Science — Grade 7

Studying simple machines with Rube Goldberg

Using a copy of a Rube Goldberg cartoon, show how the famous cartoonist drew weird and wacky machines to complete a simple task. Students will develop their own Rube Goldberg-type cartoon, using five types of simple machines, to accomplish their selected feat.

Format: lesson plan (grade 7 Science)

By Cynthia Corley.

Building a catapult

In CareerStart lessons: Grade seven, page 3.7

In this lesson for grade seven, students review simple machines and explore how they're used in various careers. Students work in groups to design, construct, and test catapults.

Format: lesson plan (grade 7 Science)

By Emma Couch.Adapted by Mitzi Talbert.

Resources on the web

Tools

The goal of this Science NetLinks lesson is to understand the impact tools (and machines) have on human society both historically and presently. The focus is on how tools make our lives easier. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade K, 3, and 7 Science)

Provided by: American Association for the Advancement of Science

The bicycle as a system

This lesson gives students an opportunity to examine the nature of systems in the context of an object with which they are very familiar—the bicycle. Students will identify the properties of the various subsystems of a bicycle and examine how they relate... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 7 Science)

Provided by: American Association for the Advancement of Science