Middle School Curriculum
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SEPUP Texas Edition, Science Grade 6, Motion and Simple Machines Unit
30-40
In this unit, students will explore how ramps and pulleys make moving heavy objects easier. Students will learn how these simple machines reduce forces and affect the speed of the objects being moved. How does a pulley work? How does a ramp help lift objects.
Content in SEPUP Texas Edition, Science Grade 6, Motion and Simple Machines Unit is organized into 8 activities, as follows:
| Activity Title | Activity Type | Activity Overview | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 31. | Moving a Piano | Role Play | This activity presents a fictitious scenario where students explore ways to get a newly purchased piano up to the second floor of their school. Students read a role play in which two students and two teachers discuss the problem and the solutions that will enable them to lift the piano. Students consider two simple machines—ramps and pulleys—that could be used to get the piano to the second floor. |
| 32. | Investigating Ramps | Laboratory | Students investigate the idea of using an inclined plane to pull the piano up to the second floor. To model this, they test three lengths of ramps and measure the amount of force it would take to pull a weighted cart up each ramp. Students also calculate the amount of work done in pulling an object up each of the three ramps. |
| 33. | Investigating a Simple Pulley | Laboratory | Students investigate the idea of using a single pulley to pull the piano up to the second floor. To model this they test a single pulley with a weighted cart to measure the amount of force needed to pull the cart up. Students also investigate the amount of work done in each of the pulley setups. |
| 34. | Investigating Pulley Systems | Laboratory | Students explore the forces involved in multiple-pulley systems. To model this, they arrange two pulleys and a weighted cart in two ways to investigate the amount of force needed to pull the cart up. Students also investigate the amount of work done in each of the pulley setups. |
| 35. | Mechanical Advantage | Reading | Students are introduced to the six classic simple machines. The inclined plane and pulley are specifically discussed and connected to previous concepts presented in the unit. Mechanical advantage is introduced and calculated for inclined planes and pulley systems. |
| 36. | Changing Speed | Laboratory | Students explore the effects of balanced and unbalanced force(s) on an object’s position, direction of motion, and speed. Students use hanging masses to apply balanced and unbalanced forces to a cart. After measuring the cart’s distance and time traveled due to unbalanced forces, students calculate its average speed. |
| 37. | Graphing Motion | Investigation | Students construct motion graphs of a cart’s motion. Students also investigate the information that motion graphs yield about an object’s motion. |
| 38. | Two Piano Proposals | Investigation | Students evaluate two proposals to get the piano into the school using a counterweight and a combination of ramps and pulleys. Applying what they have learned about unbalanced forces, average speed, and the force needed to lift an object with either a ramp or pulley, students work together in groups to determine a setup that meets the design requirements in their proposals. |
A full suite of course tools is available for teachers, as follows:
Student Edition
The Motion and Simple Machines Unit Student Edition guides investigations and provides related readings. It uses a variety of approaches to make science accessible for all students. SEPUP’s integrated literacy strategies help students process new science content, develop their analytical skills, make connections between related concepts, and express their knowledge orally and in writing.
eStudent Edition
Available in both Downloadable and Online Access platforms
Teacher's Edition
The SEPUP Teacher’s Edition takes you through each activity in the Student Edition and helps you see the development of concepts within the big picture of the units and the course you are teaching. It helps you set up the equipment from the kit, organize the classroom, conduct activities, and manage practical details, all of which enhance students’ learning environment. The Teacher’s Edition is packaged as a series of loose-leaf binders that you can personalize with annotations, rearrangements, and insertions. It provides full support for teaching the program. Additional support resources can also found in the Teacher’s Edition.
Complete Materials Package
All SEPUP materials packages are designed with teachers, students and environmental considerations in mind. Traditional laboratory style classrooms are not necessary to teach SEPUP. Materials packages include most of the items needed for the activities. They support multiple classes – typically up to five classes of 32 students (160 total students) – before consumables need to be replaced. It’s important to note that materials are consumed at various rates; therefore, it will not be necessary to replace all consumable items every year. Exclusive to SEPUP programs are the molded tray liners that keep everything in place and easy to locate – even in a hurry.
Online and Technology Tools
These include the Exam View suite of assessment tools and more than 100 web links for each of the three SEPUP 6-8 courses, to be used for basic instruction and enrichment.
| SEPUP Texas Edition, Science Grade 6, Motion and Simple Machines Unit | Item # | Price | Quantity |
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