Materials
Lesson materials:
Gadgets from home: manual can opener, salad tongs, pastry
cutter, meat baller, etc. Digital camera, optional.
Materials: “Mystery bags.” (Grocery sack size)
Recommended filler materials for each bag: egg carton,
string, dowels, masking tape, plastic lids, toilet paper
tubes, rubber bands, brads, paper clips (jumbo and small),
straws, sponge, clay, scissors, buttons, large beads or
marbles, etc.
*Note: Before the lesson, group students in teams of
four or five for optimal participation/interaction. Review
jobs/duties of each team member (e.g., recorder –
responsible for recording important group information;
team leader – keeps everyone on task, makes sure all are
participating; announcer – will be presenting project
to the class, must be able to answer all lesson questions
based on group’s discussion; materials person –
gathers and returns all unused materials, etc.)
Procedure
- Ask students to identify the six simple machines
(lever, inclined plane, wedge, screw, wheel and axle,
pulley). List on the board.
- Show students gadgets from home (listed in the lesson
materials), and have students identify the simple machines
in each (e.g., salad tongs – levers).
- Have students explain the purpose of each item and how
it makes work easier.
- Before distributing bags, explain the purpose of the
activity: Students are to make a gadget that consists of
one or more simple machines, and will make work easier.
- Tell students that they are to use only the items in
the bag.
- Tell students that they will have 15 – 20 minutes to
construct their gadgets.
- Inform them that they must work cooperatively in roles
previously assigned, while working toward the goal of
creating a group gadget.
- Distribute “mystery bags”!
- Circulate to each group encouraging group members, and
guiding them towards the main purpose. (Note: If a group
completes their project in less time, challenge them to
make individual gadgets with the remaining materials.)
- After 20 minutes, have students stop and share their
gadgets. During the presentation, each group should
identify their gadget, list the simple machine(s) it
contains, and tell how it makes work easier. (*Optional:
take a picture of each group with their gadget to be sent
home with the rubric.)
- After the presentations, in their science journals,
have students draw their gadget, then answer the following
questions: What simple machine(s) is/are in your gadget?,
How does your gadget make work easier?, How could you
change your gadget so that it could do other tasks?
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