LAP  5:  WHEEL  AND  AXLES    SIMPLE  MACHINES  

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I. Content: Describe what it is you will teach. What is the content?

This lesson will continue the simple machines unit by introducing wheel and axle. Students will be asked to review screws and why it is a simple machine. From there students will be introduced to wheel and axle. After learning about screws and where they are applied in real life, students will be asked to watch a demonstration involving wheels and axles.

II. Learning Goal(s): Describe what specifically students will know and be able to do

after the experience of this class. Students should know and be able to:

• Understand the importance of simple machines • Define and explain what a wheel and axle is • To discuss and write about wheel and axle by using scientific vocabulary (force,

friction, effort, load) • Understand how friction is decreased when using a wheel and axle • Identify simpler solutions to various situations

III. Rationale: Explain how the content and learning goal(s) relate to your Curriculum

Unit Plan learning goals. This lesson will be a continuation on why simple machines are important to real life situations. Using the Smart Word Wheel and Axle, students will be introduced to the scientific terms used to explain wheel and axle such as wheel, axle, friction, and load. Important words and concepts will be recorded in the flipbooks to be used for reference in future lessons and activities. Diagrams are created in the flipbooks to help students visualize the machine rather than just understanding the definition. Once students have had a discussion about wheel and axle and how it is used in real life, students will be asked to watch a demonstration on moving boxes with and without a wheel and axle machine. Discussion and exploration are important in science because students need to be able to see the force in action rather than just reading and writing about the machines; students need to become scientists by asking questions and taking the definition and seeing it physically in action.

IV. Assessment: Describe how you and your students will know they have reached your learning goals.

• Flipbooks o Shows students understanding of concepts and ideas

• Exploration o Students will be asked to look observe an example of pushing a load

versus using a cart with a wheel and axle.

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• Exit Slip

o Students will be asked if they could make the connection of how wheels and axles are used to move objects.

V. Personalization: Describe how you will provide for individual student strengths and

needs. How will you and your lesson consider the needs of each student and scaffold learning? During this lesson all students will have the ability access the content, form understandings, and share their knowledge. Students have been exposed to various pictures, examples, and read alouds pertaining to the simple machines. Various turn and talks are used for students who have trouble expressing their ideas and opinions during whole class discussion. The pictures and read alouds are for ELL and visual learners who need connections to the vocabulary words and meanings given in their flipbooks. The observation will help students see the wheel and axle in action as a hand on activity. Talking about various examples of real-life examples, students will be able to make the connection to objects that surround them everyday. For students such as Saja, Jason, and Angelo, exit slips are differentiated where students are not required to explain as much in words but are required to label the wheel and axle. If students are struggling with the exit slips, students will be pulled into a small group at the jellybean table in order to further assist students, check for understanding, and assess their growth throughout the lesson and unit as a whole.

VI. Activity description and agenda: Describe the activities that will help your students

understand the content of your class lesson by creating an agenda with time frames for your class. Be prepared to explain why you think each activity will help students on the path toward understanding. Time Student Teacher

7 minutes

Turn and talk. Discuss what they think about simple machines.

Have students come to rug with pre-selected partners. Have students turn and talk about the previous lesson that introduced inclined planes.

3 minutes

Listen to teacher. Write “screws” Pass out flipbooks and have students add “screws” to the next section. Model for students to show how to spell the words correctly.

LAP  5:  WHEEL  AND  AXLES    SIMPLE  MACHINES  

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10 minutes

Listen to teacher. Write wheels and axles definition in flipbook. Turn and talk.

Introduce wheels and axles. Write lever definition on chart paper. Model writing in flipbook. Read excerpt from Smart Readers “Wheels and axles”. Have students turn and talk about wheels and axles reading.

6 minutes.

Listen to teacher. Write definitions in flipbook. Draw diagram in flipbook.

Explain to students that a screw is made up of a axle (rod) and wheels. Model drawing diagram. Have students draw in flipbook.

5 minutes

Talk about friction and what they know.

Explain friction to students and how wheel and axles decrease friction that keeps objects from moving.

6 minutes

Listen to teacher. Turn and talk about wheels and axles in real life.

Transition to discussing wheels and axles and how they decrease friction. Have students turn and talk about where they have seen wheels and axles in real life.

6 minutes

Listen to teacher. Observe. Turn and talk.

Show students how pushing a heavy object on the floor is hard. Have students discuss why they think it is hard and how a wheel and axle would help. Show example of using a cart and observe how the cart helped move the objects.

Duration of class

Participate in discussion. Complete exit slip.

Discuss observation. Review examples of wheels and axles. After observation, have students complete an exit slip.

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VII. List the Massachusetts Learning Standards this lesson addresses.

2.2 Describe different ways in which a problem can be represented, e.g., sketches, diagrams, graphic organizers, and lists Engineering Design: 3.1 Identify tools and simple machines used for a specific purpose, e.g., ramp, wheel, pulley, lever.

VIII. Reflection a. In light of all areas of planning, but especially in terms of your stated purpose and

learning goals, in what ways was the activity(ies) successful? How do you know? In what ways was it not successful? How might the activity be planned differently another time?

b. What did you learn from the experience of this lesson that will inform your next LAP?

Apart from the various behavior issues, this was a successful lesson. Students were able

to understand the concept and importance of a wheel and axle and how they are used in real-life. I had to extend the friction talk because students were having trouble understanding why the friction decreases when using a wheel and axle. Students were able to connect to this simple machine better than the others because it was one they see everyday in cars, skateboards, and bicycles. I tried to explain to students that wheels and axles aren’t always used within cars and bicycles, they are also in wind turbines and propellers for boats (the boat brought in talk about inclined planes and how they push the water behind the boat to move the boat forward). For the observation students were able to distinguish where the friction, effort, and load were. This sparked a discussion about how when we are walking we have friction with shoes and that’s how we do not slip and fall. When I asked students to think of an easier situation with moving a box, students’ hands shot up with answers such as “well you can carry it Ms. Coakley!”, “How about an inclined plane we used the other day?”. It was nice to see that students were able to think of different ways to move the box so I asked them “well what if we are just moving an object from one side of the school to another?”; this questions allowed students to think of wheels and axles rather than an inclined plane. I then showed students a moving cart I had from home to move the bin (the students referred to it was “an old fashioned skateboard”. Students’ expressions showed how they were developing understanding for wheel and axles and how it decreases the friction between the ground and wheel. If I were to do this lesson over again, I would give more time for exploration and hands-on activities rather than just modeling an example. This would have been successful if students were able to maximize their learning time, which has been an issue with the past few lessons. I would have students push the bin and notice the effort and friction and then use the cart to see the difference in effort and friction; this would allow for students to actually feel the work decreasing from just pushing a bin versus using a cart.

LAP  5:  WHEEL  AND  AXLES    SIMPLE  MACHINES  

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When doing this lesson, I learned that students work well with visuals and modeling. I’ve

noticed this across the curriculum; students need scaffolding and modeling to be successful in our class community. Although the modeling and vocabulary are tools for students to be successful, the hands-on/real-life observations are what help students articulate the content. After the bin and cart example, students were able to come up with some examples of using wheel and axles such as cars, bicycles, and trucks. Students were even starting to combine simple machines with others such as using the wheel and axle in a cart pushing up an inclined plane. This idea was a powerful moment because this is what students will be doing for this final assessment. One of the overall goals of this unit was to make sure students could use their knowledge of simple machines, combine the machines, and apply it to real life situations.

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Name: ___________________________ Date:_______________

Simple Machines: Wheel and Axle Objective: I will use my knowledge of wheel and axle to explain friction and work

when using wheels and axles.

Please sketch your “cart”. Be sure to label the load, friction, wheel and axle.

Was it easier to use a cart or not? Why or why not?

LAP  5:  WHEEL  AND  AXLES    SIMPLE  MACHINES  

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