Brittany

Priddle
Cohort A

Grade 4: Pulleys and Gears Unit Plan

Expectations Lesson Description
Lesson 1: Introduction to Pulleys
Overall:
3. demonstrate an
understanding of the
basic principles and
functions of pulley
systems and gear
systems.

Specific:
3.6 identify pulley
systems (e.g.,
clotheslines, flagpoles,
cranes, elevators, farm
machinery) and gear
systems (e.g., bicycles,
hand drills, can openers)
that are used in daily life,
and explain the purpose
and basic operation of
each

Assessment

Minds On:
As a class we will start a KWL chart:
What do we know about pulleys?
What do we want to know?

Show students the 6 minutes Bill Nye Youtube video on pulleys
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9T7tGosXM58&feature=related
What device did you see in the video that used pulleys?
What did we learn from the video?
Add new information from the video to the KWL chart.
Learning skills and work habits focused on throughout this lesson: independent
work and responsibility.

Tell students that a poster featuring the culminating task is displayed on the
bulletin board for this lesson as well as the rubric they are free to look at it if
they wish, however it will be introduced more in depth toward the end of the
unit.

Hands On:
Today we will begin our journey on investigating pulleys and gears, however I
want to know how much you know!
Students will be introduced to a number of different objects that use pulleys
such as a clothesline, crane, flagpole, lawnmower, ski lift, escalator,
snowmobile.
Students will work through the work sheet and explain how they think the
different objects work and draw a diagram with labels. They will explain what
they think the purpose of the pulley system is and the basic operation of each.
This will be a diagnostic tool to see how much students know about pulleys.

Consolidation:
Collect the worksheets and then go over a couple of the devices that were on
the page.
Tomorrow we will work through the different types of pulleys more in depth.

How it relates to CT

Students will complete a

worksheet and hand it in as
a diagnostic tool to show the
teacher how much the
students know about
pulleys.

This lesson will introduce

students to pulley systems
and some of the devices
around us that use them as
well as the purpose that
they serve. This information
can be used to help the
students in their
culminating task getting
them thinking about pulley
systems without having a
diagram to follow. Get the
creative juices flowing!

Brittany Priddle
Cohort A

Lesson 2: Types of Pulleys and How We Use Pulleys

Overall:
3. demonstrate an
understanding of the
basic principles and
functions of pulley
systems and gear
systems.

Specific:
3.1 describe the
purposes of pulley
systems and gear
systems (e.g., to
facilitate changes in
direction, speed, or
force)

3.3 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)

Minds On:
Can anyone identify some different types of pulleys? What were some of the
ones we saw in the video from yesterday?
Students will be shown a list of things and they will pick out which include
pulleys and which do not? Then we will discuss the purpose of some of the
pulleys in those different systems.
Learning skills and work habits focused on throughout this lesson:
collaboration and self-regulation.

Hands On:
During the hands on portion of the lesson students will be participating in
learning centres based on different aspects of pulleys.
Groups will spend 7-10 minutes at each centre
The centres will be:
1) Fixed Pulley Send your friend a treat!
2) Movable Pulley
3) Compound Pulleys
4) Creating an Important Terms Booklet

Consolidation:
Students will be required to submit an exit ticket before they leave the class
answering the following questions:
What is a fixed pulley?
A movable pulley? What do pulleys do?

Students will hand in an exit

ticket before they leave
class answering: What is a
fixed pulley? A movable
pulley? What do pulleys do?

Students will be required to

use a pulley for the
culminating task, therefore
they will need to know the
function of the different
types. This lesson will also
have the students work in
groups in hopes that they
will begin working on their
cooperation skills.

Exit ticket: identifying which

group they fit into with
regards to their knowledge
and understanding of
pulleys. This will allow the
teacher to know if there
needs to be more review of

Students will acquire hands

on experience working with
pulleys so that they are
more comfortable creating
them when it comes time to
complete the culminating
task.

Lesson 3: Exploring Pulleys

Overall:
1. evaluate the impact of
pulleys and gear on
society and the
environment

Specific:

Minds On:
Today we are going to explore pulleys so that you are all comfortable working
with them.
Learning skills and work habits focused on throughout this lesson:
responsibility and initiative.

Hands On:

Brittany Priddle
Cohort A
1.1 assess the impact of
pulley systems and gear
systems on daily life

Students will create the different types of pulleys that they researched the day
before and see how they work focusing on directional movements. Students
will record their observations in their logbook.
This lesson will be more inquiry based, as students will be responsible for their
own investigation and exploration of pulleys.

Consolidation:
Students will hand in an exit ticket that will allow the teacher to know how
their knowledge of pulleys is developing. They will place themselves on of the
following categories:
Im a NOVICE: Im just starting to learn this and I dont really understand it yet.
Im an APPRENTICE: Im starting to get it, but I still need someone to coach me
through it
Im a PRACTITIONER: I can mostly do it by myself, but I sometimes mess up or
get stuck
Im An EXPERT: I understanding it well, and I could thoroughly teach it to
someone else.

pulleys and or if it is only a

few students who are
struggling.

Lesson 4: Introduction to Gears and Uses of Gears

Overall:
1. evaluate the impact of
pulleys and gear on
society and the
environment

3. demonstrate an
understanding of the
basic principles and
functions of pulley
systems and gear
systems.

Specific:
1.1 assess the impact of
pulley systems and gear
systems on daily life

3.1 describe the

Minds On:
Ask students to make a list of machines that use gears.
As a class begin a KLEWS chart on gears.
Ask them what they know about gears. (K)
Why do we use gears?
Learning skills and work habits focused on throughout this lesson: self-
regulation and initiative.


Hands On:
Introduce students to what a gear is, what they are used for. Show students
diagrams of different types of gears: spur, idle, crown, bevel and worm and get
them to guess the name of each.
Tell students that we will discuss them more in depth in tomorrows lesson.
Students will come up with a list of things that use gears, classify them using a
scheme that they come up with. Example large gears, small gears. Discuss
how these devices would be different or how they would work if they did not
have gears.

Anecdotal notes: walk

around while students are
working with their gears

Provides
fundamental
knowledge
and
understanding of gears. This
information can be used to
create their elevator during
their culminating task.

Brittany Priddle
Cohort A
purposes of pulley
systems and gear
systems (e.g., to
facilitate changes in
direction, speed, or
force)

Consolidation:
Fill out the KLEWS chart with the new information gained through experiences
with gears.

Lesson 5: Types of Gears

Overall:
Science and Technology
2. investigate ways in
which pulleys and gears
modify the speed and
direction of, and the
force exerted on, moving
objects

Specific:
Science and Technology
2.4 use appropriate
science and technology
vocabulary, including
pulley, gear, force,
speed, in oral and
written communication

2.5 use a variety of
forms (e.g., oral, written,
graphic, multimedia) to
communicate with
different audiences and
for a variety of purposes
(e.g., write a set of
instructions for setting
up a pulley system)

Minds On:
Can anyone name a type of gear and what it would be used for?
Today we are going to explore the different types of gears through a jigsaw
activity; you are going to be the teachers!
Learning skills and work habits focused on throughout this lesson:
responsibility, collaboration and initiative.

Hands On:
Students will engage in a jigsaw activity to explore the different types of gears:
spur, idle, crown, bevel and worm. Students will work in small groups and use
the iPads to research their assigned gear and do a small presentation for the
class.
Teacher will walk around while students are working and take anecdotal notes.

Consolidation:
Students will give a brief presentation to their peers about the type of gear
that they researched. At the end, as a class we will Add the information we
learned from todays centres to our KWL chart.

Lesson 6: Exploring Gears

Anecdotal notes: teacher

will talk around while
students are working in
their groups and take
anecdotal notes on how
things are going.

This lesson will provide

students with knowledge of
the different types of gears
and how they work, so they
can potentially use these
types of gears in their
culminating task.

Brittany Priddle
Cohort A
Overall:
3. demonstrate an
understanding of the
basic principles and
functions of pulley
systems and gear
systems.

Specific:
3.2 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

3.4 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)

Minds on:
Does anyone know what a gear train is?
Explain what a gear train is.
What do you think a gear train could be used for?
Ask students to make predictions about the directions that gears will turn in a
gear train.
Tell students that today they will be exploring gears, with a focus on motion.
Ask students the following questions and have them predict the answers:
1) Imagine you have two 40-tooth gears contacting each other. When
one 40 tooth gear turns once, how many times will the other 40-
tooth gear turn? Answer = 1
2) Now imagine replacing one of the 40-tooth gears with an 8-tooth
gear, with the 40-tooth gear, turning the 8-tooth gear. When the 40
tooth gear turns once, how many times will the 8-tooth gear turn?
Answer = 5
Learning skills and work habits focused on throughout this lesson: self-
regulation and responsibility.

Hands On:
Students will make their own gears out of cardboard (using a template) they
will cut them out and use pins to fasten them to another piece of cardboard.
Remind students of proper use of scissors.
Learning will be self-directed by the students at the beginning. Teacher will
walk around and listen into conversations. If students are discovering many
things about gears they will be left alone, if not they will be given hints such as:
- Explore the direction that the gears turn and record their observations in
their science journal.
- Put a small and a large gear together with the teeth lining up. Turn the large
gear one complete turn how many turns does the small hear make?

Consolidation
Add our newly gained information to the KLEWS chart (from Introduction to
Gears lesson). Talk about what they found the most interesting thing was
about gears.

Exit ticket:
When pulley A turns CW
what way does pulley B
turn?
If pulley A turns CCW what
way does pulley C turn?

Students will gain a deeper

understanding of how gears
work and how they affect
directional movements.

Lesson 7: How We Use Gears The Bicycle

Overall:
3. demonstrate an
understanding of the

Mind On:
Students will hand in a
Yesterday we were able to explore gears. Now we are going to think of how we drawn diagram of a bicycle
use gears in our everyday lives? What types of machines use gears?
and label the gears, and the

This lesson will help

students to see an example
of a gear system at work.

Brittany Priddle
Cohort A
basic principles and
functions of pulley
systems and gear
systems.

Specific:
3.6 identify pulley
systems (e.g.,
clotheslines, flagpoles,
cranes, elevators, farm
machinery) and gear
systems (e.g., bicycles,
hand drills, can openers)
that are used in daily life,
and explain the purpose
and basic operation of
each

3.7 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)

3.8 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)

Learning skills and work habits focused on throughout this lesson:

direction that they are
collaboration and self-regulation.
moving.

Hands On:
Today we are going to explore one of the most common uses of gears for
students the bicycle.
We will investigate the gears used on a bicycle as a group (due to equipment
availability)
Explore the bicycle.
What do you do with the pedals? What happens when you push the pedals?
How many gears do you see? What do the gears do? How do they work? What
does it mean to change gears when you are riding a bike?
Have a discussion with students about how the gears on their bikes affect the
speed that they are travelling. What happens when you go up a hill?
What is considered the input mechanism on a bicycle? Therefore what is the
output component?

Consolidation:
Students will be required to draw a diagram of a bicycle (particularly the gear
system) and label which direction the gears are turning.

This information can be

further applied for the
culminating task.

Brittany Priddle
Cohort A
Lesson 8: Culminating Task Preparation
Overall:
2. investigate ways in
which pulleys and gears
modify the speed and
direction of, and the
force exerted on, moving
objects

Specific:
2.3 use technological
problem-solving skills
(see page 16) to design,
build, and test a pulley
or gear system that
performs a specific task
Sample problems:
Design, build, and test a
mechanism that will
raise and lower a flag.
Design, build, and test a
changing billboard.
Design, build, and test a
model elevator that
could be used in a barn.
Design, build, and test a
model drawbridge for a
castle.

Minds On:
Review with students what they have learned about pulleys and gears
throughout the unit.
Explain the design challenge for the culminating task and review the details of
it.
Details:
Students must use recycled materials.
Students must create an elevator.
Students must design a poster to advertise their device.
Students will fill out a logbook of their experimentation.
Students can work individually or in pairs that is up to their discretion.
Remind students that if they choose to work with a peer, to choose that
person wisely and that the work must be completed evenly between both
group members.

Part of this lesson will be using the Engineering Design Process to create the
best elevator possible! Review the Engineering Design Process with the
students. Throughout the design process, students will document their
investigation in their Engineering Design Process logbook.

All of the work on this culminating task must be completed during class time.

Hands On:
Teacher wanders around the class assisting and answering questions where
possible.
Al of the anchor charts from the unit will be displayed around the classroom
for students to reference at any time while they are completing their
culminating task.
Students will be given this period to work on constructing their first draft of
their elevator. Students will be encouraged to try and have their elevator
designed and the first draft constructed and tested.

Consolidation:
Logbooks will be collected at the end of the class (as an exit ticket) for the
teacher to look over to ensure that they are keeping track of their progress.
Logbooks will be handed back at the beginning of the next class so students
can complete it.

Students will hand in their

This lesson is the first lesson
logbooks so that the student in preparing the culminating
is accountable for their work task.
and to ensure that they are
keeping an accurate record
of their investigation.

Brittany Priddle
Cohort A

Lesson 9: Culminating Task Preparation

Overall:
2. investigate ways in
which pulleys and gears
modify the speed and
direction of, and the
force exerted on, moving
objects

Specific:
2.3 use technological
problem-solving skills
(see page 16) to design,
build, and test a pulley
or gear system that
performs a specific task

Students will be given this class to finish constructing their elevator,

completing their logbook and creating their poster. The teacher will be
available to assist the students in any way possible.

Students should be finished building their elevator and creating their poster by
the end of the class.

This class will be a continuation of Lesson 8.

Students will again hand in

their logbooks as an
incentive for them to be
documenting their learning.

Students will continue to

work on the culminating
task, asking for assistance
when needed.

Lesson 10: Culminating Task Presentations

Language
Oral Communication
Overall:
1. listen in order to
understand and respond
appropriately in a variety
of situations for
a variety of purposes;

2. use speaking skills and
strategies to
communicate with
different audiences for a
variety of purposes

Specific:
Active Listening
Strategies

Minds On:
Students will be assessed
Before the presentations begin we will review how to act when a classmate is
using a rubric.
presenting and how to be an active listener.
Tell the students that they will be required to hand in an exit ticket to
demonstrate that they were paying attention during the presentations.

Hands On:
Students will present their elevators to the class. They will explain how they
work and show a demonstration to the class. In addition, students will show
the class the poster they created to advertise their elevator.

Consolidation:
We will come together as a class and have the students write down a list of 4
things they learned or remembered from their peers presentations and hand
it in as an exit ticket. This is to ensure that the students are paying attention
during the presentations.

Presentation of culminating
tasks.

Brittany Priddle
Cohort A
1.2 demonstrate an
understanding of
appropriate listening
behaviour by adapting
active listening
strategies to suit a
variety of situations,
including work in groups

Purpose
2.1 identify a variety of
purposes for speaking