This people riding transportation worksheet asks 2nd grade students to name the vehicle in each clue and draw a place they travel to. An answer key is included for fast, easy checking.
The Simple Machine ABC Order Worksheet helps 2nd graders put ten simple machine words in alphabetical order and compare words letter by letter. An answer key is included, making it perfect for quick, no-prep ABC order practice.
These simple machines flash cards help 1st-3rd grade students learn the six simple machines with diagram cards and everyday object cards. Answer key included.
Simple and compound machines flash cards for 2nd to 4th grade: 16 fold-over picture cards, a practice page and an answer key included, so students learn to spot the simple machines inside everyday tools.
Push, pull and make work easier
Second graders learn that a machine is anything that makes work easier, and that some of the most helpful machines are super simple. They meet the six simple machines: the lever, wheel and axle, pulley, inclined plane, wedge and screw. Then they find them everywhere! A seesaw is a lever, a ramp is an inclined plane and a jar lid is a screw. They also learn that a compound machine, like a bicycle, is made of simple machines working together. The click moment comes when kids realize their playground is full of machines.
Kids understand machines best when they can see them, name them and try them.
Lift a book straight up with a rubber band tied to it, then pull it up a ramp. Kids watch the rubber band stretch less on the ramp. Feeling the difference is how they learn that an inclined plane makes work easier.
Why it works: going from real objects to pictures to symbols is a core recommendation of the U.S. Department of Education's elementary math guide.
Try it withSimple and Compound Machines Flash CardsFlash CardsOpen it →Show a simple machine card, then send kids on a hunt around the room for a real example. Scissors, doorknobs and pencil sharpeners all count! They sketch what they found and label which machine it is.
Why it works: children learn more from words and pictures together than from words alone (Mayer, 2009).
Try it withSimple Machines Flash CardsFlash CardsOpen it →Once kids know the six names, have them put the words in ABC order and say what each one does. Mixing reading practice with science vocabulary gives both a boost.
Why it works: mixing different kinds of problems in one practice set helped students do far better on a later test (Rohrer and Taylor, 2007).
Try it withSimple Machine ABC Order WorksheetWorksheetsOpen it →Second graders are born engineers.
Teacher favorites right now: People Riding Transportation Worksheet, Simple Machine ABC Order Worksheet and Simple Machines Flash Cards.
The lever, wheel and axle, pulley, inclined plane, wedge and screw. Each one helps people push, pull or lift things with less effort. Second graders learn to spot them in everyday objects.
A compound machine is two or more simple machines working together. A bicycle uses wheels and axles, levers and gears. Scissors combine levers and wedges.
Tell them a machine is a tool that makes work easier. Then show real examples, like a ramp for rolling a heavy box or a seesaw for lifting a friend. Hands-on examples beat definitions.
Build a ramp with a board and books and roll toy cars down it. Try different heights and talk about what changes. A machine hunt around the house is fun too.
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