Kim Berry June 7, 2010

Students will learn the concepts of force, motion, and work as they relate to simple machines. They will learn about simple and complex machines, and track the transfer of force from effort-input to work- output. Students collect, organize, represent, and analyze data from a human automation investigation using spreadsheet software. Students will take on the role of inventors by identifying a task they want to complete, and then inventing a machines to complete the task. The design steps of planning, drafting, construction, troubleshooting, and reliability testing are followed before students unveil their wonderful inventions to an awed crowd.

Essential – What can I do as an individual that might make life easier? Unit – How do I invent a machine or object that can do my work? – What kinds of changes occur when machines and objects replace human workers? Content – What are the definitions of the terms: force, motion, and work? – Identify the three common simple machines and their uses? – How can I collect, display, and interpret data to help me understand?

Students will – define the difference between effort and work – name the three most common types of simple machines and give examples – locate and identify examples of simple machines used in everyday life – use the scientific method to create a simple machine – create a power point presentation illustrating their work to connect learning

Create a K-W-L chart to assess prior knowledge of force, motion, and work in order to plan specific unit instruction and address needs of individual students as well as the group. While students are engaged with various kinds of simple machines observations will be made to assess student understanding of the concepts of force and work. Students will reflect their experiences in their science journal for further observations. As students work in their small group to create a new invention, conduct observations and questioning opportunities to determine students’ ability to apply their learning about simple machines. After students have created their machines, ask them to reflect on the originality of their invention with the originality checklist. As students create multimedia presentations to share their projects, students use the project checklist and the presentation rubric to help them manage their time and to make sure that their presentation meets the expectations for quality, completeness, a level of understanding. The completed presentation is assessed with the presentation rubric. An objective based test will also be given to help students connect their individual learning experiences with other situational type scenarios. Finally, students will reflect in their science journal what they have learned.