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Grade 4 Structures and
Mechanisms Science Unit
Pulleys and Gears
An Introduction to Tools & Simple Machines
Have a Woodworker and Antique Tool Collector visit your science class!
A School Visit Program
brought to you by GMB
Services
GMBservices.ca
The Program
PULLEYS and GEARS is a program about simple machines, pulleys and
gears. It is presented by a woodworker who uses tools and simple machines in
his woodworking workshop. The half day program (135 minutes) consists of 3
parts.
1) An Introduction to Tools & Simple Machines 2) Hands-On Activity Stations that cover several aspects of the curriculum and 3) What
Have We Learned Wrap Up.
 1)An
Introduction to Tools, Simple Machines, Pulleys and Gears
Many things used in the home, on a farm, and in a workshop are made
of pulleys, gears and other simple machines. Most people rely on tools
to make their lives easier without really knowing what simple machines
make their devices work. The basic Simple Machines will be
reviewed with an emphasis on pulleys & gears.
2) Pulley Experiments
Students will work in groups to experiment at a pulley structure.
Students will make a fixed pulley, a movable pulley, a
combined pulley and a block and tackle. They will measure the
load using spring scales and determine which system offers
the greatest mechanical advantage. Experiment worksheets are provided to
record student learning. Prior
knowledge about machines is not
required - just enthusiasm and curiosity.
 3) What Have We Learned -Wrap Up
After the hands-on activities, students are given the opportunity to ask
questions of the presenter. Major concepts will be reviewed. Students will
be shown many interesting items from the presenter's private antique
tool collection and shown how they work.
The cost is $200 plus GST for the half day program. Teachers
will receive
Blackline Masters for Glossary Worksheets that can be reproduced and given to students
to complete after the presentation.
Because of the hands on nature of the presentation, classes cannot be
combined. For 2 classes we recommend that you book a
full day (2 sessions)- for $350 plus GST.
About Us & Our Presenters
GMB Services,
established in 1999, is a family business that draws on the expertise of our
Principal Associates Nicholas Gere
and Elfi Berndl. Our presenters are Toy Makers
and Antique Tool Collectors who make handcrafted wooden rocking toys in
their
GMB Family Workshop. They
are also avid rockhounds, artists, book lovers and curio collectors. Nick and Elfi have been putting on workshops about
their hobbies since 1998. Their website
www.RocksForKids.com
has had over 900,000 hits since 2001. Nick, a retired
architect, has taught architectural technology courses at the
community college level and is currently doing the
Grade 4
Pulleys & Gears Presentations as well as giving
Rock Talks. Elfi, who still teaches in the Junior Division
in the GTA, is a co-presenter of some weekend Workshops and
Rock Art Workshops. Check
out About GMB
for more details.
Drop us a
line if you would like to know more about what we do.
To Book a Visit
Send us an
email
and tell us what you would like. Include a telephone number so that we
can speak with you in person if necessary. We'll get in touch and we'll work out
the details. Once all is set, we'll send you a School Visit Confirmation email. Payment is
due on the day of the visit.
Before the visit you will receive a Pre-Visit
Package via email which includes 1)Pre-Visit Checklist
and Short Program Description that can be used in your information
letter home to the parents and 2) Blackline
Masters of the Student Glossary, Worksheets & Answer Guides.
Areas we Service
www.GMBservices.ca
We are located at Yonge and Highway 7, just north of Toronto.
Our presenters will visit your school if you are located in the
GTA ~ Greater Toronto Area, Peel& York Region
- namely Aurora, Brampton, Etobicoke, King,
Kleinberg, Maple, Markham, Mississauga, Newmarket,
Nobleton, Oak Ridges, Richmond Hill,
Scarborough, Stouffville, Thornhill, Toronto, Whitchurch and Woodbridge.
Our presenter will visit schools in the following school boards: YRDSB,
YCDSB, PDSB, DPCDSB, TDSB and TCDSB. Visits are
also made to Private Schools within these areas.
Although it is not essential that parent volunteers be
present during our visit, it has been our experience that having volunteers
significantly enhances the students’ learning. Parents have also told us
that they have thoroughly enjoyed the program and were thrilled to be part
of a hands-on learning situation with their kids. Volunteers could also be
coop students or high school students doing community service hours. Five
volunteers (1 for each station) would be ideal. In cases where the the class
is large, namely 25 or 30 students, volunteers are essential to maximize the
learning experience for the students.
 Space
needed for the
Presentation
The ideal location for the presentation is an empty
classroom if you have one. The space
needs to be lockable over lunch time. Because of floor space requirements,
some rearrangement of desks will be required.
There needs to be floor space for 5 Pulley Experiment Stations. Floor space for students to gather around a
blanket with tools & equipment on the floor is required for the introduction
and wrap up sections of the program.
Some teachers are able to book the an empty classroom,
music room or library for their exclusive use, but that is rare.
A portable is also a good location.
Most
teachers have the presentation in their own classroom. The presenter sets up
in the classroom of the “afternoon class”. During the morning, the
“afternoon class” uses the “morning class” classroom for regular curriculum.
Then in the afternoon, the “afternoon class” has the presentation in their
own homeroom. That way both classes get dismissed from their own homerooms
at the end of the day.
Because of the
quantity of material and equipment that we bring for our presentation, the
room that is chosen must be accessible with a dolly – namely on grade or via
a ramp. If the presentation is on the second floor, then an elevator is also
required.
A teacher is expected to be with the class at all times during the
presentation. The Presenter is responsible for program. The teacher is
responsible for behavior management. Should another teacher come into the
program after it has started (e.g. to release the homeroom teacher for prep
coverage) then the new teacher is expected to be an active participant in
the class activities & is ultimately responsible for student behavior. At no
time should the presenter be left in the classroom with the students without
a teacher present.
Which science strand is
covered by the presentation?
The
2007
Ontario
Science Curriculum for Grade 4: Structures and Mechanisms ~ Pulleys &
Gears
- Grade 4 Pulleys &
Gears Big Ideas
-
Pulleys and gears change the speed, direction, and motion
of, and force exerted on, moving objects.
(Overall expectations 2 and 3)
-
Pulleys and gears make it possible for a small input force
to generate a large output force. (Note:
Grade 4 students need to understand mechanical advantage only in
its qualitative sense).
(Overall
expectation 1)
-
Gears are specialized wheels and axles that are used daily
in many machines.
(Overall
expectations 1, 2, and 3)
- Overall Expectations Covered by the Pulleys
& Gears Presentation
-
INVESTIGATE ways in which pulleys and gears modify
the speed and direction of, and the force exerted on, moving objects.
-
DEMONSTRATE an understanding of the basic principles
and functions of pulley systems and gear systems.
- Specific Expectations:
Developing
Skills of Scientific Investigation and Technological Problem
Solving
-
Follow established safety procedures for working with machinery
(e.g.,
check to ensure that
pulley
systems are firmly attached to a secure
support
before operating them; be aware that
changing a larger gear wheel to a smaller one will
change the speed at which the mechanism moves)
-
Use scientific inquiry/experimentation skills
(see page 12)
to investigate changes in force, distance, speed, and direction
in pulley and gear systems.
-
What happens when the number of pulleys in a
system is increased?
-
When the number is decreased?
-
How does the force required to raise a load
change when the number of pulleys is changed?
-
How does the distance over which the force is
exerted change?
-
What happens when you change the size of one
of the wheels in a gear system?
-
What gear system will you use to change the
direction of the motion?
-
Use technological problem-solving skills
to design, build, and test a pulley or gear system that performs
a specific task.
-
Use appropriate science and technology vocabulary, including
pulley,
gear, force,
and speed,
in oral and written communication.
Understanding Basic Concepts
-
Describe the purposes of pulley systems and gear systems
(e.g.,
to facilitate changes in direction,
speed, or force).
-
Describe how rotary motion in one system or its components
(e.g.,
a system of pulleys of different
sizes)
is
transferred to another system or component
(e.g.,
a system of various gears)
in the same structure.
-
Describe how one type of motion can be transformed into another
type of motion using pulleys or gears
(e.g., rotary
to linear in a rack
and
pinion system, rotary to oscillating in a
clock pendulum)
-
Describe, using their observations, how gears operate in one
plane (e.g.,
spur gears,
idler
gears)
and in two
planes (e.g.,
crown,
bevel, or worm gears).
-
Distinguish between pulley systems and gear systems that
increase force and those that increase speed.
-
Explain how the gear system on a bicycle works
(e.g.,
by using the largest gear on the front chain
ring and the smallest gear on the rear wheel, we
can move quickly along a flat surface).
-
Identify the input components that drive a mechanism and the
output components that are driven by it
(e.g.,the pedals on a bike are
the
input component; the rear wheel is the
output component).
Some more Simple Machines Info
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