STEM Challenge - Project: Move - Design a Pulley System To Move a Heavy Load

Looking for a flexible, multi-day activity that gets your students “doing science?” Every STEM Challenge offers a hands-on, inquiry-based, student-led project designed to allow them to step into the roles of researchers and engineers.

STEM Challenge projects are ideal for use at any time throughout the school year, between units, before breaks, or during afternoons when testing weeks occur.

For teachers, there are presentations and step-by-step guides to facilitate pacing and lesson plans that align with standards. Students utilize the included notebooks to guide them through activities (both individually and in small groups), challenge them to learn new information, and reflect on and apply the information they have learned.

The Challenge:

It's moving day and of course, none of your friends or family can be found anywhere. You own a truck but have a box that is entirely too heavy for you to lift by yourself. You remember back to middle school when you learned about pulleys and how they can reduce the amount of force needed to lift an object. Your challenge is to research pulley systems and design a contraption which will allow you to lift box by using less than half of the force it would take to lift the box on its own. You will also need to build the structure which the pulleys are attached to. Good luck moving that box! With a little ingenuity, you can do it!

What’s in a STEM Challenge?

• a video explaining the engineering challenge and setting the context for the project
• a BIG Question to guide the inquiry
• teacher presentation in PPT (Google-compatible) and Keynote
• a teacher's guide on what the teacher and students should be doing along the way
• student notebook offers
  • questions to provide the students with a framework for their inquiry throughout the entire project
  • opportunities to absorb new information and reflect on ways to use it to complete the challenge
• Using the LAUNCH process, students brainstorm with their peers and reflect on failures and opportunities, with the prospect of sharing their ideas with the world. This holds students accountable, and they will put forth the best effort, knowing that other students could critique the project.
• Each STEM Challenge contains a list of suggested supplies for its project. We were very cautious about choosing inexpensive items, and the supply list is dynamic, allowing for adjustments to individual situations. Suggested supplies include:
  • spools or pulleys (link provided)
  • string
  • paperclips
  • tape
  • paper
  • popsicle sticks
  • straws
  • rubber bands
  • cardboard
  • block or object to represent the load (ideal if it has a hook on it)
  • spring scale

NGSS Standards

Aside from the engineering components of this project, students will be learning about how simple machines (specifically, pulleys) make work easier.

NGSS: MS-ETS1-1, MS-ETS1-2, MS-ETS1-3, MS-ETS1-4, MS-PS2-2