Module 5: Movement and Machines, Unit 10: Simple Machines by Strategic Calls

Explore.

Module 5 Unit 10

Experiment. Question.

Integrate.

Simple Machines OVERVIEW During this unit, children will have opportunities to explore wheels and axles, levers, inclined planes and pulleys as examples of simple machines that we can use in our everyday lives. Additionally, the following learning goals will be met as the children participate in these ScienceStart activities:

Science • Using simple machines makes work easier • Moving objects using wheels and axles • Lifting or opening things using levers • Using pulleys and inclined planes to make it easier to move things • Using simple machines in many ways, everyday

Literacy • Encouraging conversations and responses to questions • Using language to describe what is being done or what is happening • Relating books to hands-on science activities • Drawing diagrams of materials being used • Using a Table of Contents and page numbers

Mathematics • Counting objects to make sets • Comparing amounts in different sets of objects • Measuring weight and distance • Sorting objects by their characteristics

Simple Machines Developed by Lucia French, Ph.D. University of Rochester Rochester, New York and Kathleen M. Conezio, M.S.Ed. University of Rochester Rochester, New York Copyright ÂŠ 2012 by University of Rochester and ScienceStart! All rights reserved.

Please visit our website at: www.ScienceStart.com

Table of Contents for Simple Machines Teaching Science with ScienceStart

What Should I Know?

Simple Machines Overview

Week #1: Exploring Simple Machines

Week #3: Making Things With Simple Machines Materials for Center-Based Play

Lesson #1: Tools for Building

Lesson #2: Woodworking

Materials for Center-Based Play

Lesson #3: Tools in the Kitchen

Lesson #1: Can You Move Me?

Lesson #4: Gears

Lesson #2: Without Wheels

Lesson #5: What Can You Build?

Lesson #3: See-Saw

Week #4: Using Simple Machines

Lesson #4: Up the Ramp

Materials for Center-Based Play

Lesson #5: Pulling Pulleys

Lesson #1: Cars and Trucks on the Street

Lesson #2: Race Course

Week #2: Simple Machines at Work Materials for Center-Based Play

Lesson #3: Bicycle Rally

Lesson #1: Vehicles Use Wheels

Lesson #4: Balancing Act

Lesson #2: Using a Pan Balance

Lesson #5: Bubble Race

Lesson #3: Tools

Lesson #4: Launch Pad

Lesson #5: Painting with Pulleys

53 Page 5

Teaching Science with ScienceStart Language, literacy and mathematics flow naturally from hands-on science, which is the activity of learning about the everyday world. Learning about the everyday world is as fundamental to the early childhood years as learning to walk, talk, and interact with others. With ScienceStart, children build a rich knowledge-base that supports further learning and higher-order skills like classification and drawing inferences. Language, literacy, and mathematics are basic tools for learning that develop as children engage in ScienceStart inquiry activities and share their questions and observations with others. Preschool children have the abilities to do science. In fact, “doing science” fits the ways children learn: by exploring, repeating and communicating hands-on, multi-sensory activities. It is crucial that children carry out the activities themselves and that they have opportunities to repeat and vary the activities and to talk about what they are doing and finding out. The goals of science learning in early childhood are to explore, build concepts, and build vocabulary to communicate these concepts. There is an emphasis on trial and error rather than on “right answers” and so teachers do not need to “know all the answers.” Teachers do need to help children ask questions and discover for themselves. A 4-Step Science Cycle supports systematic guided inquiry, helping children “learn to learn.” Because learning and doing science relies on children’s firsthand experience, it is always meaningful and provides a motivating context for learning language, literacy, and mathematics. Hands-on inquiry science fosters a classroom community that easily includes all children. Because ScienceStart activities can be done in many ways, they engage children who have different learning styles and are at different developmental levels. As teachers observe children doing science activities, they can respond to individuals’ strengths and needs. Because inquiry science emphasizes exploration and trial and error as important ways to learn, children focus on learning rather than on avoiding mistakes.

An experienced teacher, observing her students as they mixed primary colored shaving cream to see what new color might emerge, noted how the excitement of doing science motivated other learning: I’m not sure which child at my table figured out that he could write letters in the shaving cream once it had flattened out. And then everyone was trying it. This class is very exciting.The parent conferences that I’ve had so far this week, everyone is saying, “What are you doing with them? They just want to write.” A dad told me that last night his son went to sleep with his pencil box in the bed. -Sue Strowe, teacher

Page 7

The Science Cycle is a powerful teaching tool. This cycle supports active learning by organizing inquiry. Its four phases bring the scientific method into ScienceStart classrooms. All ScienceStart lessons use the Science Cycle. Reflect & Ask begins the cycle. Teachers should talk with children and ask them to think and share their knowledge about a topic. The teacher can introduce new vocabulary and read fiction or nonfiction books to help children think and talk about the topic. Recalling previous science activities helps children reflect on what they know and ask new questions. The teacher and other adults in the classroom can model asking questions using phrases such as: “What do you think will happen if we …?” Plan & Predict is next. The teacher should help children plan what to do in the science activity that will get information to help answer their question. They may discuss what materials they need and where to do the activity. The teacher should encourage children to make predictions about the outcome of the activity, accepting all answers. They then move forward with: “Let’s see what happens!” Act & Observe is the phase during which children carry out the science activity. Teachers may model the activity to help children understand what to do, but it is essential that each child does the science activity. Teachers should expect children to vary the activity as there is no one “right” way to do it. The teacher should talk with children about what they are doing and support conversation among the children. In some cases, this phase is best carried out in small groups. Report & Reflect is the final phase of the science cycle. Children should talk about what they observed and what new ideas and questions they have. There are many ways for children to represent what they have learned. Reports can be graphs, class-made books, a poster with photographs, a journal entry, a drawing or a conversation.

The ScienceStart Curriculum was developed at the University of Rochester by Dr. Lucia French, a specialist in language and literacy development and Kathleen Conezio, an expert on early literacy and science who also serves as a science advisor to Sesame Street. For 15 years, we have collaborated with hundreds of teachers to continually improve ScienceStart . Development of ScienceStart has been supported by more than $5,000,000 in grants from the National Science Foundation and the United States Department of Education. ScienceStart is easy to use with English Language Learners and children with special needs. Research shows that children at all socioeconomic levels make substantial gains in language, literacy, and science knowledge when their teachers use ScienceStart .

Page 8

What Should I Know? Simple machines are mechanical devices that make work faster, easier, and more efficient. They make work easier by changing the magnitude or the direction of the force exerted to do that work. However, to make the work easier, you must exert the force over a greater distance. There are six kinds of simple machines: a wheel and axle, a lever, an inclined plane, a pulley, a screw, and a wedge. The wedge and the screw are both modified inclined planes. Simple machines can be combined to make more complex machinery. For example, a bicycle is made up of wheels and axles, levers, and pulleys. People use simple machines many times every day. Lever: A lever is a board or bar that rests on a turning point. This turning point is called the fulcrum. The object that a lever moves is called the load. The closer the load is to the fulcrum, the easier it is to move. Some examples of levers are a see-saw, a bottle opener, a crowbar, a door hinge, and a hammer. Inclined plane: An inclined plane is a flat surface that is higher on one end. You use this machine to move an object to a lower or higher place. Inclined planes make work easier because you use less force to move the object with the inclined plane. Examples of inclined planes are a ramp, a path up a hill, a staircase, and a slide. Wheel and axle: The wheel and axle is another simple machine. The axle is a rod that goes through the wheel and allows it to turn. Wheels and axles make it easier to move an object from one place to another by reducing the amount of friction between the object and the surface it is moving over. Cars, bicycles, wagons, door knobs, and roller skates are some examples of everyday objects that use a wheel and axle. Page 9

Pulley: A pulley is made up of a wheel and a rope. The rope fits into a groove on the wheel. One part of the rope is attached to the object to be moved. When you pull on the rope on one side of the pulley, the wheel turns and the load will move. Pulleys let you move loads up, down, or sideways. You can use more than one pulley at a time to make it easier to move heavy loads. Examples of pulleys include flagpoles, clotheslines, sailboats, and cranes. Screw: A screw is an inclined plane that wraps around itself. Screws are used to fasten things together or to raise and lower things. Some examples of screws are jar lids, light bulbs, spiral staircases and clamps. Wedge: A wedge is a simple machine made of two inclined planes put together. It is used to push two objects apart. Examples of wedges are knives, axes, nails, zippers, and pins.

Page 10

Simple Machines Overview Week 1

Science Activities

Literacy Highlights

Math Highlights

Can You Move Me?

Mama Zooms by Jane Cowen-Fletcher

Introduce letters W/w, P/p, I/i, L/l

Without Wheels

Identify words versus letters

See-Saw

What Do Wheels Do All Day? by April Jones Prince

Add one more to a set of objects and find the new total

Up the Ramp

Just a Little Bit by Ann Tompert

Identify rhyming words in a song or poem

Count and compare objects in a set

Pulling Pulleys

Simple Machines by Allen Fowler

Make a simple pattern

What is a Pulley? by Lloyd Douglas

Introduce using a table of contents and page numbers

Vehicles Use Wheels

If I Built a Car by Chris Van Dusen

Introduce letters V/v, B/b, T/t, L/l, H/h

Using a Pan Balance

How Do You Lift a Lion? by Robert Wells

Use labels for diagrams

Compare number of objects in two sets

Tools

Tools by Taro Miura

Launch Pad

Balancing Act by Ellen Stoll Walsh

Further understanding of the use of a Table of Contents and page numbers

Use a pan balance to compare weights of objects

Painting with Pulleys

Pull, Lift, Lower: A Book About Pulleys by Michael Dahl Old MacDonald Had a Woodshop by Lisa Introduce letters T/t, W/w, K/k, V/v, Shulman G/g

Tools for Building Woodworking Tools in the Kitchen Gears What Can You Build?

Books to Read

Cars and Trucks on the Street Race Course

Compare the size of objects Compare numbers of objects in different sets

This is the House that Jack Built by Simms Taback

Use beginning sounds to help identify words

Sort by certain characteristics

Tools by Ann Morris

Retell a story that was read

Use cardinal numbers

Duck on a Bike by David Shannon

Identify rhyming words in a song or poem

Wendel’s Workshop by Chris Riddell Cars and Trucks from Scholastic First Discovery

Bicycle Rally

The Wheels on the Race Car by Alexander Zane

Balancing Act

Duck on a Bike by David Shannon

Bubble Race

Balancing Act by Ellen Stoll Walsh Benny’s Big Bubble by Jane O’Conner

Introduce letters R/r, C/c, T/t, B/b

Measure distance

Make a book together

Sort objects by certain characteristics

Write a group story

Count to 20 to time an event

Make street signs

Make simple patterns

Identify rhyming words in a song or poem

Center-Based Play Materials & Activities to Support This Week’s Science Learning Week #1 Dramatic Play

Manipulatives

Art Center

Large Motor Play

Block Area

Science Table

• A laundry center with a rolling cart • Clothesline with a pulley • Pinch clothespins

• Matchbox cars or trucks and paint to make tire prints • Circles, rectangles and triangles cut from colored paper to make collages • Make an edible wheel snack using round crackers. Arrange thin pieces of cheese on the cracker to make spokes. • Make your own street map.

• Vehicles for moving things around • Ramps for racing cars

• • • •

Pan balance Pry off lids and a can opener Transportation puzzles Scissors to cut with

• Scooter play • Doll strollers • Slides and swings on the playground • Wagons to pull

• • • •

Variety of vehicles that have wheels Variety of pulleys Clock with a pendulum Different types of levers – scissors, can opener, claw hammer

Page 13

Simple Machines Week #1 Activity #1 Can You Move Me? (wheels and axles) Concepts: We can move heavy things more easily if they are on wheels and axles.

Learning Goals: Children will use a scooter to move heavy objects from one place to another.

Vocabulary: axle easy/hard light/heavy move

push/pull roll stop wheel

Materials: heavy string to pull the scooter light and heavy objects to put on top of the scooter scooters

Read and Talk About: Mama Zooms by Jane Cowen-Fletcher

Things to Talk About: How can you get the object on the scooter to move? How can you get the object on the scooter to stop moving once it has started to move? What other kinds of vehicles can you use to push or pull people or things around in? Does the size of the object on the scooter make a difference in how hard or easy it is to push/pull the scooter? Why? Page 15

Simple Machines Week #1 Activity #1 Can You Move Me? (wheels and axles) - Language and Literacy

Speaking & Listening Reading Comprehension

Alphabet Awareness Phonological Awareness Print Awareness

With the children, brainstorm a list of things that use wheels to move. Which things can be moved with people power and which things have motors to make them move? What would happen if there were no wheels at all? Show children the front cover of the book and read the first page. Ask them to speculate about what the â&#x20AC;&#x153;zooming machineâ&#x20AC;? is. As you read the book, talk about the fun things that the boy imagines he is doing while he rides with his mom. Talk about possible reasons for the mom using a wheelchair. Review W/w for wheel. As you demonstrate how to make the letters, point out that W/w is made with straight lines, but wheels are shaped like circles. Could you make a wheel out of a straight line? Sing The Wheels on the Bus and talk about how the wheels move. As you continue with the other verses, ask children to identify which parts of the verse change and which ones stay the same. Print the words to The Wheels on the Bus on large chart paper. Have the children underline the words in each verse that repeat. Circle the word bus each time it occurs in the song. Give a child a pointer and have him/her point to the words as you sing the song.

Page 16

Simple Machines Week #1 Activity #1 Can You Move Me? (wheels and axles) Science Inquiry Cycle: Reflect and Ask Read todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s book as a way to begin the discussion about moving objects using wheels and axles. Have the teacher or paraprofessional sit in the middle of the circle and challenge the children to think of ways to move her to the door. Could you try pushing or pulling? Could you carry her? Show the children the scooter and ask them how this might help.

Mathematics Monday: Refer to the list the class made of things that use wheels to move. Ask the children how many wheels each of these has and support them in making a table showing this information.

Plan and Predict Ask the children what kinds of heavy things they would like to try to move with the scooter. Ask them what kind of force they will need to use to move the scooter (push/pull).

Act and Observe Encourage the children to try moving a variety of objects and people using the scooter. Discuss which items are hardest to move. Why? How do they make the scooter stop moving? Which items are harder to stop moving once they get going?

Report and Reflect Take photos of the children as they participate in this activity. Use these photos to help the children recall what they did and to discuss what they found out. Through this discussion, support the children in articulating why wheels and axles are useful for moving objects.

Page 17

Simple Machines Week #1 Activity #2 Without Wheels Concepts: We can move heavy things more easily if they are on wheels and axles.

Learning Goals: Children will try to move objects in a box with no wheels and then put wheels on the box to find out if it is easier to move. Children will discuss the advantages of moving things with wheels and axles.

Vocabulary: axle variety wheel

Materials: cardboard shoe boxes heavy rocks or other items to fill the boxes Tinker Toys or other toys to make wheels and axles to use with the shoe boxes

Read and Talk About: What Do Wheels Do All Day? by April Jones Prince

Things to Talk About: Why are vehicles designed with wheels? What would a vehicle look like if it didn’t have wheels? Why don’t snowmobiles have wheels? What do they have instead to help them move over the snow? Why doesn’t a boat have wheels? Does an airplane have wheels? When does the airplane use its wheels? Page 19

Simple Machines Week #1 Activity #2 Without Wheels - Language and Literacy

Speaking & Listening

Reading Comprehension

Alphabet Awareness Phonological Awareness Print Awareness

Remove the wheels from an old plastic car or truck and show the vehicle to the children. Talk about what is wrong with it and why this would be a problem. Ask the children if they can think of any vehicles that can move things without using wheels – snow sleds might be an example. Talk about how friction makes it difficult to move things without using wheels. As you read today’s book, ask children to look at the illustrations and talk about the various things that wheels can do. Which wheels are used for transportation and which ones are used for recreation? As you read the rhyming text, encourage children to think about what the next word will be. Introduce or review W/w for wheels. Ask children to come up and write the letter on chart paper. Make a list of words that begin with W/w: wheel, water, wood, wagon, window, and so forth. Sing This Old Man with the children. Each time you get to the phrase This old man came rolling home, change the word rolling to some other motion – flying, gliding, sliding, and other words that the children think of. Ahead of time, print the words to today’s song on chart paper. Write the new words to replace rolling on strips of paper and Velcro or tape them onto the chart in the appropriate places. Have several children use a pointer to point to the new words as you sing the song.

Page 20

Simple Machines Week #1 Activity #2 Without Wheels Science Inquiry Cycle: Reflect and Ask Ask the children to help you make a list of things that use wheels to move around. Write this list on chart paper. Ask the children to think about what would happen if there were no wheels – for example, how would road builders move dirt around if there were no wheels on a dump truck? Would it be harder or easier to move things without wheels? Why?

Plan and Predict Mathematics Tuesday: Use wheel-shaped pasta and a die – have the children roll the die and count out sets of wheelshaped pasta to match the number on the die.

Show the children the cardboard shoe box and fill it with heavy rocks. Ask the children how they will make this box move – what can they do? Brainstorm a list of ways to make the box move.

Act and Observe Try to move the box by pushing and pulling it. What happens? Is this easy or hard to do? Show the children the wheels that you have and ask them to design a way to put the wheels on the cardboard box. Try out their ideas. Does adding wheels make it easier to move the box?

Report and Reflect Discuss today’s experience. Why is it easier to move something with wheels? Why don’t boats need wheels? Are there other vehicles that move without using wheels? Why don’t they need them? Page 21

Simple Machines Week #1 Activity #3 See-Saw (levers) Concepts: A lever is a simple machine. Its parts include a rigid bar that rests on a sturdy object called a fulcrum. A lever can help lift heavy objects or separate two objects. When the fulcrum is in the middle, the ends of the bar move up and down in opposition.

Learning Goals: Children will construct their own see-saws using rulers and cardboard tubes cut in half and observe how see-saws move.

Vocabulary: balance end/middle fulcrum

heavy/light lever see-saw

Materials: large wooden block or board rulers cardboard tubes cut in half lengthwise

Read and Talk About: Just a Little Bit by Ann Tompert

half circle block to put under board coins or other small objects pan balance

Things to Talk About: What makes a see-saw go up and down? What happens if the person on one end is much bigger than the other person? How can you make the see-saw go up and down? What happens if one of the people on the seesaw jumps off? What happens to the other person? Can you play with a see-saw with three people? How would you do it? Page 23

Simple Machines Week #1 Activity #3 See-Saw (levers) - Language and Literacy Speaking & Listening

Reading Comprehension

Alphabet Awareness Phonological Awareness

Tell the children that today they will be learning about a different simple machine – a lever. Explain how a lever works and ask if anyone has ever seen one. As you work in small groups to make see-saws, encourage the children to talk about what they are doing and what they observe when they put weight on one side of the see-saw. Read the title of today’s book and look at the illustration on the front cover. Ask children to predict what the book will be about – what could just a little bit refer to? When you finish reading the book, go back to this question and answer it. What did the elephant mean when he said, “Every little bit helps!”? Who tried to help him? Introduce L/l for lever. Have the children demonstrate how to make the letter on chart paper. Talk about how the letter is made with straight lines. Teach the children the following nursery rhyme and identify the rhyming words: See-saw, hurry up and down, Which is the way to London town? One foot up and one foot down, That is the way to London town.

Print Awareness

As you say the rhyme together, encourage the children to use their arms and hands to demonstrate the up and down motion of a see-saw. Print out today’s nursery rhyme on large chart paper. Have the children find the letter L in the rhyme and circle it. Highlight the rhyming words. Talk about the difference between letters and words. Page 24

Simple Machines Week #1 Activity #3 See-Saw (levers) Science Inquiry Cycle: Reflect and Ask

Mathematics Wednesday: Count the number of pennies or other small weights you put onto the end of the see-saw. Show the children that if you add one more to what you already have, you can make an addition problem: for example, 4 pennies + 1 penny = 5 pennies. Create several different equations with the children and support them in finding the answers.

Ask the children if they have ever played on a see-saw (teeter-totter) at a playground. How does it move? How can you make it balance? As you discuss this, introduce the words lever and fulcrum in the context of making a see-saw. Explain that a see-saw is a lever that helps move things up and down. It has a fulcrum in the middle. Ask the children if they think they could make a model of a see-saw.

Plan and Predict With the children, plan how to use the materials that you have gathered to make see-saws. Since they cannot use this see-saw to move people like the one on the playground, what kinds of materials could they move? Compare a see-saw like the one you are making to a pan balance. How are they similar? How are they different?

Act and Observe Build a see-saw and have the children put pennies or other small materials on one end and lift them. Try putting other materials on the see-saw in different places (not just on the ends). Does this make any difference when you try to move them?

Report and Reflect Talk about what you observed as you made and used the see-saw. How could you use a see-saw to lift something really heavy like an elephant? What would you do? Page 25

Simple Machines Week #1 Activity #4 Up the Ramp (inclined plane) Concepts: Stairs and ramps are both types of inclined planes. Ramps have a single surface and stairs have different levels. Both types of inclined planes make work easier.

Learning Goals: Using materials they select, children will turn the stairs into a ramp. They will investigate which type of inclined plane works best for pushing and pulling objects up and down.

Vocabulary: inclined plane ramp smooth/ bumpy stairs

Materials: access to a flight of stairs (this activity could be done on a playground) small or medium cardboard boxes partially filled rope ramp making materials (a large cardboard box cut open, planks, etc.)

Read and Talk About: Simple Machines by Allen Fowler

Things to Talk About: How do ramps and stairs make getting from one place to another easier? What would you have to do if there were no ramps or stairs? Are there other ways for going up and down in a building? What would happen to the things in the cardboard boxes if they were made out of glass and you pulled them up and down the stairs? Page 27

Simple Machines Week #1 Activity #4 Up the Ramp (inclined plane) - Language and Literacy Speaking & Listening

Reading Comprehension

Alphabet Awareness Phonological Awareness

Ask the children if they have stairs in their homes. Why do they think people build stairs? Talk about the safety rules for going up and down stairs. Why do we have these rules? Ask if anyone has ever seen a person in a wheelchair go into a building or go along the sidewalk. What do they do when they come to stairs or a curb? What do people build to help them go up or down? Today’s book is a about different simple machines. Read the book, pausing to allow children to talk about simple machines they are familiar with. Pages 14-19 explain different types of inclined planes. Explain to the children that they will be using one type of inclined plane in today’s activity. Introduce I/i and P/p for inclined plane. Support the children in writing each of the letters and talking about the straight and curved lines that are used. Teach the children the following nursery rhyme and have them act it out as you say it by stooping down or standing up tall in the appropriate places. Listen for and identify the repeating words. Oh, the Grand Old Duke of York, he had ten thousand men He marched them up to the top of the hill, and he marched them down again And when they were up, they were up, and when they were down, they were down And when they were only halfway up, they were neither up nor down!

Print Awareness

Print today’s rhyme on large chart paper. Have the children circle the words up and down in the rhyme each time they occur. Ask children to come and point to the words as you say the rhyme together. Page 28

Simple Machines Week #1 Activity #4 Up the Ramp (inclined plane) Science Inquiry Cycle: Reflect and Ask

Mathematics Thursday: Count the number of stairs as you go up and down them. Do you count to the same number going up as you do going down? Make stairs out of wooden blocks. Count how many blocks you use to make them.

Have the children climb up and down a set of stairs. Talk about why people built them. How could we get to the higher place without stairs? How would we get down? If possible, show the children a ramp for people in wheelchairs or strollers. Why was this built? Ask the children to compare ramps and stairs â&#x20AC;&#x201C; how are they alike? How are they different? What purpose do ramps and stairs serve?

Plan and Predict Show the children the cardboard boxes you have and have them fill these with objects. Which way would be easier to get them up â&#x20AC;&#x201C; stairs or a ramp? Why do they think so? How could they change a set of stairs into a ramp? What materials would they need?

Act and Observe Try pushing and pulling boxes up and down a flight of stairs. Change the stairs into a ramp. Now try to push or pull the boxes up and down the ramp.

Report and Reflect Both stairs and a ramp are types of inclined planes. Which inclined plane was easier to push and pull things up and down? Why would movers use a ramp instead of stairs? Talk about why people usually build stairs in a house instead of a ramp to go from one floor to another. Page 29

Simple Machines Week #1 Activity #5 Pulling Pulleys Concepts: A pulley can help lift things that are heavy. A pulley is a simple machine that uses grooved wheels and a rope to raise, lower or move a load.

Learning Goals: Children will construct their own pulleys and use them to move objects up and down.

Vocabulary: down/up hard/easy lift

pull pulley

Materials: rope small buckets wooden blocks clothes hangers (metal) or a wooden dowel empty thread spools You can find online directions for making the pulley at http://ehow.com/how_7850382_ make-pulley-out-thread-spool.html

Things to Talk About: What direction do things move in when you pull the rope on a pulley? When you use a pulley, how do you get an object like a flag to come down? Where have you seen people use pulleys?

Read and Talk About: What is a Pulley? by Lloyd Douglas Page 31

Simple Machines Week #1 Activity #5 Pulling Pulleys - Language and Literacy

Speaking & Listening Reading Comprehension Alphabet Awareness Phonological Awareness

Ask children to recall some of the ways they have moved heavy things so far – using wheels and axles, inclined planes and levers. Talk about how these things made it easier to do work. Today’s book is a simple way to introduce children to what a pulley is and how it is used. When you finish reading the story and looking at the pictures, ask children if they can show you with their bodies how you might use a pulley to raise a flag. Introduce P/p for pulley. Demonstrate how to make the letter and remind the children that this letter uses both straight and curved lines when you make it. Talk about how P/p is different from B/b and D/d. Teach the children the following chant. Have them listen for and identify the rhyming words. Clap to the rhythm of the words as you say them. Tall buildings in the town. Elevators moving up and down. Doors swinging ‘round about. People walking in and out.

Print Awareness

As you read today’s book, point out the table of contents and page numbers. Talk about how to use these when you read a book.

Page 32

Simple Machines Week #1 Activity #5 Pulling Pulleys Science Inquiry Cycle: Reflect and Ask Mathematics Friday: In todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s science activity, the pulley moves objects up and down. Have the children move their arms up and down and explain that this movement is a simple ABAB pattern. Support the children in making up other simple ABAB movement patterns to follow; for example, side-to-side with their arms, nodding their heads up-down or sideto-side, crossing their legs side-to-side, or opening and closing their hands. Talk about how pulleys can move objects in a pattern.

Read todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s book and/or watch this video as a way to introduce how a pulley works: http://www.ket.org/education/video/kevsc/kevsc_000002.htm. Tell children that today they are going to use another kind of simple machine to move heavy things up and down. Ask if anyone has ever seen how a flag is raised to the top of a flag pole. Introduce the word pulley and talk about how a pulley works. If possible, arrange to have someone lower and raise the flag while the children watch.

Plan and Predict Display the materials you have gathered and make a plan to use these to make a pulley. (See the internet site above for directions) Ask the children to predict which way to pull the rope to make the bucket go up. How do you make the bucket go down?

Act and Observe Build pulleys using the hangers and thread spools. Have children move objects up and down using the pulley. Observe carefully and talk about which direction you need to move the rope in each situation.

Report and Reflect With the children, draw a diagram of how your pulley works. Ask the children to help you make arrows to show which direction you pull to make the bucket go up and which direction the rope moves when the bucket goes down. Explain that a diagram is a drawing that helps people understand what is happening. Show the children how to label the diagram. Page 33

Center-Based Play Materials & Activities to Support This Week’s Science Learning Week #2 Dramatic Play

Manipulatives

Art Center

Large Motor Play

Block Area

Science Table

• Car Repair Shop – cars and trucks to fix, tools, repair shop sign, cash register and money

• • • •

Car design art work Salad spinner art Marble mazes in shirt boxes Paint roller art

• Cars and trucks • Tinker Toys • Duplo vehicles

• Pan balance • Playdough with rolling pins • Tongs to pick up small objects, egg cartons to put them into

• Little Tykes cars and trucks to ride in • Wagons, wheelbarrows • Tricycles

• Tools – construction, auto repair, kitchen tools • Display of objects that are simple machines: door knob, pinwheel, nutcracker, door hinge, tweezers, shovel, knife, fork, nail, and paint roller.

Page 35

Simple Machines Week #2 Activity #1 Vehicles Use Wheels Concepts: Vehicles use wheels and axles to make carrying people and objects easier.

Learning Goals: Children will design and make vehicles using scrap materials.

Things to Talk About:

Vocabulary:

Name some vehicles that have wheels that carry people around from place to place.

vehicle/ car/ truck/bus/wagon wheel/axle

Materials: shoeboxes or other small containers for body of vehicles Tinker Toys or other materials for axles, such as straws, pipe cleaners, or dowels Tinker Toys or other materials for wheels, such as cardboard circles, buttons, and/or container lids

Read and Talk About: If I Built a Car by Chris Van Dusen

How many wheels does a vehicle have? How many axles does a vehicle have? How are the vehicles that you built the same? How are they different? Besides wheels, what other parts were important to put in your vehicle? Page 37

Simple Machines Week #2 Activity #1 Vehicles Use Wheels - Language and Literacy Speaking & Listening

Reading Comprehension

Alphabet Awareness Phonological Awareness

Ask the children if they have ever built a car. Talk about how this might be done. What are some parts that all cars have? What are some parts you could add to make it special? As a group, brainstorm ideas for inventing a new kind of car. As the children share their ideas, use large chart paper to draw the vehicle they design and to make a list of the materials that would be needed to build it. Explain that before someone can build a car they need to come up with design ideas. Show the children the drawings on the end papers in the book that represent the boyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s design ideas. As you read the story, talk about all the ideas the boy has for his car. Which ideas do the children like best? What is the boy doing on the final page of the book? Introduce V/v for vehicle. Demonstrate how to make the letter and have children make it on large chart paper. Teach the children the following poem and add other stanzas for other vehicles: I love my car, my car loves me, I built my car in a factory, my little car goes beep, beep , beep, beep beep beep beep beep, honk I love my motorcycle, my motorcycle loves me, I built my motorcycle in a factory, my little motorcycle goes, vroom vroom vroom, and my little car goes beep, beep, beep, beep, beep beep beep beep honk I love my train, my train loves me, I built my train in a factory, my little train goes toot toot toot, and my little motorcycle goes vroom vroom vroom, and my little car goes beep beep beep beep beep beep honk

Print Awareness

Print out todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s poem on large chart paper. Have children identify the repeating words: beep, vroom, toot and so on. Have the children use a pointer to point to these words as you read them. Page 38

Simple Machines Week #2 Activity #1 Vehicles Use Wheels Science Inquiry Cycle: Reflect and Ask Work with children to make a list on large chart paper of vehicles that have wheels and axles and carry people from place to place. Discuss these different types of vehicles – which ones have the children ridden on? Show some classroom toy vehicles and discuss how many wheels and axles each one has.

Mathematics Monday: Use wheel-shaped pasta or wheels cut from paper to make a number chart illustrating amounts from 1-10. Each child should make their own chart by gluing the appropriate number of wheels next to each number.

Plan and Predict Read today’s book and talk about how to design a vehicle you want to build. What things would you need to include in your design? Show the children the materials you have and talk about ways they could be used. Talk about ways to make your vehicle unique.

Act and Observe In small groups, make designs for building vehicles. Use these designs to build vehicles, choosing materials for the vehicle body, the wheels and the axles. Take your vehicles for a “test drive.”

Report and Reflect Take photos of the vehicles and set up a vehicle display. As a whole group, talk about the following questions: How are the vehicles the same? How are they different? What makes each vehicle unique? If you were to build another one, what would you change? Page 39

Simple Machines Week #2 Activity #2 Using a Pan Balance Concepts: A balance is a type of lever with the fulcrum in the middle. It helps people do work by comparing the weights of objects placed on the balance.

Learning Goals: Children will compare the weights of different objects using the balance. They will describe the movements of the balance and how it relates to the weights they have used.

Vocabulary: balance heavy/heavier lever light/lighter weigh/weight up/down

Materials:

Things to Talk About: How does the balance move as you put objects into the pans? Which side is heavier? How do you know?

pan balance a variety of objects to weigh such as small blocks, balls, and small toys small weights such as marbles, pennies or unit cubes to add to make the scale balance

Read and Talk About: How Do You Lift a Lion? by Robert Wells Page 41

Simple Machines Week #2 Activity #2 Using a Pan Balance - Language and Literacy Speaking & Listening

Reading Comprehension Alphabet Awareness Phonological Awareness

Read the title of today’s book – How Do You Lift a Lion? – and ask the children to speculate some ways to do this. Ask if they have ever tried to lift something very heavy and talk about whether or not they could do it. Explain that today they are going to find out about levers and how they can be used to lift something very heavy. Today’s book focuses on three types of simple machines – a lever, wheels and axles, and a pulley. If the book contains more information than your students are ready for, just talk about the illustrations. Focus on how the people get things done using simple machines. Introduce B/b for balance. Demonstrate how to make these letters and point out which side of the straight line the round parts go on. Make a list of words that begin with the letter B/b: boy, ball, bounce, bat, bin, etc. Ask the children to identify the two words in the title How Do You Lift a Lion? that begin with the same sound. Next, ask the children to help you think of same sound words for the following phrases: Sing a ______

Make a ______

Bounce a ______

Hit a ______

Get a ______

Print Awareness

If the children cannot think of words on their own, give them a choice of two words to finish each phrase and have them select the one that has the same beginning sound. Point out that the title of today’s book is a question. Talk about punctuation marks and show the question mark for the title. Ask the children to make up other questions and write these on large chart paper. Demonstrate how to make a question mark and encourage some children to make them on the chart paper. Page 42

Simple Machines Week #2 Activity #2 Using a Pan Balance Science Inquiry Cycle: Reflect and Ask

Mathematics Tuesday: As you use the pan balance, keep track of the number of weights you need to add to make it balance. For example, a small toy car may balance with 8 pennies. A small wooden block may balance with 12 pennies. Encourage the children to talk about which objects are heavier or lighter and how they know this.

Ask the children to talk about how a see-saw moves. Which parts move and what part does not move? Show the children a pan balance and make comparisons between it and the see-saw. How are they the same? How are they different? How can we use a pan balance to learn about the weight of objects?

Plan and Predict Discuss what a balance is used for and compare the weights of different things such as an orange and a tennis ball. Talk about the objects that the children want to weigh and ask them to predict which ones will be heavy and which ones will be light. How will you know? Which side of the balance will go up? Which side will go down?

Act and Observe Compare the weights of different objects using the balance. Show the children how to make the two sides balance by putting small weights on one side and the object on the other. Keep a record of what you weight this way and talk about the results.

Report and Reflect Take photos of the children using the balance. Have them name the objects in their pictures. Have the children use lighter and heavier to describe the objects and up or down to describe how the balance moved. Page 43

Simple Machines Week #2 Activity #3 Tools Concepts: Tools help us to do work. Tools use simple machines to do this work.

Learning Goals: Children will explore and use a variety of tools. They will identify the simple machine that is being used in each of these tools.

Vocabulary: lever simple machine tool

wedge wheel/axle

What are tools? Who uses them? Which tools are levers?

Materials: hammer nails nuts and bolts plastic knife rolling pin

Things to Talk About:

scissors screwdriver screws tweezers

What does a wedge do? Which tools use wedges? What are some safety rules for using tools?

Read and Talk About: Tools by Taro Miura Page 45

Simple Machines Week #2 Activity #3 Tools - Language and Literacy Speaking & Listening

Reading Comprehension

Alphabet Awareness Phonological Awareness

Ask children if they have ever used a tool. Support them in naming the tool they have used and what they did with it. Talk about why people use tools. Explain that often a tool has a simple machine as part of it. Show some examples of this such as a pizza cutter, a hammer, a paint scraper, and a knife. How are these items used? What simple machines are they? Today’s book does a great job of expanding our ideas about tools to include more than just building tools. As you read and look at the illustrations together, emphasize that many different occupations use tools. Talk about the kinds of tools you use each day at school. Introduce T/t for tools. Have the children demonstrate how to make the letter T/t on large chart paper. Use wooden sticks to make the letter. How could you hold the sticks together? Teach the children the following rhyme. Work together to identify the repeating words and rhyming words. The carpenter’s hammer goes tap, tap, tap (pretend to hammer), And his saw goes see-saw-see (pretend to saw). He hammers and hammers and saws and saws (pretend to hammer and saw) As he builds a house for me!

Print Awareness

Point out that today’s book is not a story. Show children the labels for each tool and demonstrate how to draw a picture and label it. The big words on some of the pages identify the occupation of the person who uses the tools shown on previous pages. Work together to design pages for a student. Page 46

Simple Machines Week #2 Activity #3 Tools Science Inquiry Cycle: Reflect and Ask Show the children the collection of tools you have today and talk about how each one is used. Remind the children that they have been learning about simple machines. Ask if there are any simple machines being used in these tools.

Plan and Predict Mathematics Wednesday: Provide a collection of different sizes of nuts and bolts. Have them match the correct pairs and use language to compare the various sizes. Count how many of each size you have.

Display pictures of a wheel and axle, a lever, a wedge, and an inclined plane. Support the children in naming these objects. Ask the children if they think they are going to be using any of these simple machines as they try out the tools you have for them. Make predictions about which ones.

Act and Observe In small groups, give children the various tools to use and talk together about the simple machines. For example, a hammer is a kind of lever that moves up and down from the fulcrum of your elbow. Screwdrivers, nails and knives are examples of wedges. Wedges are two inclined planes put together. They are used to separate objects or hold an object in place. Be sure to provide plenty of time for children to explore and use the tools.

Report and Reflect Talk about what you did with the tools and how each tool is used. Review the safety rules for using each of them. Talk about how these tools help you to do work. Page 47

Simple Machines Week #2 Activity #4 Launch Pad Concepts: Levers can be used to lift things. With enough original force, a lever can launch things.

Learning Goals: Children will launch objects using a lever. They will predict what will happen if the fulcrum is moved to a different place and test their predictions.

Vocabulary: end/middle fulcrum launch

lever lift near/far

Materials: cotton balls duct tape objects to launch such as marshmallows plastic rulers pompoms

Read and Talk About: Balancing Act by Ellen Stoll Walsh

small blocks to act as the fulcrum (or cardboard tubes such as toilet paper tubes cut in half lengthwise) wadded up paper towels

Things to Talk About: How do you need to change your movement to make a marshmallow launch rather than just moving up and down? What are some safety rules about launching things? What happens to the distance objects travel when you change the location of the fulcrum? What happens if you try to launch a heavy object? How far do you think it will travel? Page 49

Simple Machines Week #2 Activity #4 Launch Pad - Language and Literacy Speaking & Listening

Reading Comprehension

Alphabet Awareness Phonological Awareness

Introduce the word launch and talk about what it might mean. Some children may be familiar with the word in reference to launching rockets. Explain that today they will have a chance to make objects fly through the air. How might this be done? Ask if anyone has ever seen videos of pumpkins being launched – if possible show the following video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXNgHoIBPXM&feature=fvsr . Explain that you will not be using pumpkins today – just soft things like marshmallows. Today’s book is by an author who may be familiar to the children – Ellen Stoll Walsh. The mice characters in the story have also been in Mouse Paint and Mouse Count, so the children may recognize them. Talk about what happens to the animals on the teeter-totter when the heavy bird jumps on. How many animals does it take to balance the bird? Why? Introduce L/l for launch and lever. After the children demonstrate how to make these letters, write a list of words together that begin with L/l: little, lift, light, and so on. Another thing that can fly through the air is an airplane. Teach children the following song (tune of I’m a Little Teapot). Identify the rhyming words in the song. Make up motions to go with the song. I’m a little airplane, I can fly, Here is my throttle, Give me a try. When I get all revved up. Then I fly, off the runway, to the sky.

Print Awareness

Support the children in drawing a diagram of their launch pad – the board for the lever, the cardboard tube and the marshmallow flying through the air. Help them label the diagram with the words lever and marshmallow. Explain how labels help people understand diagrams better. Page 50

Simple Machines Week #2 Activity #4 Launch Pad Science Inquiry Cycle: Reflect and Ask

Mathematics Thursday: Provide a bag of minimarshmallows or cotton balls. Have children roll the dice (1 or 2 depending on their counting skills) and then count out the number of marshmallows/cotton balls that correspond to the number they roll. (You might want to let the children eat their marshmallows after a certain number of turns.)

In large group, have children set up the see-saw using blocks and discuss how to get an object to move up. Try their suggestions. Demonstrate how to launch something by pushing hard and quick on one end of the lever. Ask the children what happened and why. Review the safety rules for launching things in the classroom.

Plan and Predict Talk about how to set up launchers using plastic rulers and small blocks. Show the children the materials you have for them to launch and make predictions about which ones will go far and fast. Where do you put the object to be launched? Where do you hit the lever? Talk about what would happen if you moved the fulcrum towards one end or the other of the lever.

Act and Observe In small group, children should launch a variety of objects with the lever and observe what happens. Change the location of the fulcrum and try it again. What happens? How does the position of the fulcrum affect the distance an object travels?

Report and Reflect As a group, talk about what happened. Which things went the farthest? Why? Have the children draw pictures of their launch pads and the objects they moved. Act as a scribe as they dictate sentences to describe what happened. Make a class book using these drawings. Page 51

Simple Machines Week #2 Activity #5 Painting with Pulleys Concepts: A pulley is a type of simple machine. Pulleys can move horizontally as well as up and down.

Learning Goals: Children will make a plan for using pulleys to paint a picture. They will move the pulley back and forth to create different artwork.

Vocabulary: across back and forth horizontal/vertical

pull pulley toward, away from

Materials: a variety of empty yogurt or margarine cups with holes punched through the bottom large pieces of paper paint

string or pipe cleaners to attach the â&#x20AC;&#x153;paint bucketsâ&#x20AC;? to the pulley system two classroom chairs or other supports two pulleys, rope

Read and Talk About: Pull, Lift, Lower: A Book About Pulleys by Michael Dahl

Things to Talk About: How does a pulley move? What kind of work does a pulley do? How did you get the paint to come out of the paint buckets? How do you get the paint to move from place to place? Can you go faster or slower? What happens when you change the speed that the pulley is moving? Page 53

Simple Machines Week #2 Activity #5 Painting with Pulleys - Language and Literacy Speaking & Listening

Reading Comprehension Alphabet Awareness Phonological Awareness

Ask children to explain how a flag is raised and lowered on a flagpole â&#x20AC;&#x201C; what simple machine is used? Show them several pulleys and talk about how the pulleys work. Talk about how the motion of a pulley is the opposite of the direction you pull â&#x20AC;&#x201C; when you pull down, the object goes up. When you pull towards you, the object moves away. Play a game of thinking of opposite words. This book provides good examples of different kinds of pulleys. If the text is too long for your class, spend time looking at and discussing the illustrations. Ask the children which of these pulleys they have seen or used. Introduce H/h for horizontal. Demonstrate how to make the letters and have the children write them on large chart paper. Teach the children the following rhyme. Ask them to identify the repeating words. Move arms back and forth to the rhythm of the rhyme. A horizontal pulley, This is how it goes: Back and forth and back and forth To move a heavy load!

Print Awareness

Show the children the table of contents in the front of the book and explain how it is used. Point out the page numbers on each page and show how to find specific pages in the book.

Page 54

Simple Machines Week #2 Activity #5 Painting with Pulleys Science Inquiry Cycle: Reflect and Ask Mathematics Friday: Have the children decide how many times they want the pulley system to go back and forth to make their paintings. Have a child write this number on large chart paper (with your support) and then decide how many different colors you are going to use â&#x20AC;&#x201C; write this number. As you move the pulley back and forth, keep track of your numbers by counting and making check marks next to the numbers recorded on the chart paper. Talk about how many different ways you can make the paintings.

After reading todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s book, talk about the pulleys you have seen being used. In what direction did the object on the pulley move? What if instead of moving something up and down, you wanted to move something from one side of the room to the other â&#x20AC;&#x201C; how could you make a pulley system to do that? Use the word horizontal to describe this direction of movement.

Plan and Predict Explain that you will set up some pulleys that can be used to paint a picture. Ask the children how they think this could be done. What could you put paint into? How would the paint get onto the paper? How would you move the paint buckets along the paper? What will the paintings look like?

Act and Observe Set up the pulleys with the children and use them to make paintings using a variety of paint colors.

Report and Reflect Create a classroom display of the pulley paintings. Work with the children to write a report about how they created the artwork, how the artwork varies, and how they could change the outcome if they made pulley paintings again. Page 55

Center-Based Play Materials & Activities to Support This Week’s Science Learning Week #3 Dramatic Play

Manipulatives

Art Center

Large Motor Play

Block Area

Science Table

• A woodworking shop with a workbench, tools, work apron, measuring tapes, Styrofoam blocks and golf tees for hammering, and so forth

• Make prints with rolling pins and paint. • Cut paper and glue the pieces to create collages.

• Use wooden blocks and block people to create different types of buildings.

• Playdough, rolling pins, knives, and pizza cutters • Scissors and paper • Sewing cards

• • • •

Bicycles and tricycles to ride Wagons Wheelbarrows Doll strollers

Real woodworking tools Kitchen tools Sewing tools Gardening tools

Page 57

Simple Machines Week #3 Activity #1 Tools for Building Concepts: Tools help us to do work. Tools use simple machines to do this work.

Learning Goals: Children will name the tools used in a woodworking shop and identify the simple machine that is a part of the tool. They will work together to make a poster to display this information.

Vocabulary: chisel drill file hammer lever, wheel and axle, inclined plane, wedge

saw screwdriver simple machine tool

Materials: woodworking tools â&#x20AC;&#x201C; saw, hammer, nails, chisel, drill, file, screwdriver, pieces of wood photos of all tools and simple machines poster paper safety goggles

Read and Talk About: Old MacDonald Had a Woodshop by Lisa Shulman

Things to Talk About: How do the tools we are looking at today get their power? Which tools use levers to work? Inclined planes? Wedges? If you want to cut a piece of wood, which kind of simple machine would be most useful? What kinds of things can you make using these tools? What are some safety rules for using these tools? Page 59

Simple Machines Week #3 Activity #1 Tools for Building - Language and Literacy Speaking & Listening Reading Comprehension

Alphabet Awareness Phonological Awareness

Ask the children if their families have any tools in the house. What are they? How are they used? Show the tools that you brought for today’s lesson and support the children in naming them and talking about how each tool is used. Show the children the front cover of the book and read the title. Talk about what a woodshop is. Invite the children to name the tools on the front cover. Ask them if they know an Old McDonald song – how does that song go? Show the first page of the story and read it – how has the author changed the song? When you finish the book, go back and sing the song together as you picture read the book. Introduce T/t for tools. Have the children demonstrate how to make the letters on large chart paper. Make a list of words that begin with T/t: tool, today, time, teacher, and so on. Sing the song Johnny Works With One Hammer with the children. The song continues up to five hammers with the children using both hands, both feet, and finally their heads as hammers as they sing. Have the children change the words in the song to name other tools that can be used. Johnny works with one hammer, one hammer, one hammer; Johnny works with one hammer then he uses two...

Print Awareness

Write the name of each tool on large pieces of paper. Ask the children to help you match the name of the tool with the picture of the tool. Emphasize the relationship between the sound of the beginning letter of the word and the tool it represents – if the word begins with s, it must be either saw or screwdriver. A word that begins with h is hammer, and so on. Page 60

Simple Machines Week #3 Activity #1 Tools for Building Science Inquiry Cycle: Reflect and Ask Show children the tools you have brought in and talk about their names. Ask if the children have seen people using these tools. How were they used? What kinds of things can these tools do? Can we see any of the simple machines we know about in these tools?

Plan and Predict Mathematics Monday: Count how many tools use each of the simple machines and write that number. Compare the size of the different groups. Do you have more levers or more wheels and axles? Which one has the most? The least?

Explain to the children that they are going to match the tools to the simple machines that make them work. Show them the pictures of the simple machines â&#x20AC;&#x201C; lever, wheel and axle, inclined plane, wedge, pulley. Make some predictions about which tool might use which machine.

Act and Observe Provide time for the children to observe and use the tools. Review the safety rules for using these tools. Support them in examining the tools to identify the simple machines that make the tools work.

Report and Reflect Take photos of the tools. Work with the children to make a big poster that shows the pictures of the simple machines matched with the tools that use each machine. Act as scribe to write what the children say about each tool. Page 61

Simple Machines Week #3 Activity #2 Woodworking Concepts: Tools use simple machines to help us do work.

Learning Goals: Children will make a plan to create something out of wood. They will use woodworking tools to create what they have planned.

Vocabulary: chisel drill file hammer lever, wheel & axle, inclined plane, wedge

Things to Talk About: saw screwdriver simple machine tool woodworking

Materials: enough pieces of scrap wood to make something out of multiple pieces paper to make a plan on safety goggles

woodworking tools such as saw, hammer, nail, clamp, glue, chisel, drill, file, screwdriver, screws

What kinds of things can you make out of wood? How do you get the pieces of wood to stay together? Why do we need to wear safety goggles? Which tool was the hardest to use? Why?

Read and Talk About: This is the House that Jack Built by Simms Taback Page 63

Simple Machines Week #3 Activity #2 Woodworking - Language and Literacy Speaking & Listening

Reading Comprehension

Alphabet Awareness Phonological Awareness Print Awareness

Ask the children to think about what you would need to do to build a house. Work together to make a list on large chart paper of all of the different parts of a house – walls, windows, doors, roof, and so on. What else do you need to do to build a house? What kinds of tools would you need to use? Today’s book is a cumulative story that the children should be able to join in as you read it. If possible, make story pieces from paper or felt so the children can use them to retell the story. After you read the story, ask the children what came first, next, and so on in the story. Make a list of all the characters they can remember without looking back in the book. Review W/w for woodworking. Demonstrate how to make the letters and have the children write them on large chart paper. Point out the similarities and differences between W/w and M/m. Today’s story contains many rhyming words. Read the story with the children a second time and have them listen for the rhyming words. As they identify the words that rhyme, write them down in groups on large chart paper. Look at the groups of rhyming words you made in the previous activity. For example, look at mill and hill – what letters in these words are the same and what letters are different? Do the same thing for other rhyming words. Point out that rhyming words usually have the same letters at the end of the word and different letters at the beginning.

Page 64

Simple Machines Week #3 Activity #2 Woodworking Science Inquiry Cycle: Reflect and Ask Look at the first pages of todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s book when Jack starts to build his house. What does he need to do to build it? What materials does he use? How does he hold things together? What kinds of things would you do if you wanted to build something with wood?

Plan and Predict Mathematics Tuesday: Provide children with an assortment of nuts, bolts, and screws to sort. Give them small dishes or sorting trays to use as they do their sorting. Talk about how they have decided to group the various items you have given them.

Explain that today the children will use tools to make something out of wood. Tell them they can work alone or in pairs. Before they can start, they need to look at the wood pieces they have and make a plan for what they want to build. Support them in making drawings to show what they want to build and how they are going to put it together. Talk about the tools they will use.

Act and Observe Before you begin, review the safety rules for using tools and have all the children wear safety goggles. Provide children with wood pieces and tools to put them together. You may need to pre-drill some holes for nails and screws. As you work, talk about the tools you are using and the job that each one does.

Report and Reflect Make a display of the childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plans and the things they made following the plans. Scribe what they say about what they made and how the tools they used helped them to do the work. Page 65

Simple Machines Week #3 Activity #3 Tools in the Kitchen Concepts: Tools are very helpful for cooking. Simple machines are a part of many tools used in the kitchen.

Learning Goals: Children will use kitchen tools to make a snack. They will identify the simple machines that are a part of these tools.

Vocabulary: recipe ingredients spatula can opener knife

egg beater pizza cutter fork spoon rolling pin

Materials: kitchen tools â&#x20AC;&#x201C; spatula, can opener, knife, egg beater, pizza cutter, fork, spoon, rolling pin, measuring cups and measuring spoons an assortment of fruit for children to cut - bananas, grapes, berries, etc. instant pudding mix (number of packages determined by the number of students) milk (amount determined by directions on pudding mix packages)

Things to Talk About: What are some tools that we use for cooking? What simple machines are being used? What tools do we use when we eat food? Are these simple machines? Which kitchen tools are levers? What are the safety rules for using kitchen tools? Why do we need these rules?

Read and Talk About: Tools by Ann Morris Page 67

Simple Machines Week #3 Activity #3 Tools in the Kitchen - Language and Literacy Speaking & Listening Reading Comprehension

Alphabet Awareness Phonological Awareness

Ask children about times they helped with cooking at home. What did they do? What tools did they use or see other family members using? Ask if any of these tools were simple machines – which ones? How did they help with the cooking? Today’s book is a simple photo book that shows a variety of tools that people use all over the world for making things. As you read the book, spend time looking at the pictures, naming the tools, and talking about their uses. When you finish reading, ask children to recall some of the tools that they had never seen before. What were these tools being used for? Introduce K/k for kitchen. Demonstrate how to make these letters. If the children are having trouble making these letters, have them glue strips of paper to make them. Talk about the diagonal lines. Teach the following nursery rhyme and ask children to identify the rhyming words. Following the rhythm of the song, either clap or walk around the room. (Or both!) Sing a song of sixpence, a pocket full of rye; Four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie. When the pie was opened, the birds began to sing; Now wasn’t that a dainty dish to set before the King?

Print Awareness

Write today’s recipe on chart paper so the children can follow along as you cook together. Explain that a recipe is written in a certain way to help with cooking. Point out where the ingredients are written and where the steps you need to follow are written. Read the recipe together as you cook. Page 68

Simple Machines Week #3 Activity #3 Tools in the Kitchen Science Inquiry Cycle: Reflect and Ask

Mathematics Wednesday: As you show the children today’s recipe during the Plan and Predict and Act and Observe phases, use the words first, next, last to describe the steps you need to take to make the recipe. Talk about how to measure the ingredients and have the children use the measuring tools.

Recall with the children the simple machines you have learned about so far – wheel and axle, lever, pulley, and an inclined plane. Ask if the children can think of any of these machines that can be used in a kitchen. Talk about their experiences helping to cook – do they ever use simple machines as part of this? Show the children the kitchen tools that you have brought and talk about what they do and how they are used. Ask the children which ones they think would be helpful in making today’s snack recipe.

Plan and Predict Show the children the recipe. Together, plan how to use this recipe and talk about which kitchen tools you will need to use.

Act and Observe Set up different stations for the children to explore using the kitchen tools. They can use the plastic knives and pizza cutters with playdough. Use the milk and instant pudding to make pudding using the egg beater. Slice the fruit using plastic knives. Set up dishpans of soapy water so the children have more time to use the egg beaters.

Report and Reflect Talk about the cooking you did – how did the tools help you to do the job? How were the tools that you used today like the tools that builders use? How were they different? What other kinds of kitchen tools do the people who cook at your house use? Page 69

Fruit Parfaits

(Materials listed are per small group of 4 children - adjust recipe to meet the size of your classroom)

Cooking tools: cutting boards

plastic knives

mixing bowls

egg beaters

liquid measuring cup 4 clear plastic cups

Ingredients: 1 box of vanilla instant pudding mix Milk Fresh fruit to cut, for example grapes, bananas, berries and so forth

Directions: 1. Invite children to wash their hands. 2. Work together to read the directions on the pudding box and measure the appropriate amount of milk. Pour the mix and the milk into a large mixing bowl. 3. Within the group, have each child take a turn using the egg beater to mix the milk with the pudding mix. 4. Show children the fruit provided, and invite each child select a few pieces they would like to eat and use a plastic knife to help cut it up into smaller pieces. 5. Help children create a parfait by layering fruit and pudding in a clear plastic cup. 6. Eat and enjoy!

Page 70

Simple Machines Week #3 Activity #4 Gears Concepts: A gear is a wheel and axle with cogs around the edge of the wheel. Gears can change the direction of a force or change the speed at which something moves.

Learning Goals: Children will investigate tools or toys that use gears. They will observe how gears can change the direction of a force.

Vocabulary: cog direction gear wheel and axle

Materials: bicycle clock with gears inside available for the children to see egg beater Gears! Gears! Gears! Toy set

Things to Talk About: How is a gear like a wheel and axle? Why do bicycles have gears? If you put two gears together, what happens when you move one of them? How does the other one move? How many gears can be put together?

Read and Talk About: Duck on a Bike by David Shannon Page 71

Simple Machines Week #3 Activity #4 Gears - Language and Literacy Speaking & Listening

Reading Comprehension

Alphabet Awareness Phonological Awareness

If possible, bring a bicycle to the classroom and investigate the gears. Explain that a gear is like a wheel and axle, but the gear has cogs that help it move other gears. Demonstrate this on the bike. Show the children an egg beater and ask them to locate the gears on this. Explain that the gears are what makes the beaters turn. Show the front cover of today’s book and ask the children if they think this story will be fiction or non-fiction. As you read the story, talk about the various animals that the duck meets as he is riding. When you finish reading, support the children in making a list of all the animals. Introduce G/g for gear. Demonstrate how to make the letters. Have the children write them on large chart paper. Make a list with the children of words that begin with G/g: girl, go, gum, good and so on. Sing the song The Wheels on the Bus, but change it to The Wheels on the Bike. The verses could include those below, but make up more verses as you see fit. Ask the children to identify how the song has changed from the original. The horn on the bike… The brakes on the bike go squeek, squeek, squeek… The bell on the bike … The gears on the bike go click, click, click…

Print Awareness

Print the lyrics for today’s song on large chart paper. Put pictures next to the words bike, horn, bell, gears, and brakes. Have the children underline the phrase all through the town each time it occurs in the song. Page 72

Simple Machines Week #3 Activity #4 Gears Science Inquiry Cycle: Reflect and Ask

Mathematics Thursday: As children are using the toy Gears! Gears! Gears!, ask how many gears they think they can hook together. Count out sets of 5 and 10 gears and challenge children to put these together so that they all move. When they have done this, ask if they think they could put more than 10 together. Is there a limit to how many gears you can hook together?

Talk with the children about times they have ridden a tricycle or a bicycle. What makes the wheels turn around? Explain that today you will all be looking at a special kind of wheel and axle called a gear. Show children the gears on the bicycle and how they work. You can demonstrate this also with the Gears! Gears! Gears! toy. Ask children if they can think of other things that use gears.

Plan and Predict Talk with children about how you can be sure that everyone gets a chance to use the various gear items. Make predictions about how many gears you can hook together and make move. Write down everyoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s prediction and later you can compare these with the results.

Act and Observe Set up stations where the children can use bicycles, egg beaters, and the Gears! Gears! Gears! toy. Ask them to explain to you what they observe about the gears and how they help things move. Point out that when one gear turns in one direction, the gear next to it turns in the opposite direction.

Report and Reflect Talk about your observations. Display the inside of a clock that uses gears to move and talk about this. Explain that many big machines including cars have gears to help them move. Gears are very useful. Page 73

Simple Machines Week #3 Activity #5 What Can You Build? Concepts: Wheels and axles help things move.

Learning Goals: Children will use a variety of scrap materials to build their own vehicles. They will demonstrate how their vehicle moves along a pathway.

Vocabulary: invent/inventor simple machine tidy vehicle wheel and axle

Materials: assortment of scrap and recycling materials â&#x20AC;&#x201C; cardboard boxes, tubes, plastic cups, straws, heavy cardboard circles for wheels

Read and Talk About:

Things to Talk About: What type of vehicle do you want to build? How many wheels will your vehicle need? Why do wheels need axles to work? What is an inventor? What kinds of things can you invent? Why do people recycle? How are recycled materials used again?

Wendelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Workshop by Chris Riddell

Page 75

Simple Machines Week #3 Activity #5 What Can You Build? - Language and Literacy

Speaking & Listening Reading Comprehension

Alphabet Awareness Phonological Awareness Print Awareness

Explain that today the children will be inventors and will make a vehicle out of recycled materials. Discuss with them what kinds of vehicles they might like to build and what materials they think they will need. Where will you put the wheels and axles? Introduce the book by explaining that Wendel is an inventor in this story. Talk about what an inventor does. Explain that he has a problem with keeping his workshop tidy – what does tidy mean? Ask the children to listen to find out how he solves this problem. Talk about this when you are finished reading. Introduce V/v for vehicle. Demonstrate how to make the letters and point out that the upper-case and lower-case are exactly the same except for their size. What other alphabet letters are like this? Sing the song The Wheels on the Bus but change the name of the vehicle that you are singing about; for example, the wheels on the bike or the wheels on the truck… Ask the children to identify the word that is changing in each verse. Talk about the features of today’s book – how does the author use the illustrations to tell the story? What makes the illustrations appealing? Why does the author use very large letters when he writes the word “bang”? What does he want his reader to think about that word?

Page 76

Simple Machines Week #3 Activity #5 What Can You Build? Science Inquiry Cycle: Reflect and Ask Talk with the children about what inventors do. Explain that today they will have the opportunity to decide what type of vehicle to build. Talk about their ideas. What materials will they need?

Mathematics Friday: Use rulers, tape measures, or blocks to measure how far each child’s vehicle moves when it is given a push. Have each child move their vehicle several times and compare the distances – which time did the vehicle move the farthest?

Plan and Predict Show the children the available materials and have them draw plans for their vehicles. Talk about how they will fasten everything together – what will they use? Make predictions about how well the vehicles will move when they put on the wheels and axles.

Act and Observe Support the children in constructing their vehicles. Talk about how many wheels and axles they use and how these help the vehicle move. Test drive the vehicle to see how well it can go.

Report and Reflect Give each child a chance to demonstrate how their vehicle moves. Talk about ways to improve the vehicles. Set up a car and truck show and invite another classroom to visit to see the constructions.

Page 77

Center-Based Play Materials & Activities to Support This Week’s Science Learning Week #4 Dramatic Play

Manipulatives

Art Center

Large Motor Play

Block Area

Science Table

• kitchen play – variety of kitchen tools that are simple machines • pretend food, pots and pans, dishes

• salad spinner art • scissor art using scissors with fancy edges • vehicle making with cardboard tubes and recycling materials • Make signs for the bike rally.

• wooden blocks, cardboard and toy cars to make roads with hills and bridges

• • • •

• • • • •

Gears! Gears! Gears! toy Tinker Toys marble run toy vehicle puzzles

roller skates scooters cars and trucks to ride on plastic baseball bats and balls Croquet set

• variety of everyday items that are simple machines • street signs • pan balances • stop watches

Page 79

Simple Machines Week #4 Activity #1 Cars and Trucks on the Street Concepts: There are many different types of vehicles that move using wheels and axles. We can observe these vehicles to see how many wheels and axles they use.

Learning Goals: Children will take a walk around the neighborhood and identify vehicles that move using wheels and axles. They will take photos of these vehicles and make a book about them. They will count the number of wheels and axles on each vehicle.

Vocabulary: ambulance car fire truck rv

truck van wheelbarrow

Materials: digital camera materials to make a classroom book

Read and Talk About: Cars and Trucks from Scholastic First Discovery

Things to Talk About: What things that carry people and objects have wheels and axles? How many wheels should a vehicle have? How many axles? Why do different vehicles have different numbers of wheels and/ or axles? Are there any vehicles that have only one wheel and axle? What are they called?

Page 81

Simple Machines Week #4 Activity #1 Cars and Trucks on the Street - Language and Literacy Speaking & Listening

Reading Comprehension Alphabet Awareness Phonological Awareness

Explain that today the children will take a walk outside to look for different kinds of cars, trucks, and other vehicles. They should also count the number of wheels and axles that the vehicles have. Ask the children to speculate how well a vehicle would work if it did not have wheels. What would happen? How would it move? Today’s book is about cars and trucks. Support the children in making a list (on chart paper) of what they already know about cars and trucks. After you read the book, write down the new things the children learned from the book. Introduce C/c for car and compare it to T/t for truck. Which letter uses straight lines? Which one uses curved lines? Have a child write one of the letters on large chart paper and another child name the letter that was written. Teach children the song Watching Traffic (tune of Frere Jacques) and have them identify repeating words and phrases: Watch the cars go, watch the cars go, whiz-zing by, whiz-zing by. Beep, beep, beep! Beep, beep, beep! That’s like mine! That’s like mine! Watch the bus go, watch the bus go, rolling by, rolling by. Stop for all the people, stop for all the people. Get on board! Get in board! See the trucks go, see the trucks go down the street, down the street. Gas and oil and milk trucks, Mail and trash and dump trucks, on their way, on their way.

Print Awareness

After you print the pictures from today’s walk, explain that you want to use them to make a classroom book about cars and trucks. What parts of the book do you need to make? Who will the author be? Work with small groups to create the book and read it together when it is complete. Page 82

Simple Machines Week #4 Activity #1 Cars and Trucks on the Street Science Inquiry Cycle: Reflect and Ask Ask children to talk about the various trucks and cars that they have seen driving around. How are they alike? How are they different? Has anyone ever seen a motor cycle â&#x20AC;&#x201C; how is it different from a car? From a bicycle? What helps all these vehicles move around?

Plan and Predict Mathematics Monday: Provide a variety of matchbox cars and trucks. Ask the children to sort the vehicles in any way they choose and then to describe how they sorted them.

Tell the children that today they will go for a walk to look for vehicles on the street. They will take photos and then write a book about the vehicles they see. Ask them to make predictions about the types of vehicles they might see and write these down. Together, make a plan about who will take the photos and how the book will be written.

Act and Observe Go for your walk and take the photos. After the photos are printed, have the children work in small groups to brainstorm the information about each photo that they want to include in the book. Be sure they talk about the wheels and axles that help the vehicles move.

Report and Reflect Read the book together. Share it with another classroom. Ask the children how many wheels and axles were often found on a vehicle. Were there any vehicles with less? With more? Page 83

Simple Machines Week #4 Activity #2 Race Course Concepts: The distance a car moves when going down a ramp varies depending on the car’s weight and the slope and friction of the ramp.

Learning Goals: Children will build a race course using a ramp and then run several cars along the course to investigate how the movement of the car is affected by changes in the car’s weight, the slope of the ramp, and the friction of the ramp’s surface. They will discuss their observations.

Vocabulary: distance fast/slow ramp slope

speed steep weight

How can you change the ramp to make the cars move down it faster or make them go farther? Can you change the car to make it move faster or farther down the ramp? If you change the surface of the ramp, what happens?

Materials: wooden blocks pieces of flat wood or heavy cardboard for ramps matchbox cars

Things to Talk About:

pennies or other small weights tape friction materials – corrugated cardboard, fabric, sandpaper

Read and Talk About: The Wheels on the Race Car by Alexander Zane

What tool could you use to measure how far the cars go? Could you build any obstacles on your race track? How? What will happen? Page 85

Simple Machines Week #4 Activity #2 Race Course - Language and Literacy

Speaking & Listening

Reading Comprehension Alphabet Awareness Phonological Awareness Print Awareness

Talk about what it is like to be at a car race. What kinds of things would you see there? What do the cars try to do? Where do people sit who are watching the race? What would happen if a car broke down during the race or needed more gas? Ask the children what they think makes one car go faster than another. Does the person driving the car make a difference? Talk about what some safety rules for car driving would be. Todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s book shows a good example of a car race with some very funny illustrations. As you read the book together, ask the children to identify things in the illustrations that tell the reader that the story is not real. What parts of the story are like a real car race? Introduce R/r for race. Demonstrate how to make the letters. Make a list of words that begin with R/r, for example: road, race, red, and ramp. Todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s book is a variation on the song The Wheels on the Bus. Read the book and listen for the rhyming words. Make a list of these. Sing the song together. Today you will be writing a story as a whole class about the car race. Decide together whether or not you are writing a non-fiction story. As you scribe what the children say, talk about the words you are writing. Model how to think about making sense as you write a story.

Page 86

Simple Machines Week #4 Activity #2 Race Course Science Inquiry Cycle: Reflect and Ask

Mathematics Tuesday: Use a variety of matchbox cars to make patterns the children design â&#x20AC;&#x201C; for example: truck-car-truck-car or red-blue-red-blue. If a child cannot come up with his own pattern, have a couple of ideas available for him to copy. Encourage each child to use language to describe his pattern.

Ask children if anyone has ever seen cars in a race. Have children describe what this is like. What makes some cars go faster than others? Ask children what might happen if they raced two cars down a ramp â&#x20AC;&#x201C; would they go at the same speed? How would you know which one was faster?

Plan and Predict Explain that the children will build racing ramps today. Show them the materials you have for making the ramps. Challenge them to think about how they could make the cars go faster. Encourage them to predict which car will be fastest and to give a reason for their prediction.

Act and Observe Build the race course. Have children try racing the cars without any extra weight added. Which car is fastest? Have them try modifications (for example, taping some pennies to the car). Does this make a difference? What happens if you change the surface of the ramp?

Report and Reflect Take photos of the various race courses and cars that the children design and use. Write a story with the children about their experiences. Page 87

Simple Machines Week #4 Activity #3 Bicycle Rally Concepts: There are many types of vehicles that children can ride that use wheels and axles.

Learning Goals: Children will plan and create an obstacle course that can be used with the kinds of vehicles that children know how to ride.

Vocabulary: obstacle rally vehicle names such as bicycle, tricycle, scooter, roller skates wheel and axle

Materials: a variety of vehicles for the children to ride, cardboard boxes, traffic cones, colored masking tape, and other materials to set up an obstacle course

Read and Talk About: Duck on a Bike by David Shannon

Things to Talk About: What kinds of vehicles can children ride? How many wheels and axles does each kind of vehicle have? What are some other ways of traveling that donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t use wheels and axles? What do you need to do to move around the obstacles that are set up? What are some safety rules for riding your vehicle? Page 89

Simple Machines Week #4 Activity #3 Bicycle Rally - Language and Literacy Speaking & Listening

Reading Comprehension

Alphabet Awareness Phonological Awareness

Ask children to talk about times when they have ridden a bicycle or tricycle. What do they need to do to get it to move? What happens when you come to something that is in the way? Work with children to make a list on chart paper of the different vehicles with wheels that they can ride outside. Explain that you are going to have a rally today for all kinds of riding toys. Everyone will get a chance to ride on an obstacle course. Talk about the plans for doing this activity. As you read today’s story, discuss why this book is a fantasy. What makes the story unrealistic? Ask the children to identify their favorite illustration in the story – why do they like it? Turn to the page where all of the animals are looking at the bicycle (there is no writing on this page) – ask children what they think the animals are thinking about as they look at the bicycle. Why are they smiling? What happens next? Talk about W/w and A/a for wheel and axle. Demonstrate how to make the letters. Ask children to identify people in the class whose names use the letters. Teach children the following fingerplay and support them in identifying the rhyming words: One wheel, two wheels, on the ground. (Form circles with hands.) My feet push the pedals round and round. (Roll one hand over the other.) My hands upon the bar to steer, (Imitate holding handlebars.) Watch out, I’m coming, everyone clear! (Imitate driving bicycle.)

Print Awareness

Create a map of the obstacle course you are making and display it. Have the children create safety signs – stop, slow down, turn. Page 90

Simple Machines Week #4 Activity #3 Bicycle Rally Science Inquiry Cycle: Reflect and Ask

Mathematics Wednesday: Make up word problems about vehicles at the rally. For example, how many bicycles would you have if each person brought one? How many tricycles would be there if you had two to begin with and then Mary brought another one? If possible, have pictures for the children to use to help them solve these problems.

Talk about the types of vehicles that children can ride and make a list. Write down how many wheels and axles each type of vehicle has. Explain what you are going to be doing at your bicycle rally today. Ask children how they think this should be organized.

Plan and Predict Working with the children, make a planning map showing directions for setting up the obstacle course. Where will you set this up? What materials do you need? What riding toys do you need to collect?

Act and Observe Using the map and plan the children have made, collect materials and set up the bicycle rally course. Make safety signs to display. Provide the opportunity for everyone to have a turn on the obstacle course.

Report and Reflect Working together, create a large display about the bicycle rally. Include your map, photos of the rally, and a story written as a group about the rally. Make a chart that shows photos of the vehicles used and the number of wheels and axles that each one had.

Page 91

Simple Machine Week #4 Activity #4 Balancing Act Concepts: Changing the location of the fulcrum on a lever will change how the objects on the lever balance.

Learning Goals: Children will make levers with a ruler and place small wooden blocks on each end to make them balance. They will change the location of the fulcrum and observe how this changes the number of blocks needed to balance the lever.

Vocabulary: balance change fulcrum

lever more/less

Materials: cardboard tubes from paper towels or toilet paper cut in half, lengthwise rulers small wooden blocks or unit cubes

Read and Talk About: Balancing Act by Ellen Stoll Walsh

Things to Talk About: What are some different ways to make both ends of a teeter-totter balance? What happens when one end of the teeter-totter is heavier than the other end? How can levers help you lift heavy objects? Can you lift lots of blocks on the end of your lever with only one block on the other end?

Page 93

Simple Machine Week #4 Activity #4 Balancing Act - Language and Literacy Speaking & Listening

Reading Comprehension Alphabet Awareness Phonological Awareness

Print Awareness

Show the children a pan balance and talk about how it works. If you put objects in one pan, what do you need to do to get it to balance? Compare this to today’s story about the mice on the teeter-totter – how did they get this to balance? Explain that today you are going to try to find another way to get a lever to balance. Ask children for their ideas. In today’s book the mice have a similar problem to the activity you are doing. Talk about how the mice solve the problem of extra animals getting on the ends of the teetertotter. What happens at the end of the story when the big bird comes along? Review B/b for balance. Demonstrate how to make the letters and contrast them with D/d. Recall with the children that bicycle and build also begin with B/b. Support them in thinking of other words that begin with B/b. Draw a simple pan balance on large chart paper and explain to the children that you are going to play a balancing game in which the two words you place on the pan balance have to begin with the same sound. Give them the example: hat and hoop. When the two words have the same beginning sound, the pan balance will be the same on both sides. To play the game, post a word on one side of the pan balance and then give the children a choice to two words (print these on pieces of paper) to put on the other side. Some examples might be: mouse – milk/juice; ball – game/balloon; nest – noodle/star Read the title of today’s book and the author’s name. Recall with the children what an author does. Show the children some other books by the same author – for example, Mouse Paint or Mouse Count. Talk about how the illustrations used in these books help you to realize that the same author wrote and illustrated all of these books. Why do the children think this author uses mice in all of her stories? Page 94

Simple Machine Week #4 Activity #4 Balancing Act Science Inquiry Cycle: Reflect and Ask

Mathematics Thursday: Provide small wooden blocks. Have the children draw a number card or roll the dice to come up with a number â&#x20AC;&#x201C; this is the number of blocks they must use to build a tower or make a building. Children can work alone or in pairs. Give everyone several opportunities to play this game.

Talk with children about times they have played on a teeter-totter. What happens when someone bigger than you sits on the other end? How can you make the teeter-totter work? Show the children a pan balance and recall with them how to use it to make the pans balance â&#x20AC;&#x201C; what do you need to do? Explain that today you will all be experimenting with a lever to see if you can make it balance using small wooden blocks.

Plan and Predict Begin by setting up the levers. Each child will need a ruler and half of a cardboard tube that has been cut lengthwise. Place the half tube on the table and put the ruler on top like a teeter-totter. Put a block on one end and ask the children to make predictions about how to make the teeter-totter balance.

Act and Observe Support the children as they work with the blocks. Once they have balanced the teetertotter with equal blocks on each end, move the fulcrum closer to one end or the other. Now how do you make the teeter-totter balance? How many blocks can you lift up using just one block on the other end?

Report and Reflect Talk about the activity with the whole group. Ask children to demonstrate how they made the blocks balance. Set up a bigger teeter-totter with larger wooden blocks and repeat the same activity with these. Encourage the children to find out if it works in the same way. Page 95

Simple Machines Week #4 Activity #5 Bubble Race Concepts: Gears are wheels with cogs that turn and work together. Different sizes and arrangements of gears do different jobs. A large gear turning smaller ones will increase speed.

Learning Goals: Pairs of children will work to use a mixing spoon and an egg beater in bowls of soapy water. They will see which tool makes the biggest batch of bubbles in the shortest amount of time.

Vocabulary: cog egg beater

fast/slow gear

Materials: 3 egg beaters 3 large mixing spoons 6 large mixing bowls

liquid dish detergent water

Things to Talk About: How is a gear different from a wheel? How do the gears in an egg beater work together? Besides the egg beater, where else have you seen gears working?

Read and Talk About: Bennyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Big Bubble by Jane Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Conner

Page 97

Simple Machines Week #4 Activity #5 Bubble Race - Language and Literacy Speaking & Listening

Reading Comprehension

Alphabet Awareness Phonological Awareness

Ask the children about times they used soapy water to blow bubbles. How do you do this? Has anyone ever made a bubble without blowing it? What other ways can people make bubbles? Tell the children that today they will have races to see who can make the most bubbles in the shortest time without blowing them. How can this be done? Todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s book is a rebus story. Encourage the children to read along by naming the pictures as you read the text. When you finish reading, talk about what happened to Benny when he blew a big bubble. Encourage the children to recall everything he did and saw. Introduce G/g for gear. Demonstrate how to make the letters. Compare them with the letter C/c and talk about how they are alike and different. Teach children the following song to the tune of Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. Listen for and identify the rhyming words. Bubbles floating all around (pretend to catch bubbles) Bubbles fat and bubbles round (make a big circle w/ arms) Bubbles on my toes and nose (point to toes; point to nose) Blow a bubble. ..up it goes! (pretend to blow bubble; point up) Bubbles floating all around. (pretend to catch bubbles) Bub. . .bles fall. . .ing to...the...ground. (sing slowly & sink to ground)

Print Awareness

Print the lyrics for todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s song on large chart paper. Have the children underline the word bubbles each time they see it. Underline the different rhyming words with different colored markers. As you do this, be sure to point out the difference between words and letters. Page 98

Simple Machines Week #4 Activity #5 Bubble Race Science Inquiry Cycle: Reflect and Ask Ask children to talk about times when they have made bubbles â&#x20AC;&#x201C; how did they do it? Ask if anyone has ever played in a bathtub or a dishpan of soapy water. How could you make more bubbles in it without adding more soap? Talk about their ideas.

Mathematics Friday: As two children are racing to make bubbles with the egg beater and the spoon, have the other children who are watching count up to 20. Explain that they are counting 20 seconds which is an amount of time. Support them in counting out loud and together as the children do their bubble race.

Plan and Predict Show children the egg beater and the large mixing spoon. Talk about how the egg beater works and have each child take a look at the gears and how they turn. Explain that today they will be using the eggbeaters and spoons to make soap bubbles. Ask which one they think will make more bubbles in less time and encourage them to explain their answers.

Act and Observe Set up 3 different stations with 2 bowls of soapy water at each station. Give one child an egg beater and the other child the big spoon. Have the rest of the children watch the three teams and count to 20 to see who makes the most soap bubbles. Then have the children exchange their tools and try again.

Report and Reflect Talk about the results of the races. Which tool made more soap bubbles â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the spoon or the egg beater? Why did this happen? Is an egg beater a useful simple machine? Page 99

ci Simple Machines by Lucia French, Ph.D. University of Rochester Rochester, New York and Kathleen M. Conezio, M.S.Ed. University of Rochester Rochester, New York Copyright ÂŠ 2012 by University of Rochester and ScienceStart All rights reserved.

Thank you for using the ScienceStart Simple Machines Month. We hope you enjoyed your experience! Your feedback is important to us. Please contact us with your comments and suggestions at www.ScienceStart.com

Notes ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________