Engineer and cartoonist Rube Goldberg is famous for his crazy machines that accomplish everyday tasks in overly complicated ways. Students use their new understanding of types of simple machines to design and build their own Rube Goldberg machines that perform simple tasks in no less than 10 steps.

"The Core Knowledge Foundation provides open access to content-rich curriculum materials for preschool through grade 8, including the Core Knowledge Curriculum Series™, with many materials now available and many more in development."

You will need to provide your email address to download these amazing resources. CK has aligned their ELA to the Science of Reading in collaboration with Amplify Reading.
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The University of Saskatchewan offers this tremendous resource that promotes the richness and diversity of the sciences, nurture curiosity and innovation, and inspire students to consider a career in science, and support teachers to provide exciting educational experiences.

Check out the great collection of video and activity resources for teachers and parents to supplement and enhance Grade 5 science learning.

PHYSICAL SCIENCE
Build your very own trebuchet and catapult yourself to victory! You'll learn more about levers, simple machines, and the principles behind force and gravity as you experiment with projectiles and counterweights to make the perfect launch.

ABOUT THE SCIENCE
The trebuchet (pronounced tray-boo-shay) was a large counter-weighted weapon used in the Middle Ages during warfare to break down the walls of castles. The first ones invented used between 15 and 40 men to pull down the lever arm in order to launch it. It soon developed into a simple machine called a traction trebuchet that used gravity instead of manpower. These machines were generally larger and more difficult to reload, but could catapult much bigger objects.
Here is how it worked! It had a lever that transferred gravitational energy into kinetic energy, taking the force of gravity and using it to fling an object. Soldiers relied on this weapon so much, that they even named them! One very large trebuchet used during the Crusades in Scotland was named “Warwolf”.
No matter the size, the main components of a trebuchet are the lever and the sling. The pivot point (or fulcrum) is located between the load and the effort and works like a see saw. On one end there is the object that is to be fired and on the other is the counterweight. Raising the counterweight above the ground causes a buildup of potential energy. When the counterweight is released and falls, the lever arm pivots on its fulcrum and the other end of the projectile receives the energy.
Can you believe they used these on ships as well as land? You can probably throw a ball on land with pretty good aim. Next time you are floating in a pool or lake, try throwing a ball to the shore and see what these ship-bound trebuchets were up against.

Students used critical thinking, collaborative and creativity skills to create a mouse trap car. Students used a variety of household and constructed materials to build a vehicle powered by a mousetrap and levers. This activity could also be used for middle level science and PAA.

Students learn about the concept of pushing, as well as the relationship between force and mass. Students practice measurement skills using pan scales and rulers to make predictions about mass and distance. A LEGO MINDSTORMS(TM) NXT robot is used to test their hypotheses. By the end of the activity, students have a better understanding of robotics, mass and friction and the concept of predicting.

Check out these great video/curricular resources for Grade 5. The ROVER videos all indicate the curriculum outcomes that they address.

ROVER (Recommended Online Video Education Resources) is a video streaming service for Saskatchewan teachers and students in the PreK-12 education system. It is managed and maintained by the Saskatchewan Ministry of Education. ROVER is a video-on-demand service that provides teachers and students with the convenience of immediate access to streamed, educational videos that support curricula.

This site also offers all of the curriculum documents for all grade levels.

If you are unable to access the site, it may be because a Saskatchewan Ministry of Education Blackboard login is required. All students have an Edonline account, so contact your child's school or the Ministry of Education’s Support Desk at 1-866-933-8333 or email at stans@gov.sk.ca for login information. Your child's student number will be required.

Your job is to build a “machine” that will pop a balloon.  You must use at least one lever, one inclined plane, one wedge, one wheel and axle, and one pulley.   

SciShow produces informational science videos for students of any age. They do have the look and feel that would likely appeal to younger students.

These videos are hosted by Jessi and her robot rat “Squeaks” and answer questions that inquiring young minds really want to know.

A variety of topics are covered in videos including: science on the playground, getting to know your emotions, simple machines, experiments, animal information, brainteasers and more.

This case will give students the opportunity to explore simple machine and forces in the context of an amusement park. Students will be able to investigate simple machines, the forces found in and around them, and how they make life easier for us. Students will also create two prototype amusement ride using simple machines: one involving levers and the other of their design using at least 2 simple machines. Outcomes FM5.1 and FM5.2 are the focus of this case.
Students have been hired by an amusement park developer who is to create a physics themed amusement park for a rich, eccentric scientist.

Every week Science North will provide Grade 2 teachers with a pre-recorded video and printable resource.

Teachers will be able to share these YouTube videos and resources with students every week.

Included are classroom videos, student handouts, and offline lesson plans.

These videos and handouts can be sent to students to provide them with key concepts and activities that link to the curriculum.

In this activity, students are challenged to design a contraption using simple machines to move a circus elephant into a rail car. After students consider their audience and constraints, they work in groups to brainstorm ideas and select one concept to communicate to the class.

Refreshed with an understanding of the six simple machines; screw, wedge, pully, incline plane, wheel and axle, and lever, student groups receive materials and an allotted amount of time to act as mechanical engineers to design and create machines that can complete specified tasks. For the competition, they choose from pre-determined goal options such as: 1) dumping goldfish into a bowl, 2) popping a balloon, or 3) dropping mint candies into soda pop (creating a fizzy reaction). Students demonstrate their functioning contraptions to the class, earning points for using all six simple machines, successful transitions from one chain reaction to the next, and completion of the end goal.

These free STEM lessons, projects, and activities can be used to teach about simple machines with hands-on science experiments to investigate how levers, pulleys, ramps, screws, and wheel and axle systems offer mechanical advantages that make it easier to perform tasks.