Which Would You Grab?

Tools are simple machines! This one-page simple machines worksheet puts students in everyday situations — a nail sticking out of a board, a heavy box bound for a truck, firewood to split, a flag to raise up a tall flagpole, and a stuck paint can lid — and asks the question every young engineer should learn to ask: which would you grab?

For each job, students underline the smarter of two realistic tool choices. Every correct answer names its simple machine right in the option — the hammer claw and the screwdriver pry are levers, the ramp is an inclined plane, the axe is a wedge, and the flagpole rope is a pulley — so vocabulary is learned in context, not memorized from a list. 

What's included:

• One-page, no-prep worksheet with five scenario questions plus a scaffolded written response
• Complete answer key with a sample explanation
• Ink-friendly design that prints clearly in black and white

Perfect for a simple machines unit, a warm-up, homework, or sub plans. Supports NGSS MS-ETS1-2 and MS-PS2-2 (supporting).