Stage 3 Plan Learning Experiences

*At the end of each day, the students will be given an exit ticket to selfassess and reflect. These will be collected daily to be reviewed by the
teacher. Questions/prompts will include (but are not limited to):
Reflect
How does this content relate to you?
What do you want to know more about?
What was hard about todays lesson? What was easy about todays
lesson?
3 things you learned, 2 ways youll use them, and 1 question you have
Make a concept map of what you learned today
Name your favorite thing you learned and give three facts about it
Self-Assess
Did you try your best today?
How would you rate your listening?
List 3 reasons why you were a good thinker
How do you think you helped you friends learn?
What helped you learning? What hindered our learning?
What is one choice you could have done better?
Specific questions for PBE days will be included after each PBE.
1. Hook: Show students a big box filled with a lot of books. Allow them to
nudge (not lift, for safety) the box to see that it is heavy. Ask the students:
How would you put this really heavy box filled with books on a high shelf?
Write answers on the board. Then ask: How could you get this box from
my classroom to another teachers room who is across the building
without anyones help? Write answers on the board. Ask: If you do
manage to lift it on your own, how would you feel after doing it? Write
answers on the board.
2. Introduce the unit to the students. Explain that during this unit they will
be learning about the things that make the tasks we just talked about and
other tasks easier, simple machines. The six types of simple machines we
will learn about are inclined plane, screw, lever, wedge, wheel and axel,
and pulley. We will also talk about compound machines. Discuss the
importance of learning about simple machines. Share the essential
questions with the students. Tell the students about the four performance
tasks that they will be doing throughout the unit.
3. Make a full class KWL chart titled simple machines. To complete the K
and W sections, have the students do a think-pair-share. Teacher writes
responses on the chart.
4. Set up six station around the classroom. Each station will labeled with one
of the six types of simple machines. Each station will have examples of
that simple machine. Include as many physical examples of the simple

machines as possible. If needed include colored pictures of examples of

the simple machines. Give the students a sheet of paper with a chart that
has the six simple machines in the first column and three columns of
empty boxes next to the simple machines. In the first empty box, the
students will write the examples they are exploring at the center. In the
second empty box, the students will write observations they make about
the simple machine, what they are used for, and anything else they think
about when exploring the simple machines. To choose groups, put the six
simple machines times however much to make the number of students in
the class in a bag and the students will blindly choose a simple machine.
That will be the station they start at. The other people who choose the
same simple machine will be the group that they travel from station to
station with and who they discuss the simple machines with. Tell the
students that they will each be asked to share something with the whole
class about their experience with the simple machines.
5. After the students have explored each of the six simple machine stations,
they will go back to their seats. Show a PowerPoint of each of the simple
machines. Before teaching about each simple machine, have each
student from the group that picked that simple machine from the bag
share something they observed or thought. As you teach about each
simple machine, have the students fill out the third empty box with the
definition of the simple machine that the teacher provides them.
6. In addition to self-assessment and reflection questions on the exit slip, the
students will write what they think is the definition of a simple machine
based on what they learned that day.
7. The students will create their foldable learning tool for the six simple
machines. It will include the name of the simple machine, a picture, and
the definition. The students will use this review whenever they have spare
moments.
8. I will introduce the contract. The students will have time every other day
to work on the contract during the later portion of science time.
9. For homework, the students will do a simple machine scavenger hunt at
home.
10. The next day, the students will play Find someone who with the
scavenger hunt results they have. Some descriptions would include: has
at least one of the same items on their list as you do found a wheel and
axel at home has a kitchen item listed has a school supply listed
knows the definition of a lever can list three examples of wedges
11. Students create a concept map of the six different types of simple
machines. Have students explain their concept map to three different
people. Then the students will add to or edit their concept map if they
think its necessary.
12. Students will take a quiz on simple machines.
13. Talk about compound machines with the students. Ask the students
where they have heard the word compound before (think compound

words) and what it means. Based on that knowledge, have the students
think-pair-share the definition of compound machine.
14.
Place several compound machines around the room. Let the students
choose three of the compound machines to explore. They must identify
the simple machines that make up the compound machine.
15. Missing Machines PBE: All of the simple machines in the town have
gone missing. You are a detective leading the investigation to find the
simple machines. You have assembled a team of police officers and
concerned community members to help you search. Create a flyer to give
to your team that will help them to know if what they have found is a
simple machine. The flyer should explain how they can prove that what
they have found is a simple machine. Your flyer should go beyond stating
what the six simple machines are. You will show this flyer to a local police
officer.
16. The students will self-assess and reflect on the Missing Machines
PBE. They will answer the questions Did I give this flyer my best effort?
and What was the main idea of my flyer?
17. The students will be given a variety of tasks to complete. They will try
both tasks with a simple machine and without. They will work with a
partner. Their partner will time how long it takes them to complete each
task. The student must rate on a scale from 0-5 how much effort/energy
they thought it took. The students will determine which tasks they
thought were worth completing with a simple machine and which they
thought were not worth completing with a simple machine.
18. Using the SmartBoard, teach students about work and force.
19. Invite to the classroom several people who rely on simple machines in
their everyday life (such as someone with a disability who relies on simple
machines and people from a variety of jobs who rely on simple machines
to do their work). Have each of the guests share about how they use
simple and compound machines in their everyday life. The students will
write about one of the people and the role that simple machines play in
their life. Have the guests spread out in the classroom. Allow the students
to talk to the person they wish to write about and ask additional questions
so they have enough to write about.
20. Construction Catastrophe PBE: You are an instructional designer hired
by a big construction company. Your client, the head of the construction
company, has told you that the workers have been complaining that the
work they are doing is too hard and that they cant seem to do it well. The
workers are struggling to move heavy objects, cut pieces of wood, and
make the things they construct stay together. You have been asked to
create a video explaining to all of the construction workers how and when
they could use simple machines in their job. A group of construction
workers will be visiting our class. Your video will be shown to one of
construction workers.
21. The students will self-assess and reflect on the Construction
Catastrophe PBE. They will answer the questions What would you do

differently next time with this PBE? and Although you are not a
construction worker, how could you relate the ideas from your video to
your own life?
22. Revisit the KWL chart. Have the students think-pair-share and add to
the L part of the chart.
23. The students will do the differentiated Think Dots activity. The activities
will include a variety of things that the student have learned so far in the
unit. Many will focus on the importance of simple machines.
24. Machines Matter PBE: You are a childrens book author and your boss
had told you to write and illustrate a book with the theme machines
matter to help children understand why simple machines are important.
Create a picture book telling a story that shows why simple machines
matter. Your books will be shown to a bookstore owner.
25. The students will self-assess and reflect on the Machines Matter PBE.
They will answer the questions What grade would you give yourself on
your picture book? Explain why. and What was the theme of your book?
26. The students will go to the computer lap and complete a webquest to
find out the cost of different simple and complex machines. The students
will be given a budget. Of the fifteen machines they look at, they will
determine which ones they would buy. They must explain why they chose
to buy the ones they did and why they chose not the buy the other
machines. The students will do a wagon wheel. With each turn the
teacher will say one of the machines. Each pair will tell their partner why
they chose to or not to buy the machine.
27. Watch a video of a Rube Goldberg machine. Have the students table
talk about their favorite part of the machine. Then have them table talk
about the pros and the cons of the machine. The students will share out
what their tablemates said and the teacher will write a pro and con list for
the machine. The class will then take a vote on if the machine is
necessary.
28. The students will be grouped (teacher chosen) and will create their
own compound machine using provided materials. The goal will be to
move a marble from one part of the classroom to another part of the
classroom.
29. Reactions Reported PBE: In your town, the mayor is considering
banning the use of all machines (including simple machines). The
community members have reacted very strongly to the mayors proposal
both for and against the ban. You are a news reporter and have spoken
to many people in the town getting both sides of the story. You will write
your news report of the communitys response to the proposed ban and
then broadcast it live in class to our local Channel 9 news reporter Miss
Newsy. Be sure to fairly report on both sides of the issue. As a reporter, it
is your job to present an unbiased report of what is going on in your town.
30. The students will self-assess and reflect on the Reactions Reported
PBE. They will answer the questions Rate yourself from 0-5 on how much
effort you put into this PBE. Explain why you rated yourself that way. and

Did your perspective on simple machines change by doing this PBE? Why
or why not?
31. Come back to the KWL chart. Have the students think-pair-share and
add to the L part of the chart.
32. Review the essential understandings from the unit.
33. To wrap up the unit, have the students write a letter to themselves
describing what they want to remember from the unit (essential
understandings), what they did to help their learning during the unit, and
how they could be a better learner during the next unit.