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Session 15: Simple Machines ⚙️

Overview

Grades: 3-4 | Duration: 40 minutes | Session: 15 of 17

Students explore all six simple machines, understanding how they make work easier and building working examples.

Session 15: Simple Machines

Learning Objectives

By the end of this session, students will:

  • Identify all six simple machines

  • Explain how each machine makes work easier

  • Build and test simple machine examples

  • Find simple machines in everyday life

Session 15: Simple Machines

Materials Needed

  • 📦 Simple machine materials (pulleys, levers, ramps)

  • 🛠️ Building supplies

  • 📸 Simple machine examples

  • 📓 Engineering journals

  • 📋 Simple machine identification sheets

Catholic Integration

Saint Connection

St. Joseph the Worker — As a carpenter, he used simple machines every day to build and create. Feast day: May 1st!

Scripture

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord." — Colossians 3:23

Opening Prayer

Dear God, like St. Joseph who worked with his hands, help us appreciate the tools that make work easier. Thank you for simple machines that multiply our effort. Amen.

Lesson Procedure

Opening Circle (6 minutes)

  1. What is Work?
  2. Physics: Work = Force × Distance
  3. Moving something takes energy/effort
  4. Simple Machines:
  5. Tools that make work EASIER
  6. They don't reduce work, they change HOW we do it
  7. The Six Simple Machines:
  8. 🪜 Inclined Plane — Ramp
  9. 🪵 Wedge — Ax, knife
  10. 🔩 Screw — Spiral inclined plane
  11. ⚖️ Lever — Seesaw, crowbar
  12. 🛞 Wheel & Axle — Doorknob, car
  13. 🪢 Pulley — Flagpole, blinds

Main Activity: Simple Machine Stations (26 minutes)

Part 1: Station Rotation (18 minutes) Set up 3 stations, rotate every 6 minutes:

Station 1: Lever Experiments

  • Build levers with different fulcrum positions

  • Test: Where is it easiest to lift a weight?

  • Discover: Closer fulcrum = less effort needed

  • Identify lever classes (1st, 2nd, 3rd)

Station 2: Inclined Plane & Wedge

  • Test ramps at different angles

  • Measure effort to push objects up

  • Discover: Longer ramp = less effort

  • See how wedge splits/cuts

Station 3: Wheel/Axle & Pulley

  • Test wheel and axle advantage

  • Use simple pulley to lift weight

  • Discover: Pulley changes direction of force

  • Compare lifting with and without machines

Part 2: Find Simple Machines (5 minutes)

  • Identify simple machines in classroom

  • Scissors = lever + wedge

  • Doorknob = wheel and axle

  • List as many as possible!

Part 3: Design Challenge (3 minutes)

  • Quick sketch: Design a machine using 2+ simple machines

  • Share ideas!

Engineering Journal (5 minutes)

  1. Draw and label all 6 simple machines
  2. Write: "Simple machines make work easier by..."
  3. List 5 simple machines you found in the classroom
  4. Sketch your machine design idea

Closing Circle (3 minutes)

  1. Discovery Share — "Which simple machine surprised you most?"
  2. St. Joseph Connection — "What machines would he have used?"
  3. Closing Prayer — "God, thank you for tools that help us work. Like St. Joseph, may we work with joy and skill. Amen."

Assessment

Observation Checklist:

  • Named 6 simple machines

  • Explained how machines reduce effort

  • Experimented at stations

  • Identified real-world examples

Differentiation

For Students Who Need Support

  • Focus on 3 main machines

  • Hands-on station focus

  • Visual reference card

For Advanced Students

  • Calculate mechanical advantage

  • Research compound machines

  • Design Rube Goldberg machine concept

Wonder at Home 🏠

Family Activity: Simple machine scavenger hunt at home! How many can you find? Identify the simple machines in tools, toys, and household items. Try building a simple machine to solve a problem!

Teacher Notes

  • Simple Machine Kit available from CSCOE

  • Great connection to St. Joseph the Worker (May 1)

  • Connect to playground equipment

  • Consider KEVA or LEGO for building

Previous: Session 14 — Dash Challenge
Next: Session 16 — Little Bits