Mechanisms & Other Systems

Now elementary teachers can combine the best of science and technology education in a comprehensive curriculum based on everyday materials and artifacts.

Mechanisms & Other Systems introduces a novel, engaging approach to teaching how and why basic technologies work-those devices, systems, procedures, and environments that improve people's lives. You need not be a technical guru or rich in resources to get yourself and your students involved in science and technology. Simply use artifacts and systems that are all around you and available for free or at low cost. These devices you can find in your kitchen, closet, or bathroom: eggbeaters, nail clippers, and umbrellas, as well as electrical appliances, bicycles, faucets, and mousetraps. Let your students discover how to transform motion, convert energy, and/or process information to get a job done. At the same time, meet these instructional goals:

• introduce and explore fundamental themes of systems, inputs and outputs, and cause and effect
• illustrate and explore concepts of force, distance, motion, lever, simple machines, friction, electric current and circuit, information, control, feedback, and energy
• demystify common artifacts and, by extension, technology in general
• promote literacy as students formulate problems and find effective ways to communicate with others in order to achieve and document solutions
• develop process skills in observation, classification, generalization, use of materials, modelling, and design
• provide rich opportunities for group work.

Mechanisms & Other Systems is one of a five-volume series, Stuff That Works! A Technology Curriculum for the Elementary Grades. Developed by City Technology of City College of New York, each volume helps teachers plan and implement classroom activities and units organized around a single topic-how and why a basic technology works. The guides include an introduction to concepts, classroom stories, resources, information about standards, as well as suggestions for teachers new to the subject. Use a single volume independently or all five to form a powerful vehicle for integrating science, math, social studies, language arts, and everyday technology. A companion website-filled with curriculum ideas and providing teacher support from hands-on workshops to forums-is available at http://citytechnology.ccny.cuny.edu. The complete series includes:

• Mechanisms & Other Systems
• Packaging & Other Structures
• Signs, Symbols & Codes
• Designed Environments: Places, Practices & Plans
• Mapping