Simple Machines

Grade 2 students have been learning about Simple Machines and how these help humans make difficult work easier. Students discovered that machines don't need to have a motor to be considered a machine. Students learned about six simple machines: the screw, the pulley, the lever, the inclined plane, the wheel and axle, and the wedge. Students have had much fun creating cars with recycled materials and trying them on different surfaces and inclined planes. They had the opportunity to build a catapult and launch marshmallows to see if they could catch them with their mouths! At the end of the unit, the students discovered that there was a sneaky leprechaun in school and that they had to create a trap using their simple machines.