Simple Machines

We have started our study of simple machines.  There are different lists of the "official" simple machines, but the six we will be focusing on are:

• Monday: inclined plane
• Tuesday:  wedge (basically an inclined plane)
• Wednesday: screw (inclined plane wrapped around a post
• Thursday: wheel and axle (the roundness of the wheel moves effort over distance, just like an inclined plane)
• Thursday:  pulley/block and tackle (a special kind of wheel and axle)
• Monday:  lever (must have a fulcrum)

 
Here is a link to the Prezi I created for second grade to teach about simple machines.

Please note that a tool (like a can-opener) has simple machines in it.  A knife is a tool; it has a wedge for its simple machine.

 
VOLUNTEER:
Please remember that we're having a Simple Machines workshop on Tuesday, December 11, from 12:30 to...  The more adult volunteers, the better.

NEEDS:
If you have old machines (blenders, VCRs, fans, etc.) at home that we can take apart, please send them in with your second grader.

AT-HOME:
Your second grader is welcome to bring in a tool that has a simple machine in it, provided it:
A) is safe to bring to school, and
B) he/she can explain  1) the name of the tool 2) what it is used for and 3) what simple machine(s) it has.

Here are some tools with simple machines we looked at today (with a focus on the wedge):

 Tool:  knife; Use: cutting, dividing, slicing; Simple machine: wedge.

 Tool: apple slicer; Use: dividing apple; Simple machine: wedge.

 Tool: can opener; Use: opening cans; Simple machines: wheel, wedge, lever (can you spot them all?).

 Tool: spatula; Use: lifting/flipping food; Simple machines: wedge, lever (bonus: where is the fulcrum?).

 Tool: Scissors; Use: cutting; Simple machines: wedges, lever (actually, there are TWO levers on these scissors!).

 Tool: vegetable peeler; Use: peeling vegetables and fruits; Simple machines: wedges.

Tool: grater; Use: grating; Simple machines: wedges, lots of little wedges.

CURRICULUM:
From the Core Knowledge Sequence:
V. Simple Machines
Teachers: Examine with children how specific tools are made to perform specific jobs—for example,
hammers, screwdrivers, pliers, etc. Through observation and experimentation, examine with children
how simple machines help make work easier, and how they are applied and combined in familiar tools and machines.
• Simple machines
lever
pulley
wheel-and-axle
gears: wheels with teeth and notches
how gears work, and familiar uses (for example, in bicycles)
inclined plane
wedge
screw
• Friction, and ways to reduce friction (lubricants, rollers, etc.)