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The unit will be introduced to the children on this day.
We will start the discussion by braining-storming things that can
help us do a job. Students may need an example to help them get started.
For example, a hammer helps us pound a nail into wood.
Can they think of any other examples like that?
Write their ideas down on the board.
If there are any
examples of simple machines on the board, circle them and let the
children know that these are examples of simple machines.
Introduce the topic unit as simple machines and that we will be
spending the next days looking at how these machines help make jobs
easier.
There are four simple
machines that we will talk about. They
are the ramp, wheel, pulley and lever.
Each helps us by making a tough job a little easier.
The PowerPoint with real-life pictures will be shown at this
time. Detail will be given
for each machine (i.e.-where to place a the fulcrum on a lever). After showing the PowerPoint, then talk about the objects that they saw in the PowerPoint and review the four machines.
Have them children tell you the four simple machines.
Write them one at a time on the board.
After writing one down, brain storm different examples of simple
machines. We will then get
our Simple Machine Journals out and write the name of a simple machine
on each page. To complete the journals, the students will then break off into to teams and help each other find pictures of simple machines in magazines. They will then paste these examples on to the corresponding page in their journal. After time has wrapped, ask the children how working with a team helped them complete their project? Ask them to think of other situations where having a team to work with would help. Let them know that teamwork is a BIG part of completing difficult jobs! If they are having difficulties locating items in magazines, they may use the teacher and the digital camera to help locate some items in the school.
On this day, we will look at an overhead of a street scene. In this scene there are examples of all the simple machines that we are talking about. A different color marker will be used to circle each simple machine (for example: circle all lever green, all ramps red, etc.). Give the children turns to do this. Talk about why the worker chose the simple machine that they did to complete the job. Could they have used a different simple machine? How did using this simple machine make the job easier? After completing this overhead, have them get their journals out. If there is a simple machine in the overhead that they did not have down on their page, they could write the name or draw a picture of that simple machine on the page. What else could they use as a simple machine? Is there anything within their classroom that they could use as a simple machine? Overhead courtesy of Scott Foresman Science (http://www.sfscience.com/).
Review the simple machines. Stress the importance of the statement that simple machines can make work easier. But are there other ways? Ways that do not involve tools or other tangible objects? Teamwork is one way! We will read the book Just a Little Bit. This book not only includes the concept of teamwork, but also the use of a lever! After reading the book, talk to the children about the big word that means the same as teamwork – cooperation. We will then use a writing activity to reinforce the use of this word. We will write cooperation down the side of a paper and then think of a way of a word that describes cooperation by using the each letter (for example: c is for carrying a brick with someone, o is for opening a door together, etc.). Display this in the room for all to see. How was doing this together easier than if you had to do it by yourself?
This is the review and experiment day.
There will be centers within the room for the children to explore
the concepts of the simple machines that we learned throughout the week.
I would have six centers for the children to experiment and
review with. One of these
centers will be the PowerPoint review game.
Another will be for peer and self-assessment of the unit.
The other four centers will each deal with one of the four simple
machines.
Levers:
Students will be given a ruler and a round block for a base.
The objective is to see where the best place to put the fulcrum
to lift the book. Students
will discover that it is easier to lift the book with the fulcrum closer
to the book. Pulley:
Students will experiment with lift a bucket of send with their
hands and one with their pulley. Which
was easier? Wheel
and Ramp: Students will
make a Lego car WITHOUT wheels. Try
to move the car across the floor…it is very hard!
The students will use this car in the Ramp station as well.
They will build a ramp using various objects and move their car
to a higher level. It is
not possible to do so without the ramp.
It would be too heavy to lift if it was the “real thing”. Upon completion of stations, the students will work with a partner (someone they have worked with before during this unit). They will complete the self-assessment and then have their partner complete it as well.
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