SCHOOL DIRECTORY
Catholic Education South Australia
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Inquiry Question

How might you create your own Rube Goldberg machine?

Resource

Rube Goldberg

Rubegoldberg.com has lesson plans, resources and ideas to engage students to design and create innovative Rube Goldberg Machines

Link: Lesson Plans

Tinker Lab

Tinker Lab blog provides creative insights to support learning with planning out Rube Goldberg machine design stages.

Link: Engineering Kids

The Better Lesson

The Better Lesson website provides a 5E’s framework to the Rube Goldberg inquiry. 

Link: Rube Goldberg Introduction

PBS Learning Media

PBS Learning Media website provides a great example of a student using a simple machine to water a plant.

Link: Building Simple Machines

Free School

Free School YouTube video “Simple Machines for Kids: Science and Engineering for Children.”

Link: Video - Simple Machines for Kids

Teach Engineering

Teach Engineering Website with lots of resources about simple machines.

Link: Cub Simple Lesson

National Geographic

National Geographic website: Simple Machine challenge which explores pulleys with materials around the home.

Link: Simple Machine Challenge

Scholastic

Scholastic website provides 6 interactive science activities exploring force and motion.

Link: Force and Motion

Education Minecraft

Example of how learners can build a Rube Goldberg Machine in Minecraft Education.

Link: Rube Goldberg Machine

The Engineering Process

YouTube Clip ‘The Engineering Process: Crash Course Kids #12.2’ helps learners unpack the engineering process and how to apply each phase to their inquiry.

Link: Video - Crash Course Kids

Teacher Advice

Rube Goldberg Machines are a fun way for students to explore simple machines through everyday home materials and develop their STEM thinking.

Science: Force and Motions
Design and Technology: Simple Machines and Engineering Process
Mathematics: Measurement and Data collection

Encourage learners to record their journey as they create their Rube Goldberg machine, reflecting on ways they adapted their ideas and iterate their design. Ask learners to film their machine and share with the class online.