Magnificent Machines: Levers Pulleys Wheels And Other Stuff

Hands-on is definitely the order of the day as students inquire into and investigate the magnificent world of machines. Student notes explain the six simple machines (inclined plane, wedge, screw, lever, wheel and axle, pulley) . Related teacher demonstrations and simple-to-do student activities and discovery sheets accompany these core lessons. Student notes are included for possible enrichment lessons dealing with gears, hydraulics, and how a car works. More involved, optional assignments stress creative and critical thinking in addition to building a degree of flexibility into the unit. From now on, teaching about machines will no longer be mundane - it will be magnificent! STUDENT ASSIGNMENTS and ACTIVITIES Introductory Lesson - Machines Wordsearch Inclined Plane - Amy Builds A Pyramid - Ant Hill Gang Discovery Sheet Wedge - Machine Collage Screw - Amy's Way Home - Ant Hill Gang Discovery Sheet Lever - Lever Fever - Ant Hill Gang Discovery Sheet Wheel and Axle - Water From The Well- Ant Hill Gang Discovery Sheet Pulley - Pulley Power - Ant Hill Gang Discovery Sheet Gears and Hydraulics - Machines at Work - Identifying Simple Machines How A Car Works - Crazy Cars - Enrichment Crossword OPTIONAL ACTIVITIES Review Lazzzzy! Useless Invention Famous Inventor Report Machine Pictocolor ANT HILL GANG DISCOVERY SHEETS: The Ant Hill Gang and the related discovery sheets help to motivate students with hands-on problems that students help to solve. Throughout the unit, various concepts are approached by having students develop and build solutions using their knowledge of machines to help out the members of the Ant Hill Gang. Amy the Ant needs help building a pyramid, Amy (Amy's kid sister) needs a spiral built to help get home, Alice Ant needs help moving a large boulder, Albert needs help getting water out of the well, while Adam Ant needs help getting friends up a steep cliff. The discovery sheets contain hands-on instructions for students on how to build devices that can get the job done and make learning enjoyable at the same time.