used in professional settings? To find out, scholars examine various pictures, cross-reference a list of simple machines, and write or verbally share how those items are used in specific jobs.
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Lesson Plan
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Curated OER

Allowing Students to Explore Simple Physics and Marketing in English Class

For Teachers 9th Standards
Scientific method, linear measurements, friction, inertia. Imagine learning scientific vocabulary in an ELA class. Before researching and developing a presentation about simple machines, class members build a common, but decidedly...
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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...
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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 instructional activity 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...
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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...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Simple Machines

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Learners create a pyramid design based on the 6 simple machines that they are introduced to. In this simple machines lesson plan, students are introduced to the wedge, wheel and axle, inclined plane, screw, and pulley.
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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 machines and...
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Lesson Plan
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Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary

Simple Machines, Ben Franklin and the Technology of the 1700s

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Benjamin Franklin was an inventor, and he was fascinated by the mechanics of machinery. Using a fun exploration, pupils examine simple machines from the pre-Industrial era. Then, they must identify and build their own using common objects.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

New Creations from Six Simple Machines

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students explore different types of simple machines and research the concepts of force, effort, and work. They conduct Internet research and complete a worksheet about examples of simple machines used in everyday life. Students also...
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Activity
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Teach Engineering

A Simple Solution for the Circus

For Teachers 6th - 8th
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...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lever as a Simple Machine

For Teachers 2nd - 6th
Students study the three different types of levers and develop a simple machine. In this levers and simple machines lesson, students look at different types of levers, and experiment with a ruler and a marshmallow to determine how they...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Not So Simple Machines

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students design a simple machine for a simple machine contest. In this simple machine lesson, students design a simple machine that will solve a problem. They draw a diagram, label it, and test the machine before they present it in a...
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Lesson Plan
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Curated OER

Simple Machines, Odd Machines

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students recognize and identify common objects that can be used as a lever. In this simple machines instructional activity, students experiment with materials to design and construct a machine that uses a lever. Students also design and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Simple Machines

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders discover the principles and uses of gears noting that they can be used to change the direction of motion or the speed of an object. They may also change the force and/or distance through which an object turns. They then...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Simple Machines I - Inclined Planes, Wedges, and Screws

For Teachers 4th
The principles and uses of inclined planes, screws, and wedges are the focus of a science lesson. In it, youngsters come up with every day examples of simple machines, and build an example of one in class. That project is then used to...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Pyramid Building: How to Use a Wedge

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students explore the simple machine of a wedge. In this wedge lesson, students test wedges on different materials including wax, soap, clay and foam. They learn how a wedge was used to build the ancient pyramid and modern day skyscrapers.
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Unit Plan
Rube Goldberg

Rube Goldberg's Simple Normal Humdrum School Day

For Teachers K - 8th
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...
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Unit Plan
Rube Goldberg

Rube Goldberg Machines

For Students 7th - 12th
Use humor to study simple machines! An engaging set of nine lessons allows learners to explore simple machines, kinetic, and potential energy as they work through cartoon renditions inspired by Rube Goldberg. Choose one or multiple...
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Lesson Plan
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Curated OER

Motion Commotion!

For Teachers 4th - 12th
Students explore the drawings of Rube Goldberg to design and construct a simple machine. They discuss simple machines, and using various materials and toy parts, design and construct a "Rube Goldberg" style machine to ring a bell.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Leprechaun Trap

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Create leprechaun traps using various materials and modeling traps using simple machines. Middle schoolers will build their trap and demonstrate it in front of their classmates. Additionally. they can create a commercial advertising...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Internet Field Trip: Simple Machines

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students observe and identify the types of simple machines. They conduct research and gather data to increase the comprehension of simple machines. Students identify and comprehend data to complete a graphic organizer and focus...