Simple Machines!

We have done it!  We have officially discussed each of the 6 simple machines in the classroom and have seen first hand how they help make work easier.   We tested levers (catapults), inclined planes, wedges, screws, pulleys and wheels and axles.  We built cars with wheels and axles, tested them by sending them down an inclined plane and tried to make improvements to our designs. All students have improved at drawing detailed, labeled diagrams and explaining their thinking orally and on paper..

Some of the Curriculum Expectations we were working on:
By the end of Grade 2, students will:
2.3  investigate the structure and function of simple machines (e.g., by building a wheel and axle for a toy car; by exploring the effects of changing the slope of a ramp

2.4  use technological problem-solving skills (see page 16), and knowledge and skills acquired from previous investigations, to design, build, and test a mechanism that includes one or more simple machines (e.g., a toy, a model ...What is the purpose of your mechanism? What simple machine(s) does it use? Explain how it does what it does. What kind of movement does it demonstrate? What were some of the challenges in designing and making your mechanism? Based on the tests you conducted, what might you change about your mechanism?

3.3 identify the six basic types of simple machines – lever; inclined plane; pulley; wheel and axle, including gear; screw; and wedge – and give examples of ways in which each is used in daily life to make tasks easier 

3.4 describe how each type of simple machine allows humans to move objects with less  force than otherwise would be needed
(e.g., an inclined plane allows a heavy object
to be moved upwards more easily than if it were lifted and carried up stairs; a wheel and axle allow an object to roll, which creates less friction than if it were dragged;