You ll have leverage as you guide

Teacher s Guide Simple Machines Dear Educator, You ll have leverage as you guide students in the exploration of simple machines. In KIDS DISCOVER Simple Machines, your young scientists will learn about how simple machines work by exploring the topics at the right. This Teacher s Guide is filled with activity ideas and blackline masters that can help your students understand more about simple machines and how they make work easier. Select or adapt the activities that suit your students needs and interests best. Thank you for making KIDS DISCOVER a part of your classroom. Sincerely, KIDS DISCOVER P.S. We would love to hear from you! E mail your comments and ideas to teachers@kidsdiscover.com WHAT S IN SIMPLE MACHINES PAGES 2 3 Simply Put Identification and classification of simple machines 4 5 Meet the Levers A comparison of the three classes of levers 6 7 The Wheel Thing The history of the wheel and axle 8 9 For You The three types of pulleys and their operation 10 11 Pencil Sharpener Rube Goldberg s design for making sharpening pencils a complicated process 12 13 Plane and Simple The inclined plane and its modern adaptations 14 15 Getting Between The versatility of the wedge 16 17 The Turn of the Screw Simple instructions for making a model of the screw and highlighting of varying uses of the screw 18 19 Game Pages Review content with puzzles and games and extend content through hands-on activities and reading Meeting the Standards Physical Science Force and Motion National Science Education Standards Visit www.kidsdiscover.com/standards to find out more about how KIDS DISCOVER meets state and national standards.... www.kidsdiscover.com... KIDS DISCOVER 149 Fifth Avenue, 12th Floor New York, NY 10010 T: 212 677 4457 F: 212 353 8030 IN THIS TEACHER S GUIDE 2 Prereading Activities 3 Get Set to Read (Anticipation Guide) 4 Discussion and Writing Questions 5 6 It s in the Reading (Reading Comprehension) 7 Everything Visual (Graphic Skills) 8 Cross-Curricular Extensions 9 12 Answer Keys to Blackline Masters SIMPLE MACHINES

B Discussion PREREADING ACTIVITIES efore distributing KIDS DISCOVER Simple Machines, activate students prior knowledge with these activities. To get students thinking about how this topic relates to their interests and lives, ask: What are the simple machines? Where are simple machines used in the school and home? How many simple machines can you identify in a bicycle? Concept Map Explain to students that they will be reading Simple Machines. Ask: What are some words related to simple machines? List students responses on the board. (See box below for some terms they may suggest.) After creating a list, ask students to group the words into categories, such as Lever Family and Inclined Plane Family. Create a concept map by writing Simple Machines on the board and circling it. Write the kinds of simple machines around the circle and draw lines between the ideas to show the connections. Then list examples and write the words from the list around the appropriate categories. levers fulcrum load effort first-class lever second-class lever KEY TERMS Get Set to Read (Anticipation Guide) Copy and distribute the Get Set to Read blackline master (page 3 of this Teacher s Guide). Explain to students that this Anticipation Guide will help them find out what they know and what misconceptions they have about the topic. Get Set to Read is a list of statements some true, some false. Ask students to write whether they think each statement is true or false in the Before Reading column. Be sure to tell students that it is not a test and they will not be graded on their answers. The activity can be completed in a variety of ways for differentiated instruction: Have students work on their own or in small groups to complete the entire page. Assign pairs of students to focus on two statements and to become experts on these topics. Ask students to complete the Before Reading column on their own, and then tabulate the class s answers on the chalkboard, on an overhead transparency, or on your classroom computer. Review the statements orally with the entire class. If you predict that students will need assistance finding the answers, complete the Page Number column before copying Get Set to Read. Preview Distribute Simple Machines and model how to preview it. Examine titles, headings, words in boldface, pictures, charts, and captions. Then have students add new information to the KWL chart. If students will only be reading a few pages at one sitting, preview only the selected pages. BE WORD WISE WITH POWER VOCABULARY! You have exclusive access to additional resources including Power Vocabulary blackline masters for every available KIDS DISCOVER title! These activities introduce students to 15 specialized and general-use vocabulary words from each KIDS DISCOVER title. Working with both types of words helps students develop vocabulary, improve comprehension, and read fluently. Follow the links from your Teacher s Toolbox CD-ROM and find your title to access these valuable resources: third-class lever wheel axle pulley fixed pulley block and tackle movable inclined plane ramp wedge screw Vocabulary cards Crossword puzzle Word find Matching Cloze sentences Dictionary list... www.kidsdiscover.com... KIDS DISCOVER 149 Fifth Avenue, 12th Floor New York, NY 10010 T: 212 677 4457 F: 212 353 8030 SIMPLE MACHINES 2

Name Date Get Set to Read What do you know about simple machines and their operation? In Before Reading, write true if you think the statement is true. Write false if you think the statement is not true. Then read KIDS DISCOVER Simple Machines. Check back to find out if you were correct. Write the correct answer and its page number. CHALLENGE: Rewrite each false sentence in a way that makes it true. Before Reading After Reading Page Number 1. The wedge belongs to the inclined plane family of simple machines. 2. Power is the effort needed to move an object times the distance it is moved. 3. The fulcrum is between the effort and the load in a third-class lever. 4. Ball bearings reduce friction at the axle of a wheel and axle. 5. Pulleys are a variety of lever. 6. Elevators make use of pulleys. 7. An inclined plane is a flat surface without a slope. 8. Skate parks are designed with pulleys on which skateboarders can do tricks. 9. The sliding part of a zipper is made up of wedges that open and close the teeth of the zipper. 10. Propellers and car jacks are examples of screws. SIMPLE MACHINES 3

DISCUSSION & WRITING QUESTIONS se the following questions as discussion starters or for Uwriting prompts for journals. For additional in-class discussion and writing questions, adapt the questions on the reading comprehension blackline masters on pages 5 and 6. Cover Before students read Simple Machines, have them look at the cover. Ask: What are the women doing? Why do you think this photograph is used to illustrate this issue? Pages 2 3 The six simple machines make work easier. Ask: What are the six simple machines? Name examples of items in the classroom that make use of the simple machines. Pages 4 5 Levers are classified by the location of their fulcrums, effort, and load. Ask: What are the three classes of levers? Illustrate an example of each lever and label its fulcrum, effort, and load. Identify an example of a compound lever. What class of lever is it? Pages 6 7 Wheels with axles reduce friction when moving loads from place to place. Ask: How are fixed and nonspinning axles alike and different? What problem did ball bearings solve? How? What is the advantage of a spoked wheel? Pages 8 9 Fixed, pulleys movable pulleys, and block and tackle are the three main types of pulleys. Ask: Compare and contrast the three types of pulleys. How do tow trucks make use of pulleys? Where and when was the first elevator used? Pages 10 11 Rube Goldberg s drawing shows a complicated system for sharpening a pencil. What types of simple machines are shown in Pencil Sharpener? What kind of simple machine is the emergency knife in the drawing? Pages 12 13 The inclined plane has practical everyday uses. Ask: Why was the inclined plane the key machine for building the pyramids? Why did the Americans With Disabilities Act lead to greater use of inclined planes in communities across the United States? Pages 14 15 The most common use of wedges is to push things apart. Ask: Explain why plows are examples of wedges? Name a medical tool that is an example of a wedge. How does a zipper make use of wedges? Pages 16 17 Screws are examples of inclined planes in disguise. Ask: What part of a screw is an inclined plane? What did Archimedes screw do? Why was it important to ancient Egyptian farmers? All pages After students read the issue, ask: Identify three facts you have learned about simple machines in this issue of KIDS DISCOVER. Have students challenge each other to identify simple machines in the classroom.... www.kidsdiscover.com... KIDS DISCOVER 149 Fifth Avenue, 12th Floor New York, NY 10010 T: 212 677 4457 F: 212 353 8030 SIMPLE MACHINES 4

Name Date It s in the Reading After reading KIDS DISCOVER Simple Machines, choose the best answer for each question. Fill in the circle. Find your answers on the pages shown in the book icon next to each question 1. Which of the following simple machines is in the inclined plane family? A. lever B. pulley C. screw D. wheel and axle 2 3 2. What is an example of a first-class lever? A. a seesaw B. a baseball bat C. a fishing pole D. a wheelbarrow 4 5 3. Which of these statements is true of compound levers? A. The fulcrum is always between the effort and the load. B. The compound lever has only one effort. C. The compound lever has only one load. D. The compound lever has only one fulcrum. 4 5 4. Why are ball bearings used with wheels and axles? A. They serve as brakes. B. They cut friction at the axle. C. They replace the fixed axle. D. They add power to the wheel and axle. 6 7 5. Which of these uses of pulleys was invented more recently than the others? A. deus ex machina B. elevators C. actors being lowered by block and tackle D. tow truck 8 9 SIMPLE MACHINES 5

It s in the Reading (continued) 6. Which of these would use pulley? A. hitting a ball with a bat B. closing a door C. opening window drapes or blinds D. moving a wagon 8 9 7. What kind of simple machine is the heating switch in Rube Goldberg s Pencil Sharpener drawing? A. a lever B. a pulley C. a wedge D. an inclined plane 10 11 8. Why did the pyramid builders make the ramps longer as the pyramids were built higher? A. to reach the highest parts B. to reduce friction C. to make the slope less steep D. to replace the wedges used 12 13 9. Which of these is a wedge used to hold something in place? A. bow of a ship B. doorstop C. sliding part of a zipper D. an axe 14 15 10. Which part of a screw is an inclined plane? A. the pointed end B. the thread C. the groove for the screwdriver D. the head 16 17 11. Tell how you use one or more levers every day. Tell what kinds of lever they are. SIMPLE MACHINES 6

Name Date Everything Visual Diagrams may show the relationship between parts or how the item depicted works. The diagrams on page 9 show pulleys and how they work. Study the diagrams. Read their numbered captions. Then answer the questions. 1. What is a fixed pulley? 2. What does the fixed pulley change? Why is this change helpful? 3. If a load weighs 50 pounds, how much effort is needed to lift and hold the load when using a fixed pulley? Explain. 4. How are the movable pulley shown and the block and tackle shown alike? How are they different? 5. What kind of pulley is a block and tackle? 6. Which kind of pulley reduces the effort needed the most? Explain why? SIMPLE MACHINES 7

H CROSS-CURRICULAR EXTENSIONS ave students try these activities to extend their knowledge and interest in simple machines. Science Set up a science center in which students can build and use simple machines. Provide materials for making levers and pulleys. Have students experiment with the amount of effort needed by moving the fulcrum on first-class levers and using fixed and movable pulleys. Encourage students to chart their results. Effort Fulcrum Load Art With students, examine each lettered part of Rube Goldberg s Pencil Sharpener. Brainstorm a list of other simple tasks and challenge students to develop an invention that emulates the Goldberg style. Some students may wish to build their invention as well as draw it. Encourage them to do so. Display their drawings and inventions in the school library or media center. Mathematics Have students examine the information about the effort needed to roll a 40-pound drum up ramps. Ask students to use the information to develop a formula for determining the amount of effort when the length and height of the ramp as well as the weight of the load is known. Then have students write problems that can be solved by using their formula. They can exchange papers and solve each other s problems. Social Studies Have students identify dates cited throughout the issue. Ask them to develop a time line citing the dates and the events related to them. Show students how to break the time lines to show long lapses between dates. Science Have students collect and label examples of simple machines. Encourage them to set up an exhibit in the classroom of all the items collected. They may wish to use photographs or drawings to show examples of such simple machines as ramps or cranes. They could also use models, for example, toy tow trucks, to represent full-scale items. Language Arts, Art Discuss the word plays used on the cover of Simple Machines. For example, raised by a ramp and its illustration plays on the multiple meanings of the word raised lifted up and nurtured or promoted the development of. Encourage students to use art and words to make up their own word plays. For example, to play on the phrase threads of a screw, they might draw a screw with a bobbin of thread as its head or a screw dressed in fancy clothing. Have interested students read KIDS DISCOVER Industrial Revolution for more information about machines and their use.... www.kidsdiscover.com... KIDS DISCOVER 149 Fifth Avenue, 12th Floor New York, NY 10010 T: 212 677 4457 F: 212 353 8030 SIMPLE MACHINES 8

ANSWER KEY Name Date Get Set to Read What do you know about simple machines and their operation? In Before Reading, write true if you think the statement is true. Write false if you think the statement is not true. Then read KIDS DISCOVER Simple Machines. Check back to find out if you were correct. Write the correct answer and its page number. CHALLENGE: Rewrite each false sentence in a way that makes it true. Before Reading After Reading Page Number 1. The wedge belongs to the inclined plane family of simple machines. True p. 2 2. Power Work is the effort needed to move an object times the distance it is moved. False p. 2 3. The fulcrum is between the effort and the load in a third-class first-class lever. False p. 4 4. Ball bearings reduce friction at the axle of a wheel and axle. True p. 6 5. Pulleys are a variety of lever. True p. 9 6. Elevators make use of pulleys. True p. 9 7. An inclined plane is a flat surface without with a slope. False p. 10 8. Skate parks are designed with pulleys inclined planes on which skateboarders can do tricks. False p. 12 9. The sliding part of a zipper is made up of wedges that open and close the teeth of the zipper. True p. 15 10. Propellers and car jacks are examples of screws. True p. 17 SIMPLE MACHINES 9

ANSWER KEY Name Date It s in the Reading After reading KIDS DISCOVER Electricity, choose the best answer for each question. Fill in the circle. Find your answers on the pages shown in the book icon next to each question 1. Which of the following simple machines is in the inclined plane family? A. lever B. pulley C. screw (classification) D. wheel and axle 2 3 2. What is an example of a first-class lever? A. a seesaw (classification) B. a baseball bat C. a fishing pole D. a wheelbarrow 4 5 3. Which of these statements is true of compound levers? A. The fulcrum is always between the effort and the load. B. The compound lever has only one effort. C. The compound lever has only one load. D. The compound lever has only one fulcrum. (details) 4 5 4. Why are ball bearings used with wheels and axles? A. They serve as brakes. B. They cut friction at the axle. (cause and effect) C. They replace the fixed axle. D. They add power to the wheel and axle. 6 7 5. Which of these uses of pulleys was invented more recently than the others? A. deus ex machina B. elevators C. actors being lowered by block and tackle D. tow truck (sequence) 8 9 SIMPLE MACHINES 10

It s in the Reading (continued) 6. Which of these would use pulley? A. hitting a ball with a bat B. closing a door C. opening window drapes or blinds (inference) D. moving a wagon 8 9 7. What kind of simple machine is the heating switch in Rube Goldberg s Pencil Sharpener drawing? A. a lever (details) B. a pulley C. a wedge D. an inclined plane 10 11 8. Why did the pyramid builders make the ramps longer as the pyramids were built higher? A. to reach the highest parts B. to reduce friction C. to make the slope less steep (cause and effect) D. to replace the wedges used 12 13 9. Which of these is a wedge used to hold something in place? A. bow of a ship B. doorstop (details) C. sliding part of a zipper D. an axe 14 15 10. Which part of a screw is an inclined plane? A. the pointed end B. the thread (details) C. the groove for the screwdriver D. the head 16 17 11. Tell how you use one or more levers every day. Tell what kinds of lever they are. Answers will vary. Students may identify their use of scissors, which are compound first-class levers, for example. SIMPLE MACHINES 11

Name ANSWER KEY Date Everything Visual Diagrams may show the relationship between parts or how the item depicted works. The diagrams on page 9 show pulleys and how they work. Study the diagrams. Read their numbered captions. Then answer the questions. 1. What is a fixed pulley? A fixed pulley is one in which the pulley wheel is attached and does not move up and down. 2. What does the fixed pulley change? Why is this change helpful? The fixed pulley changes the direction of the effort. This is helpful because it is easier to pull down because of gravity than it is to lift something up. 3. If a load weighs 50 pounds, how much effort is needed to lift and hold the load when using a fixed pulley? Explain. The effort must equal 50 pounds, the weight of the load. A fixed pulley changes the direction of the effort, not the amount of the effort. 4. How are the movable pulley shown and the block and tackle shown alike? How are they different? The movable pulley shown is paired with a fixed pulley. Both the movable pulley and block and tackle shown use more than one pulley, with one of the pulleys a movable pulley. They both reduce the amount of effort needed to lift the load. The block and tackle requires less effort than the movable pulley. 5. What kind of pulley is a block and tackle? A block and tackle is a compound pulley, using both fixed and movable pulleys. 6. Which kind of pulley reduces the effort needed the most? Explain why? The block and tackle reduces the effort needed the most. This pulley system uses several pulleys and two ropes. The weight of the load is split between two ropes, cutting the effort in half. SIMPLE MACHINES 12