Fifth grade students at Munsey Park School in Manhasset are beginning their simple machines unit. Students learned about the different parts of a lever—lever arm, fulcrum, load and effort force.
After a lesson and setting up three different levers with the fulcrum positioned so it was balanced, fifth graders were challenged to lift their teacher with just one finger. Students worked together to figure out how to adjust the lever to lift a load. Ms. Levine’s fifth grade class was even able to lift Assistant Principal Brian Nolan into the air. Ultimately, they learned that moving the fulcrum closer to the load allows the longer lever arm to easily lift.
—Submitted by the Manhasset Public School District
