Suggested Lessons

The following lessons are suggested for a "complete" unit on Rube Goldberg Machines, but some lessons may be skipped depending on factors such as the alloted time, the resources available, and the capability of the students.

    • Introduction to Simple Machine Types

    • Introduction to Technological Concepts

      • The fundamental technological concepts are referred to in the Technological Education curriculum front matter, and should be considered for all technological projects.

      • Reference:

      • Fundamental Technological Concepts

    • Investigate Group Roles

      • What will each group member's responsibilities be?

    • Investigate Rube Goldberg Machines

    • Co-create RGM Evaluation Criteria

      • Students "buy in" to the project and are more successful if they co-create the evaluation criteria with the instructor.

    • Create Storyboard (of RGM steps)

      • The students need to plan the stages of their RGM before they begin construction.

    • Technical Drawing (of RGM steps)

      • This is an optional unit that will depend on the alloted time, the resources available, and the capability of the students.

    • Building, Testing, and Revising

      • This, together with the storyboarding and the technical drawing, can often be an iterative process!

    • Demonstration & Evaluation

      • Use the evaluation criteria created above to evaluate the RGM during the demonstrations.