Catherine Harris

October 1
st
, 2013
Science Lesson: Simple Machines Science Stations
Benchmarks
P.FM.03.36 - Relate a change in motion of an object to the force that caused the change of
motion.
Objectives
Students will be able to:
Describe the six types of simple machines and explain what they can do
Define vocabulary terms about simple machines
Materials
Six laptops
Vocabulary worksheets for each student
A Fearful Weapon article and questions worksheet for each student
Interactive board
Discovery Education website
BrainPop Junior website
Pencils for each student
Clipboards for students on the carpet

Anticipatory Set
Students will go over the objectives for the lesson. The class will watch a video on BrainPop
Junior about simple machines. Together, the class will complete the easy quiz on the website
on the interactive board as a review.
Direct Instruction
The teacher will give the instructions for each station directly to the students. During the
interactive station, the teacher will direct students in describing simple machines using the data
chart. The teacher will direct students to help them answer what each machine can do and how it
works.
Guided Practice
The students will work with the teacher to answer questions about the exploration activity they
saw at the interactive board station. They will be guided to provide answers about how pulleys
change force to do work and how simple machines can help move a large rock into a truck.
Independent Practice
Students will be practicing independently at two science stations. They will independently read
an article about a catapult and answer questions about the article. They can look back at the
article to help them find their answers. Students will also independently complete the About
Simple Machines Vocabulary using the Science Techbook on the laptops. The students will use
the interactive glossary to define words and draw a picture to help them remember what each
word means

Procedures
1. The teacher will give the quiet signal to the class. When the class is quiet, the teacher will
ask the students to put their materials from the previous activity away. The teacher will
do a call-and-response activity. The students repeat what the teacher says. SWBAT
Students will be able to describe simple machines.
2. The teacher will say, Alright friends, today we are going to continue learning about
simple machines. Earlier this week, we learned what simple machines are. Before we
start our stations today, we are going to watch a video to remind us about simple
machines. The teacher will turn on the video with the lights off. After the video, the
teacher will turn the lights on and click on the easy quiz. The teacher will read the
questions aloud and ask for student volunteers to answer the questions.
3. The teacher will explain to the class that they will be learning about simple machines in
three different science stations. The teacher will describe each station that they are doing.
One station you will do today is using your vocabulary worksheet that I gave you a few
days ago. You will use the laptops with a partner to write the definition of each
vocabulary word and draw a picture to help you remember. At the next station, you will
be doing an activity on the interactive board with me. The last station is at your own
desk. You will be reading this article about catapults and answering some questions about
what you read. Be sure to read the entire article once or twice before answering the
questions. Make sure you look back at the selection to find your answers. Just like last
week, the answers can be found right in the article. I will be checking your answers so do
your best work.
4. The teacher will explain the necessary materials for each station. At the laptop station,
you will need your vocabulary worksheet from your daily folder and a pencil. At the
interactive board, you will need a clipboard or your white board and a pencil. At your
desks, you will need your pencil and maybe a highlighter if that will help you.
5. The teacher will explain the procedures for doing stations. When I ring the bell, that
means it is time to go to your next station. We will move in a circle around the room, so
if you were at the laptops then you will come see me at the board. If you were with me,
you will go to your desk to read the article. If you were reading the article, then you will
go to the laptops. The teacher will then ask the students if they have any questions about
any station or the procedures for stations. The teacher will also remind the students that
transition times are not talking times, and that they should be at their next station with all
their materials in less than one minute.
6. The teacher will have the student of the week pass out an article to each student. Please
keep your article at your desk until you are at that station. The teacher will then call 9
students to start at the laptops with a partner and those students will move to find their
spot. The teacher will then call 9 more students to sit at the board. The teacher will call
the remaining 9 students and tell them to stay seated to work on their article.
7. When the students are settled, the teacher will begin the activity on the interactive board.
The teacher will give each student the explorations worksheet. A student volunteer will
read the introduction to the activity. Another volunteer will choose which simple machine
would work best for each task and then read the explanation. The teacher will ask the
group what task the machine can do and how it works. She will then help the students by
telling them what they should be writing in each box of their chart. This process will be
repeated throughout the interactive activity, which includes six examples of simple
machines, including wheel and axle, pulley, inclined plane, screw, wedge, and lever. For
each simple machine, the students will write the example for what it was used for in the
interaction.
8. The teacher will explain the questions on the other side of the page. How does a pulley
change force to do work? How is the force changed? The pulley helps you to do what?
The teacher will give the students time to write their responses and then ask for student
volunteers to share. The teacher will then tell the students to describe two ways to use a
simple machine to help move a large rock into a truck. How would you move the rock
into a truck? Would you want to lift it straight up? No? What kind of simple machine
could you use to make it easier? Again, the teacher will give the students time to write
their responses and then share with the group.
9. After about 15 minutes in the station, the teacher will ring the bell to indicate that it is
time to switch stations. She will remind the students to move as quietly as possible so that
we cant even hear them move. She will also remind students where to go and what
materials to bring. Then the teacher will repeat the station activity with the next group.
10. Again, after about 15 minutes, the teacher will ring the bell and remind students to move
quietly. She will also remind students of the materials they need. The teacher will repeat
the station activity with the last group.
11. The teacher will ring the bell to get the students attention. She will direct students to
move to their seats quietly. Once they are seated, the teacher will ask, What are some
things we learned from our stations today? Before we go outside, I need a couple of
volunteers to share something that they learned. Once volunteers have shared, the
teacher will direct the students. Your exit ticket for recess is to put your completed
article in the center of your table and your explorations worksheet in your mailbox. If
your questions from the article are not finished, you need to spend the first few minutes
of recess completing the questions because I am correcting them. Have a nice recess!
Closure
At the end of the interactive station, the students will share their responses with the teacher and
the group. The students will be directed on which station to go to next after the time is up for
each stations. The students will then share two things that they learned with the class before
going out for recess.
Assessment
Informal: The teacher will informally assess students working independently by keeping an eye
on them to make sure they are on task. At the interactive station, the teacher will informally
assess students during the activity to see if they can guess the correct simple machines for each
job. The teacher will also informally assess students as they share their answers at their station
and during the closure activity.
Formal: The teacher will collect the article and questions to score. The students will take a ten
question quiz the following day to check their understanding about simple machines.