GROW · Science · Week 4A · Explore
Levers, Pulleys and Gears
🧭
Science mission
Mechanism Hunt: find the hidden force advantage in everyday objects.
Mechanism Hunt: find the hidden force advantage in everyday objects.
Visual model: use it to predict and explain — not as decoration.
Aut1·W4 — Investigate mechanisms: levers, pulleys and gears.
🎯 Learning objective: I can recognise levers, pulleys and gears and explain what each mechanism changes.
✅ Success criteria
- I can name lever, pulley and gear from an example.
- I can identify the pivot on a lever.
- I can describe a gain and a trade-off from using a mechanism.
ArrivalStarterI DoWe DoI Do 2We Do 2Independent evidenceExit + one Lundy close
v3 40-minute route · derived from current GROW lesson Science_Teesside/Grow/SCI_G_W4_Mechanisms.html at main SHA 93d570041f4c · repository originals untouched.
🛡 SPACE
🗣 VOICE
👂 AUDIENCE
⚙ INFLUENCE
Space → Voice → Audience → Influence runs through the lesson; it is not an extra activity at the end.
⏱ 4 min
Arrival
Staff influence opener — SAY, don’t record: “Last lesson your evidence showed ___. Today we are starting by remembering ___.”
Retrieve the previous lesson: Aut1·W3 — friction can resist motion; practical comparisons work best when key conditions are kept consistent.
Week 4 has one taught week behind it. R3 is a second Week 3 retrieval. That is declared here rather than reaching for science that has not been taught.
Not here last lesson? Everything you need is in the box above — read it, then answer.
◆ Supported — three retrieval questions and one lead-in
R1 Last lesson
Point to the surface from last lesson that gripped the most.
Non-reading route: point to it, say it, or show it. An adult can write down your exact words. Next step up: Standard — Last lesson you tested surfaces. Which gave the most friction, and how did you know?
R2 Week 3
Say one place friction helps.
Non-reading route: point to it, say it, or show it. An adult can write down your exact words. Next step up: Standard — In Week 3 you decided friction can help or get in the way. Give one example of each.
R3 Week 3 again — declared
Show with your hands what friction does to something sliding.
Non-reading route: point to it, say it, or show it. An adult can write down your exact words. Next step up: Standard — What does friction do to an object that is trying to slide?
Lead-in Into today
Point to the door handle. It helps you push.
Non-reading route: point to it, say it, or show it. An adult can write down your exact words. Next step up: Standard — Some tools let a small push do a big job. How do you think a door handle helps?
▲ Standard — three retrieval questions and one lead-in
R1 Last lesson
Last lesson you tested surfaces. Which gave the most friction, and how did you know?
Non-reading route: point to it, say it, or show it. An adult can write down your exact words. Next step up: Stretch — Last lesson you used results as evidence. What made one result more trustworthy than another?
R2 Week 3
In Week 3 you decided friction can help or get in the way. Give one example of each.
Non-reading route: point to it, say it, or show it. An adult can write down your exact words. Next step up: Stretch — Week 3: explain why the same force can be useful in one design and a problem in another.
R3 Week 3 again — declared
What does friction do to an object that is trying to slide?
Non-reading route: point to it, say it, or show it. An adult can write down your exact words. Next step up: Stretch — Friction acts against sliding. Name something else it produces that you could feel.
Lead-in Into today
Some tools let a small push do a big job. How do you think a door handle helps?
Non-reading route: point to it, say it, or show it. An adult can write down your exact words. Next step up: Stretch — A small effort can move a big load. What do you think is being given up to get that?
★ Stretch — three retrieval questions and one lead-in
R1 Last lesson
Last lesson you used results as evidence. What made one result more trustworthy than another?
Non-reading route: point to it, say it, or show it. An adult can write down your exact words. Next step up: Supported — Point to the surface from last lesson that gripped the most.
R2 Week 3
Week 3: explain why the same force can be useful in one design and a problem in another.
Non-reading route: point to it, say it, or show it. An adult can write down your exact words. Next step up: Supported — Say one place friction helps.
R3 Week 3 again — declared
Friction acts against sliding. Name something else it produces that you could feel.
Non-reading route: point to it, say it, or show it. An adult can write down your exact words. Next step up: Supported — Show with your hands what friction does to something sliding.
Lead-in Into today
A small effort can move a big load. What do you think is being given up to get that?
Non-reading route: point to it, say it, or show it. An adult can write down your exact words. Next step up: Supported — Point to the door handle. It helps you push.
Rule: Arrival retrieves three times and then leads in. R1 is last lesson, R2 is the previous week, R3 is older material, and the lead-in opens today without teaching today’s concept.
Ways to show the Science
🗣 Say it☝ Point / select
✍ Write / draw🧪 Practical / model
A pause or different route changes access, not the learning goal.
🛡 SPACE
🗣 VOICE
👂 AUDIENCE
⚙ INFLUENCE
Influence is made visible here: retrieve what the previous lesson actually showed before adding new Science.
⏱ 4 min
Starter👀 Notice❓ Wonder🎯 Predict🗣 Explain
🔍 Bridge into today
How can one person lift, turn or move something that feels too difficult by hand? Choose a familiar object: scissors, wheelbarrow, spanner, bicycle or flagpole.
🎯 Commit to a prediction
Before we look: what does a lever change?
Choose one. Say it, point to it, or press it.
Nothing here is right or wrong yet. Nothing is marked, scored or stored. A prediction still counts when it turns out differently. That is what makes the test worth running.
Frame 1 / 4
LEVER
Predict → notice → explain. Pause whenever a pupil idea needs receiving.
Frame 2 / 4
PULLEY
Predict → notice → explain. Pause whenever a pupil idea needs receiving.
Frame 3 / 4
GEARS
Predict → notice → explain. Pause whenever a pupil idea needs receiving.
Frame 4 / 4
GAIN + TRADE-OFF
Predict → notice → explain. Pause whenever a pupil idea needs receiving.
Low prior knowledge is expected. Notice, choose, predict or ask a question. The scientific explanation comes next.
Ways to show the Science
🗣 Say it☝ Point / select
✍ Write / draw🧪 Practical / model
A pause or different route changes access, not the learning goal.
🛡 SPACE
🗣 VOICE
👂 AUDIENCE
⚙ INFLUENCE
Voice first: low-entry prediction or noticing before today’s explanation is taught.
⏱ 5 min
I Do
🧠 Watch the thinking, not just the finished answer.
Teacher-controlled model: reveal the invisible Science as you narrate.
✔ What this model helps us seeIt shows where the effort, the pivot and the load sit, and that the mechanism changes the force you need.
✘ What this model does not showIt leaves out the friction in the joint, the weight of the mechanism itself, and how far your hand has to travel.
Make a lever with a ruler and a stable pivot. Identify the pivot before moving anything.
Move the pivot nearer the load. Model the reduced effort.
Now notice the cost: the effort end travels further. The mechanism changes how the job is done; it does not create energy.
🛡 SPACE
🗣 VOICE
👂 AUDIENCE
⚙ INFLUENCE
Space first: the model makes invisible thinking visible while support staff observe access and readiness.
⏱ 5 min
We Do
Commit before reveal: Where is the pivot on a wheelbarrow?
Choose an answer. A first attempt is information, not a score.
Ways to show the Science
🗣 Say it☝ Point / select
✍ Write / draw🧪 Practical / model
A pause or different route changes access, not the learning goal.
🛡 SPACE
🗣 VOICE
👂 AUDIENCE
⚙ INFLUENCE
Voice → Audience → Influence: everyone commits; the response decides re-model, recheck, adapt access or move on.
⏱ 4 min
I Do
🧠 Watch the thinking, not just the finished answer.
Pulley: a fixed pulley can change the direction of a pull.
Gears: toothed wheels transfer turning; changing gear size trades speed for turning effect.
Compare all three mechanisms using one question: what do I gain, and what do I pay for?
🛡 SPACE
🗣 VOICE
👂 AUDIENCE
⚙ INFLUENCE
Space first: the model makes invisible thinking visible while support staff observe access and readiness.
⏱ 4 min
We Do
Explore together: Move the pivot
⚙ Lever pivot explorer
Move the pivot. The load stays fixed. Watch the effort indicator and think about the distance the effort end must travel.
LOAD
Relative effort
Move the pivot and describe the gain and the trade-off.
🔎 Mechanism Hunt
Three mechanisms. Each one changes something about a force. Find out which does what.
Step 1 · Predict, before you test
Which one changes the direction of a pull?
Choose one. Say it, point to it, or press it. Nothing here is right or wrong yet.
Step 2 · Test each one
Press a mechanism to see what it changes.
Frozen results — these stay on the page
Nothing tested yet.
Step 3 · Explain
SCIENCE GLITCH: “A lever creates extra energy.”
Use your frozen list as the evidence. Decide, then say why.
Every step is a button, and each mechanism carries a shape and its name as well as its colour. Say it, point to it or have an adult press it — the route does not change the Science.
Talk move: “What changed? What stayed the same? What does that make you think?”
Ways to show the Science
🗣 Say it☝ Point / select
✍ Write / draw🧪 Practical / model
A pause or different route changes access, not the learning goal.
🛡 SPACE
🗣 VOICE
👂 AUDIENCE
⚙ INFLUENCE
Voice → Audience → Influence: everyone commits; the response decides re-model, recheck, adapt access or move on.
⏱ 10 min
Independent
✏️ Your independent product / decision
Mechanism detective. Look at three approved examples. Handle them, or just inspect them. Name the mechanism in each one. Mark the pivot if there is one. Mark any turning parts. Then explain what job it makes easier. Or explain what job it changes.
🧪 PRACTICAL READY · HANDS-ON WHERE IT HELPS LEARNING
EquipmentRuler and pivot, scissors (adult-controlled as needed), bottle opener, spanner, bicycle/gear images, rope/pulley image or simple pulley.
Safety / sensoryAvoid pinch points and heavy loads. Pupils can inspect photographs or direct the adult instead of handling.
Evidence targetMechanism classification plus pivot/turning annotation and gain/trade-off explanation.
10 minutes. Supported / Standard / Stretch are routes, not identities. Pupils can move when the core is secure.
◆ Match each example to LEVER / PULLEY / GEARS. Then point to the pivot on a lever.
Picture key: lever = bar + pivot; pulley = wheel + rope; gears = toothed wheels. Match the picture first. Then say the name. Stem: ‘This is a ___ because ___. It helps by ___, but ___.’
Fade it: remove the first prompt that is no longer needed; do not keep a scaffold because it was used once.
▲ Name the mechanism. Then say what it changes. It may change force size, direction or turning.
Stem: ‘This is a ___ because ___. It helps by ___, but ___.’ Fill each gap in turn.
Fade it: remove the first prompt that is no longer needed; do not keep a scaffold because it was used once.
★ Take at least two mechanisms. State the gain for each one. Then state the trade-off.
Use force and distance words. Or use speed and turning-effect words. Do not just write ‘it makes it easier’.
Fade it: remove the first prompt that is no longer needed; do not keep a scaffold because it was used once.
Evidence can look different:
Annotated mechanism sheet/sketchPhoto of mechanism with pupil labels added on paperScribed explanation of a real mechanismShort staff-approved digital mechanism card
A photo on its own is not proof. Add what the pupil decided, explained, found or judged.
1 · Pupil decisionPrediction, choice, plan or question.
2 · Observable ScienceAction, model, product, result or re-attempt.
3 · Pupil meaningExplanation, evaluation or next step.
Ways to show the Science
🗣 Say it☝ Point / select
✍ Write / draw🧪 Practical / model
A pause or different route changes access, not the learning goal.
🛡 SPACE
🗣 VOICE
👂 AUDIENCE
⚙ INFLUENCE
The pupil authors a product/decision; adult support fades and evidence shows thinking, not attendance.
📖 WORD HELP
mechanisma part that changes a force
pivotthe point it turns around
effortthe push or pull you supply
Use the scientific word first. Ask for help only when you need it. TA fade route: model the word. Then prompt for it. Then wait for it. Drop a step as soon as the pupil no longer needs it.
⏱ 4 min
Exit
◆ Supported
Name the point a lever turns around.
▲ Standard
Explain why moving a pivot can change how hard a lift feels.
★ Stretch
Explain why a mechanism cannot give a force advantage without a trade-off.
🔁 GROW Lundy close — ONE line only.
1) Pupil answers the Science question. 2) Adult genuinely receives it and gives one next step. 3) Pupil writes: “Next I will ______.”
No adult signature, initial or second receipt mark. If nothing needs changing, the next step can be transfer to a new example or greater independence.
✍ GROW written close — the pupil writes this line
“What I said, and what it changed:”
No adult initial is required. The adult is audience for this line, not verifier. There is no signature, initial, tick or receipt mark. The line closes when it is written and received.
If writing is hard: say it, and an adult writes down your exact words. Or point to what changed and say it aloud. Or draw it and give it one spoken caption. Or record it in the school’s own workflow. The line always stays. The route changes how you answer, not the Science.
Ways to show the Science
🗣 Say it☝ Point / select
✍ Write / draw🧪 Practical / model
A pause or different route changes access, not the learning goal.
🛡 SPACE
🗣 VOICE
👂 AUDIENCE
⚙ INFLUENCE
Adult genuinely receives the exit response, gives one next step, and the pupil writes one closure line. No signature.