Grade 5 · Science · Lesson 16

Simple Machines

A simple machine is a tool with very few moving parts that makes work easier. It does not give you free energy — it lets you trade a long, gentle effort for a short, hard one, or the other way around. Six classic simple machines are hiding in everyday objects all around you.

What this lesson teaches

1Identify the six simple machines and how each one works
2Match each simple machine to an everyday example
3Explain how simple machines make work easier by trading effort for distance
4Sort tools and objects into the simple machine they belong to

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