Simple Machines

Ryan Neelon Fifth Grade Science

Stage 1 - Desired Outcome

Established Goals: G * Students will develop an understanding of the types of simple machines and their uses. Through the exploration of each simple machine the children will examine how the tools perform, their uses in familiar machines, the friction that is produced, and the ways that they make work easier. The children will learn about a lever, a pulley, a wheel and axle, gears, an inclined plane, a wedge, and a screw. Understandings: Students will understand * How certain tools work, the properties of work, and how they are made to perform specific jobs * The different quantities associated with energy, movement, and change. * Simple machines make work easier, and how they are applied and combined in familiar tools and machines
Students will know . . . K Students will be able to S U Essential Questions: *What is work and how is it related to simple machines? Q

*How are simple machines connected to the concepts of force and motion? *What role do friction and gravity play in all simple machines?

* How to explain the ways that simple machines make everyday tasks easier to accomplish *The concepts of force, motion, work, friction, energy, and gravity *History of simple machines *How they use simple machines on a daily basis

*Identify that machines help us work. *Name different types of machines and how they work. *Identify the force that causes the machine to work. *Explain that force is the push or pull on an object.

Stage 2 - Assessment Evidence

Performance Tasks: T * The class will participate in an online lab to identify and explain the uses of simple machines in a typical home and garage Other Evidence: OE *Students will complete a pre-assessment about what they know about forces, motion, and simple machines to direct the instruction *Design a simple machine or system of machines that they believe would reduce the amount of work an individual would have to do * Students will identify as many simple machines as possible in their own homes and discuss what their lives would be like if they did not have simple machines *Students will keep a simple machines journal that they will use to keep all information learned about simple machines in this unit. It will serve as a resource for them to refer to throughout the unit.

Stage 3 - Learning Plan

Learning Activities: L

Introduction: Start the unit by giving students the simple machines pre-assessment to determine what students may already know about these designs and what needs to be paid more attention during instruction. After the Pre-assessment, describe the Simple Machines Journal that they will be keeping for this unit. We will record all of our new information in this journal and it will serve as a great resource when designing a simple machine of our own. Give students time to decorate the front of the journal, set up a table of contents, and number the pages. Discuss the differences between potential and kinetic energy and what energy actually is. Give examples of both potential and kinetic energy, see if students can generate any examples. Introduce students to Newtons First Law: An object moving at a constant velocity or at a state of rest does not change unless a force acts upon it. Ask what a force is? Ask if someone can explain this in their own words or give an example. Use some of the following examples to explain to the students how Newton's first law occurs in everyday events: a) car suddenly stops and you strain against the seat belt b) when riding a bike, you suddenly stop and you fly over the handlebars c) the magician pulls the tablecloth out from under a table full of dishes d) car turns left and you appear to slide to the right Explain what mass is and how it compares to weight. What units are we going to use to measure mass? (NEWTONS) What do we usually use to measure weight and what new units have we been using that we think could work? (KILOGRAMS, Metric system) Lesson One: What is Work? Lesson Content a. The students will examine how certain tools work, the properties of work, and how they are made to perform specific jobs. b. Students will see how simple machines make work easier, and how they are applied and combined in familiar tools and machines. Discuss with the students the definitions of work, force, and machine. Examples of work: riding a bike, walking, and pushing a box. Examples of force: opening a door or pushing a wagon. Write the definitions on the whiteboard and have students record them in their science notebooks. Ask students to name different kinds of machines and how they work. Do these machines make work easier? How do the machines move? Do these machines push or pull on the object? Give examples of and define work and energy, making sure to note which units are associated with these concepts. They are critical to our understanding of simple machines because they are how we calculate whether or not a simple machine is saving more work from being done.

Hand out a sheet with a picture of each of the simple machines that we talk about with room for students to write a few sentences about that particular machine. Students should have a basic understanding of each machine before the end of this class. Pass out index cards with simple descriptions of actions that involve a push or a pull, such as: a batter hitting a baseball, a game of tug-of-war, a person pushing a door shut, a person pulling a door open, a person pulling a wagon, a person riding a bike, a football player kicking a ball, a person pushing a stroller, etc Explain that you are going to play a game of Force Charades where students take turns acting out actions that involve some kind of force, either a push or a pull. The student who performs the action may not speak at all. The rest of the students will guess what action is being performed and tell whether the force is a push or a pull. Read the one of the actions on the cards to the students to give them an example of what they will be doing. For homework: Have students record at least 10 different simple machines at their homes, drawing pictures of two of them. Students will also write a few sentences about how each of these two drawn machines require less work than without them. Students should be using the words energy and work in these sentences.

Lesson Two: What is a lever?

The lever is a simple machine made with a far free end to move about a fixed point called a fulcrum. The three types of levers are, first, second and third class. Have students look at the illustrations for the different types of levers in their ScienceSaurus on page 282. A first class lever is like a teeter-totter or see saw. One end will lift an object up just as far as the other end is pushed down. A second-class lever is like a wheel barrow, the long arms of the wheel barrow are the lever. A third class lever is like a fishing pole. When the pole is given a tug, one end stays still but the other end flips in the air catching the fish. Another example could be a baseball bat, golf club, or a wrench. Ask your students to make a sketch of each type of lever mentioned above. Check the sketches in the Simple Machines Journals to see if they are labeled correctly. A fulcrum should be labeled. First class level will have the fulcrum between the load to be lifted and the force located where you would push down. Second class levers find the load between the force and the fulcrum. (Axle of the wheel barrow is the fulcrum.) Third class levers find the force placed between the load and the fulcrum. Select a few students to share their sketches with the class. Reproduce an example of each lever type.

Now using these sketches review the location of load, force, and fulcrum for each type of lever. Students should make sure they have these labeled correctly in the Simple Machines Journals. Ask students to make a chart upon which they may record other examples of levers in their environment. Make a class chart and allow students to add to the list as they study the simple machine unit. (Example chart below.) Levers First Class Lever Teeter-totter Crowbar Balance Scale Second Class Lever Wheel barrow Nut Cracker Third Class Lever Fishing Pole Forearm

Process
Students will experiment with levers by constructing their own levers with rulers, a triangular block (fulcrum) and washers. Students will work as table groups to create their own levers. Encourage students to try to make more than one class of lever and experiment with how much weight they are applying and where they are applying it.

Each group should make predictions about what they think will happen before they move their fulcrum or their weights (washers). Students to be certain to use the terms fulcrum, force, and load in their predictions. After experimenting with this activity they need to make a general rule that explains how levers work. After each group has come up with a rule, have the class develop a class rule for levers and record it in their Simple Machines Journals.

Lesson 3: Inclined Plane

An inclined plane is a simple machine with no moving parts. It's simply a straight slanted surface with one end higher than the other, like a ramp. Question: How can changing the height of a ramp affect the force? Materials per group of students: 5 books Medium Thick Rubber Bands Ruler

2 Thumb Tacks String Small board or cardboard - 34-45 cm long Block or some weighted container Note: It would add a control if all groups use the same length of inclined plane. Predict results before each investigation. Journal Response. Procedure: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Stack three of the books together. Put the board against the books to create an inclined plane. Attach a rubber band to the ruler at the zero end. Observe and record the distance of the hanging rubber band. Tie the string to the unattached end of the rubber band and attach it to the block. (Set length of string as a control.) 6. Lift the block up in the air and observe how far the rubber band stretches, record in the journal. 7. Place the block at the bottom of the inclined plane. PREDICT What do you think will happen as you pull the block up the inclined plane? Do you think the rubber band will stretch more or less than when you lifted the block straight up? 8. Pull the block up the inclined plane and observe how much the rubber band stretches. Record this measurement in the journal. Discuss the results only after students try to explain what they think happened in the investigation. Is an inclined plane a machine? Defend your response in your journal. 9. Now repeat the investigation you just completed by using five books instead of three books. Predict and record the data in your journal. Discuss the results in the journal. 10. Create a chart for all the group data and calculate an average result. Repeat the investigation again using another rubber band just in case the rubber bands have a different amount of stretch. What other ways can you think of to make the test more accurate? Questions: 1. How did the stretch length of the rubber band change when you used the inclined plane? 2. What other changes did you observe? 3. How did the steepness of the incline plane affect the force needed to pull the block up the incline plane? 4. Analysis: Distance is represented by the length of the incline plane and force is represented by the length of the rubber band stretch, calculate the work in each trial with the three books and five books. Force x Distance = Work (Make sure to measure our distances in Metrics!). 5. What inclined planes were used on the farm during the 1930s? Add these to the other list of simple machines.
Lesson 4: The Pulley

How does a pulley help us do work? A pulley is a simple machine that uses grooved wheels and a rope to raise or lower a load. How can a flag move up and down a flagpole? Lets try it using a milk jug and a pulley and some rope. Have students lift a milk jug with some dirt in it just attached to a rope. Have them write in their journal what that was like. Then have the students use a fixed pulley to move the jug. Have them write if that was easier or

harder. Then have the students use a movable pulley. Have them write about that in their simple machines journals. Discussion questions for after journal writing: Which try took the least force? Which try took the most force? Which method would you use to move a load? Why? How does a pulley help us do less work to lift an object?
Students should have a strong understanding that a pulley can make lifting objects easier because it will take less work input. They will see in our next few lessons the other ways that pulleys can be utilized. Lesson 5: EdHeads Online Lab Exercises

y Before using this activity in class (or at home with your kids) go through the activity once to make sure it works correctly on your computer(s). y If the activity does not load after clicking the 'start' button, you may be asked to download a Flash Player from Adobe.com. Please click yes as this allows you to view the Edheads Simple Machine Activity. You may then be asked to restart your computer. Once this Flash Player has been installed, you will not need to install it again. y Your computer(s) will need to have some sort of sound output. Either speakers or headphones will work well. y Students in the target grade-range will take approximately eight to ten minutes per room working individually or in groups of two to three.
Procedure: 1. Go to The House activity site and click on The Garage. (www. EdHeads.org) 2. There are 10 simple machines hidden in the garage. Find each simple machine and answer the corresponding questions. 3. When your group completes the activity type in all group members names and print your scores. Give the results to the teacher. Lesson 6: Introduction to Compound Machines Students will look at examples of complex machines and determine which types of simple machines are seen in these compound machines. Examine each of the compound machines and answer the questions below in our simple machines journals. We will be working in pairs for this activitiy, but we all need to record the answers in our individual journals. Questions: 1) What two simple machines are found in a pair of scissors?

2) What four simple machines are found in a can opener?

3) What two simple machines are found in a stapler?

4) Within your mouth there are two simple machines. What are they?

After students have completed these questions, have them grab a computer and head back to the Edheads website, where we will be working with compound machines. The procedure will be very similar to our previous experiences with the Edheads website, remember to make sure that we print out our results to show our progress.