Background Information for Teachers

You will find resources here designed to help you with both content and pedagogy as you think about your unit on simple machines, forces, and motion.

---

The Physics Classroom: Describing Motion with Words http://www.physicsclassroom.com/Class/1DKin/U1L1a.html

A tutorial which offers clear and concise details of basic physics topics presented in a pedagogically sound way. For example, Lesson 1 describes motion in words, while Lesson 2 describes motion with diagrams; a smooth transition from familiar language to more abstract symbols. MSP full record

Resistance Is Futile http://www.swe.org/iac/LP/resist_03.html

This activity provides information on statics and dynamics with an emphasis on friction as an opposing force. MSP full record

Review of Middle School Physical Science Texts http://www.science-house.org/middleschool/reviews/hubisz.pdf

This report reviews and critiques textbooks regarding scientific accuracy, accurate portrayal of the scientific approach, and the appropriateness and pedagogic effectiveness of the material for the particular grade level. From the Bookmarks, select "Textbooks" to see if yours is one of the 20 reviewed. Select "Suggestions for Middle School Teachers" to learn how to deal with inaccurate texts when your own expertise may not be physics. MSP full record

---

The following three resources from How Stuff Works are in the Background Information Section because the advertisements on the pages might distract students. However, the articles, photos and illustrations are excellent and provide you with choices in how you approach your unit on forces, motion, and simple machines. You may decide to use just particular pieces from each of the resources, rather than any one in its entirety.

---

How Water Towers Work http://www.howstuffworks.com/water.htm

This article tells how forces and motion contribute to the technology involved in water tower design. Though there is no direct reference to simple machines, the concepts involved provide background needed to understand the relationship between forces, motion, work, and simple machines. Photos of unique water towers and a clear schematic of water tower design are included. Scroll down if the article title is not visible. MSP full record

How Hydropower Plants Work http://www.howstuffworks.com/hydropower-plant1.htm

Generation of electrical power starts with simple machines and forces. This site provides a comprehensible explanation of the sequence of events, forces and machines involved in the process. Photos and schematic drawings enhance the written explanation. MSP full record

How Sewing Machines Work http://home.howstuffworks.com/sewing-machine.htm

Though sewing machines are not simple machines, they rely on a combination of them as well as electricity. This article provides insight into the simple machines, the related technology, and the sewing machine’s impact on society. Since many middle schoolers are required to take a life skills class, which often includes experience with sewing machines, exploration of sewing machines could be complementary and synergistic for those students. Scroll down if the article title is not visible.

---

 Back to top

Copyright June 2007 — The Ohio State University. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0424671. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.