Curated OER
Tools and Machines for Work: Saving your Energy
Students consider how tools and machines can make work easier. They examine specific tools for making work easier.
Curated OER
What Can You Make of It?
Students investigate the various uses of a paper cup. In this scientific inquiry lesson, students investigate various ways to use a paper cup by identifying its characteristics. Students sketch their discovery.
Curated OER
Levers
Students brainstorm if they think that any lever would use the same amount of paperclips. They break into small groups and use a data sheet as well as a lever, Lego person, fulcrum, and some paperclips and prove what they think by taking...
Curated OER
Simple Machines or Are They?
Students discover basic machines and how they make completing work easier. They identify two basic machines, the inclined plane and the lever and the functions of these simple machines.
Curated OER
Block and Tackle
Students simulate block and tackles to lift heavy objects. They lift cargo by hand with the whip and the two-fold purchase to simujlate what crew members do aboard ships. They measure the effort and distance pulled for a gun tackle, luff...
Curated OER
Finding Simple Machines in Farm Machinery
Students identify simple machines and how they must work together to form a piece of equipment used in agriculture. They create a diagram of a piece of farm equipment and write about two of the simple machines they drew.
Curated OER
Wheel & Axle Tractor
Young scholars design and build a tractor using LEGO materials. They write and draw their designs.
Curated OER
Air Quality Presentation for Youth
Young scholars read two books about wind and dust and then participate in a demonstration in which they plant seeds and compare dry, dusty soils to moist soils. They identify the rationale and methods for keeping airborne dust down.
Curated OER
Simple Machines-Creative Group Writing
In this creative writing learning exercise, students work with a group, using words in a word bank to write a brief story about simple machines. Worksheet contains a link to additional activities.
Curated OER
Who's the Frog Jumping Champion?
Students use a simple machine (a lever) to launch a plastic frog. students determine who is able to make their frog "jump" the farthest and graph the results.
Curated OER
An Introduction to Simple Machines
Students investigate simple machines and their uses in everyday life. In this scientific method lesson, students examine physical tools such as wedges, screws, and levers using a "how does it work" approach. Students complete...
Scholastic
Scholastic: Study Jams! Science: Force and Motion: Simple Machines
A slideshow and a short quiz on simple machines and how they reduce the amount of work or effort needed to complete a task.
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Give Yourself a Lift: Lightening the Load With Pulleys
Before the Industrial Age, people relied on muscle power for moving and lifting heavy objects. Here's a project that shows you how you can use your head to make heavy lifting easier on your muscles - and your back.
Scholastic
Scholastic: Dirtmeister's Science Reporters: Simple Machines: Pulley
With-it explanation of how the pulley works, where it's found. Most interesting, as Scholastic material usually is.
American Association of Physics Teachers
Com Padre Digital Library: Open Source Physics: Atwood Machine in Fluid Model
Simulation of an Atwood machine where two masses of varying densities are suspended in water using a pulley system. Adjust the densities of the masses, their positions and the water level to see how the changing gravitational, buoyant,...
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Simple Machines and How to Use This Tutorial
There are six simple machines. They are as follows: lever, wheel, pulley, incline plane, wedge, and screw. This tutorial will cover the first three.
Soft Schools
Soft Schools: Simple Machines
Identify the six simple machines by dragging the correct term, and dropping it onto the associated simple machine.
Science and Mathematics Initiative for Learning Enhancement (SMILE)
Smile: Simple Machines
Good combination of teacher demonstration and student interaction for this simple machine lesson. Great for talking about force and work. Plans are for grades 2-4, yet are adaptable.
![Southwest Educational Development Laboratory: Simple Machines [Pdf] Lesson Plan](https://d15y2dacu3jp90.cloudfront.net/images/attachment_defaults/resource/large/FPO-knovation.png "Southwest Educational Development Laboratory: Simple Machines [Pdf] Lesson Plan")
SEDL
Southwest Educational Development Laboratory: Simple Machines [Pdf]
This large PDF file contains seven lessons on simple machines. Includes illustrations. Requires Adobe Reader.