This lab activity is designed to allow students to experience what an increase in mechanical advantage means. Students determine the mechanical advantage of three pulley set-ups. Students also measure the work input and output, then calculate the efficiency. Finally, students determine the relationship between the mechanical advantage and the efficiency of the pulleys.

This video was created by NCDPI. This video examines best practices and research related to developing computational fluency. Teaching strategies and tips are provided.

Students are introduced to the concept of energy conversion, and how energy transfers from one form, place or object to another. They learn that energy transfers can take the form of force, electricity, light, heat and sound and are never without some energy "loss" during the process. Two real-world examples of engineered systems light bulbs and cars are examined in light of the law of conservation of energy to gain an understanding of their energy conversions and inefficiencies/losses. Students' eyes are opened to the examples of energy transfer going on around them every day. Includes two simple teacher demos using a tennis ball and ball bearings. A PowerPoint(TM) presentation and quizzes are provided.

Students complete three different activities to evaluate the energy consumption in a household and explore potential ways to reduce that consumption. The focus is on conservation and energy efficient electrical devices and appliances. The lesson reinforces the relationship between power and energy and associated measurements and calculations required to evaluate energy consumption. The lesson provides the students with more concrete information for completing their culminating unit assignment.

Students are introduced to the correct technical vocabulary for lighting, which is different than layperson's terms. They learn about lamp (light bulb) technology and how to identify the various types of lighting in their spaces. They are also introduced to lighting controls as a means for saving energy- reducing costs, human energy consumption, and greenhouse gas emissions on the environment. Using an accompanying worksheet, students embark on a guided audit in which they survey the lighting in their classroom and identify the potential savings from using controls.

Students measure the light output and temperature (as a measure of heat output) for three types of light bulbs to identify why some light bulbs are more efficient (more light with less energy) than others.

In this set of activities, students will study the six basic simple machines and how they work. In the first activity, students will dissect a small broken toy or appliance, identifying each simple machine they discover. In the second activity, students will examine Rube Goldberg's drawings. Then, in the third culminating activity, students will create their own compound machine.

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In this lesson, students explore approaches for adding three two-digit numbers.

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This lesson should occur after the Partner Quick Flash lesson, which introduces conceptual subitizing. Candy Quick Flash continues to encourage conceptual subitizing an efficient way to find "how many".

Notes:
Perceptual subitizing: instantly recognizing "how many" in a set
Conceptual subitizing: efficiently finding "how many" by recognizing and combining subgroups within a set

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In this lesson, students will use perceptual subitizing* as an efficient method for determining "how many". Through experiences, students will subitize sets within five.

*Perceptual subitizing: instantly recognizing "how many" in a set
Conceptual subitizing: efficiently finding "how many" by recognizing and combining subgroups within a set.

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In this lesson, students are introduced to Number Talks involving dot cards. Students develop efficient strategies for finding "how many" dots are on each card. Strategies relate to first grade addition concepts.

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This set of resources contains sample Number Talk lessons. Lesson 1 builds addition fluency using double ten-frames by making ten and adding more. Lesson 2 builds addition fluency with equations by making ten and adding more. Lesson 3 uses dot cards as representations of numbers to build math language as well as fluency with decomposing numbers within 10.

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A Number Talk is a brief routine (about 10 minutes) focused around developing flexibility and fluency with numbers. Through regular opportunities to work with dot images and expressions, students develop an understanding of number relationships and structure. This supports the development of early fluency skills.

This PowerPoint contains presentation slides for daily Number Talks, as well as directions and videos for implementation. Teachers may facilitate the Number Talks on these slides, or use them to inspire their own Number Talks based on student need.

This resource is part of Tools4NCTeachers.

A Number Talk is a brief routine (about 10 minutes) focused around developing flexibility and fluency with numbers. Through regular opportunities to work with dot images and expressions, students develop an understanding of number relationships and structure. This supports the development of early fluency skills.

This PowerPoint contains presentation slides for daily Number Talks, as well as directions and videos for implementation. Teachers may facilitate the Number Talks on these slides, or use them to inspire their own Number Talks based on student need.

This resource is part of Tools4NCTeachers.

In this lesson, students begin to move beyond counting as a strategy for solving addition and subtraction problems. They will use what they know about numbers and relationships between numbers to add and subtract with other strategies. Students will start to see connections between strategies to help them transition their thinking.

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This file contains two tasks assessing standards NBT.5. Each task is a separate attachment with its own materials and scoring rubric. This assessment may be used for instructional or assessment purposes.

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In this lesson "make-a-ten" strategy is introduced through a game. There are two different games n this lesson. Both games address the same standards and have the same rules. Play Ball takes longer to completely cover the gameboard.

This article describes energy efficiency as it relates to home and school energy use and provides ways that children can help.

This resource is from Tools4NCTeachers.In this lesson, students work with numbers less than 10 and explore the idea of one more and one less than a number.  This file includes the lesson plan, printable activities, student recording sheets, and extension ideas/math stations.