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Activity
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College

Serc: Acceleration of a Wheel and Axle

For Students 9th - 10th
A lab investigation of an accelerating object can be difficult without motion sensors or computer photogates. The accelerating object can gain velocity in such a way that it moves a great distance in a short time.
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Unit Plan
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: Simple Machines

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Through a five-lesson series with five hands-on activities, students are introduced to six simple machines - inclined plane, wedge, screw, lever, pulley, wheel-and-axle - as well as compound machines, which are combinations of two or...
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Unit Plan
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: Simple Machines From Pyramids to Skyscrapers

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Simple machines are devices with few or no moving parts that make work easier, and which people have used to provide mechanical advantage for thousands of years. Students learn about the wedge, wheel and axle, lever, inclined plane,...
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Lesson Plan
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: Let's Move It!

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Young scholars explore methods employing simple machines likely used in ancient pyramid building, as well as common modern-day material transportation. They learn about the wheel and axle as a means to transport materials from rock...
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Lesson Plan
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: Engineering: Simple Machines

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Simple machines are devices with few or no moving parts that make work easier. Students are introduced to the six types of simple machines - the wedge, wheel and axle, lever, inclined plane, screw, and pulley - in the context of the...
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Activity
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: Splash, Pop, Fizz: Rube Goldberg Machines

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Refreshed with an understanding of the six simple machines; screw, wedge, pully, incline plane, wheel and axle, and lever, student groups receive materials and an allotted amount of time to act as mechanical engineers to design and...
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Lesson Plan
NASA

Nasa: Simple Machines

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
A lesson plan site that contains activities designed to give grades 3 and 4 experiences in using simple machines.
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Lesson Plan
Science and Mathematics Initiative for Learning Enhancement (SMILE)

Smile: Simple Machines

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
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.