4-6 : Lesson Plan #3
Invention

Objective: The students will create an invention, using items collected from the trash or recycling bin, which operates as a simple machine.

Materials:

Letter to Parents to Collect Items
Examples of simple machines – levers, pulleys, inclined planes, etc. – either pictures from a book or web site, or actual items.
Objects brought in by students that would normally be thrown away or put in recycling bins.
Art supplies, such as glue, tape, markers, crayons, string, paints, scissors, etc.

Procedure:

A few days before the lesson send home the letter to the parents asking for items.
Discuss/review garbage going into landfills and the importance of reducing, reusing, and recycling to care for the environment.
Depending on the students' background knowledge, introduce/review simple machines. Share pictures/examples of pulleys, inclined planes, levers, etc.
Have the students work individually or in pairs. They may want to brainstorm their ideas and draw diagrams of their proposed inventions.
Allow the students access to the collected items and the art supplies. They may then create examples of simple machines in their unique inventions using these objects.
When the inventions are complete, have the students demonstrate them to their classmates. They may wish to “name” their inventions as well.

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