wheels & levers
CURRICULAR OUTCOMES
- Construct devices that use wheels and axles, and demonstrate and describe their use in pulley systems
- Demonstrate a practical understanding of wheels, gears and levers by constructing devices in which energy is transferred to produce motion.
- Explain how rollers can be used to move an object, and demonstrate the use of rollers in a practical situation.
- Predict how changes in the size of a lever or the position of the fulcrum will affect the forces and movements involved.
TEACHING APPROACH
In teaching this unit, my intention was to maximize students' hands-on learning and work with their sense of discovery during these experiences. For teaching the material, I used Power Point lessons and classroom discussions, combined with lab activities, group work, inspiring videos, art, quiz games, writing exercises, and projects that involved building simple machines.
The first topic I taught was levers. I created a small Power Point presentation, which began with a class discussion about levers. I made students relate to their everyday usage of these simple machines. After teaching the basics of levers, I assessed the students by using a small quiz game I attached into the Power Point presentation. The main activity where students could experiment with various levers and how changing the fulcrum affects their usage was demonstrated in a lab I created for them. Children were fully engaged throughout the whole lesson. I followed up this lesson with a second lab, which was more in-depth, where students were to record their observations and findings. The whole idea was to construct a lever which acted as a weight scale, with cups on both sides. The students would fill up cups until the lever was balanced. Then, they would record their observations. Next, they would move the fulcrum to another position and repeat the experiment, this time with different results. Students would report their findings and make conclusions based on their data. After explaining how to do the experiment, I posted up instructions on the SMART board for students who forgot steps or preferred to use the visual aid. Students were further assessed as a class using an on-line pop quiz, artwork, and an individual written test. I saved the learning dessert for last, where students got to build their own catapult and test its launching capability. This concluded with a catapult launching competition, in which some students also practised their direct-precision skills.
The next topic was rollers. I presented a challenge to students, which was a lesson that involved them moving an object to a desired location without actually lifting it. Eventually, some started to understand how their pencil crayons could be used as rollers! I had these students demonstrate to the class how they succeeded in doing so. For the next lesson, I used an in-class demonstration with student volunteers to show the class how pushing a child inside a bin was much more easily achieved with rollers, due to the minimal amount of friction encountered. This then lead into an interesting Power Point presentation and classroom discussion on rollers in the real world, which were accompanied by some short, interesting videos. Wheels and axles flow nicely into this prior topic, in which I used a Power Point for more advanced learners. This was followed by inclined planes. The lesson plan format I used was similar, which utilized a presentation with great visuals, and concluded with a lab experiment.
Getting into pulleys was the most fascinating part of our learning journey. This topic began with a short presentation on pulleys, and a lesson which involved a lab experiment to test out various pulley designs. Through discovery and experiential learning, students quickly learned which pulley design worked the best. Again, saving the learning dessert for last, students would finally be able to construct their own pulley well. However, this was preceded by a short inspirational video on village wells, and my display of an exemplary well that I created beforehand. It is important to show students an example of what we expect of them before having them complete a large task. This well-building project spanned over the course of a few days. It involved crafting, designing, planning, painting, and drawing with oil pastels. I ensured that I had all the proper equipment and supplies purchased before starting. As for differentiated instruction, I took my instructions even further, as I created special visual aids with written instructions that were displayed on the SMART board. I assisted one student who struggled with fine motor tasks, to ensure that he was getting in on the joy of this learning project. The lessons and project went so well as to impress another teacher who wanted me to teach this same lesson in her class. With her specialization and background in fine arts
Getting into pulleys was the most fascinating part of our learning journey. This topic began with a short presentation on pulleys, and a lesson which involved a lab experiment to test out various pulley designs. Through discovery and experiential learning, students quickly learned which pulley design worked the best. Again, saving the learning dessert for last, students would finally be able to construct their own pulley well. However, this was preceded by a short inspirational video on village wells, and my display of an exemplary well that I created beforehand. It is important to show students an example of what we expect of them before having them complete a large task. This well-building project spanned over the course of a few days. It involved crafting, designing, planning, painting, and drawing with oil pastels. I ensured that I had all the proper equipment and supplies purchased before starting. As for differentiated instruction, I took my instructions even further, as I created special visual aids with written instructions that were displayed on the SMART board. I assisted one student who struggled with fine motor tasks, to ensure that he was getting in on the joy of this learning project. The lessons and project went so well as to impress another teacher who wanted me to teach this same lesson in her class. With her specialization and background in fine arts