Description
Lesson Overview
Students will:
- Introduction to Rube Goldberg Machines as an example of complex machines made of simple machines
- Design and build their own Rube Goldberg Machines
- Present their machines
- Identify the simple machines inside common everyday objects
Lesson Objectives
Students will be able to:
- Identify the six types of simple machines
- Design and build a Rube Goldberg Machine
This lesson is aligned with these Next Generation Science (NGS) Standards.
Standards Covered
Disciplinary Core Idea (DCI)
ETS1 Engineering Design – ETS1.B: Developing Possible Solutions
- (3rd-5th) Tests are often designed to identify failure points or difficulties, which suggest the elements of the design that need to be improved
- (6th-8th) A solution needs to be tested and then modified on the basis of the test results, in order to improve it.
Science & Engineering Practice (SEP)
Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions
- (3rd-5th) Apply scientific ideas to solve design problems.
- (6th-8th) Apply scientific ideas or principles to design, construct, and/or test a design of an object, tool, process, or system.
Crosscutting concept (CCC)
Cause and Effect: Mechanisms and Explanation
- (3rd-5th) Cause and effect relationships are routinely identified, tested, and used to explain change.
- (6th-8th) Cause and effect relationships may be used to predict phenomena in natural or designed systems.
