Year 5 Science Unit 2 Forces | Lesson 6: How do levers, pulleys and gears work?
Introduce the role of simple machines with this fully resourced Year 5 science lesson. Part of our Scintillating Science programme, this lesson helps children explore how levers, pulleys and gears allow a smaller force to have a greater effect.
Aligned with the National Curriculum, this lesson encourages children to work scientifically by observing, identifying real-life examples, and exploring how these mechanisms help make tasks easier.
What’s included?
- Detailed lesson plan
- Interactive teaching slides
- Differentiated worksheets exploring simple machines
- Hands-on activities and observation tasks
- Assessment questions to check understanding
Through discussion, visual exploration and practical activities, pupils learn how levers, pulleys and gears work to multiply force and support movement. Children are encouraged to apply their knowledge to everyday contexts such as seesaws, cranes and bicycles.
Teaching tip: Set up simple models in class (such as using rulers, string, and toy pulleys) to give children a hands-on understanding of how these machines work in real life.
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