Inspire innovation in young learners through a study of important inventions throughout history. The four-lesson unit includes four separate lessons with activities ranging from researching and describing the history of noteworthy...

Learners examine the drawings of Leonardo da Vinci's flying machines and discuss when they were conceptualized and how they are similar to today's flight vehicles. They collect recyclables such as wood and foam trays and create an...

With the help from an interactive timeline, scholars discover the time and order in which inventions came to be—popular items from eyeglasses to the compact disc. 

Can you build a homemade speaker out of a potato chip? Bestselling author and do-it-yourself expert William Gurstelle shows you how in his brief presentation at TEDYouth 2012. He encourages young people to be creative and explore science...

Sitting in a soda parlor, Joseph Freedman notices the difficulty his young daughter has trying to drink from the paper straw in her milkshake. This sparks the invention of a bendy straw. Watch to learn more about this small but widely...

Explore the inventions of the past with a project on ancient tools. After reading an article about hunting during the Archaic period, the Late Prehistoric period, and the Historic period, kids fill in a cause-and-effect chart about the...

3D printers, selfie sticks, smart watches. GPS, self-driving cars, YouTube. Imagine life without inventions. Believe it or not, these items were all invented in the last 10 years. Inventions, and the inventors responsible for them, are...

Class groups investigate the inventions found in different rooms of a house and create invention cards that detail the invention, the inventor, and how this object helps people. These cards are then added to the appropriate room on a...

Curiosity gets you everything. With this assignment, inspiring minds come together to create and invent. Learn how and why we invent and what it means to patent an invention.

From paper and printing to wheelbarrows and seismographs, your young historians will be fascinated at the number of inventions that can be traced back to China and her people.  

Young scholars identify inventions as coming from China. In this Chinese inventions lesson, students are given a list of common items such as cast iron, a wheelbarrow, and the decimal system, then conduct research to identify where they...

To launch a four-lesson unit study of inventions class members distinguish between inventions and discoveries and then groups research either Alexander Graham Bell, Thomas Alva Edison, Henry Ford, or Orville and Wilbur Wright.

Students identify and solve problems as they modify the design of an everyday household item. They gather and analyze information and work in collaborative teams to create a design plan for a new product.

First and second graders listen to the story, Ms. Frizzle's Adventure in Imperial China. The class discusses the inventions in the book and examine several inventions provided by the teacher. Then they each make a compass with a partner...

In this top five ancient Chinese inventions worksheet, students investigate each Chinese invention in detail along with the top five British inventions of all time. Students then answer five comprehension questions while writing an essay...

Students discover how influential the Chinese were in many things that affect their every day lives. In this Chinese inventions lesson plan, students gain an understanding of the influence of the Chinese as they conduct research in order...

Seventh graders realize the importance of inventions. In this Chinese inventions lesson plan, 7th graders identify important Chinese inventions recognizing time differences in Chinese and Western inventions. Students research and report...

All of the people in your class would agree that life would be different without the invention of the telephone! Study Alexander Graham Bell's most famous and influential invention through the primary source document of his sketch of the...

Technology—what exactly is it? Find out with a project designed to inspire the inner inventor in us all. The activity begins with a captivating podcast and a search of multiple websites that display different inventions and technology,...

5th graders will gain an understanding of how, what, and why people invent tools. This PowerPoint provides a complete description of what tools are, types of tools, why we make tools and what impact they have had on society. There are...

Students explore invention and unveiling of world's first Ferris wheel, analyze photographs and poster of first Ferris wheel, and discuss engineering achievements of Ferris wheel, including how it worked, how it was built, and its...

Students explore famous inventors. In this inventions lesson plan, students research the lives of famous inventors and patents. Students work alone or in pairs to come up with a new invention. Students share their inventions with the...

Tomorrow's engineers visit an intriguing website about inventions that have changed the way we live. Biographies of child inventors on the suggested website aren't easy to find, so make sure to find some stories to share in place of...

Inventions are the focus of this interesting instructional activity. Pieces of paper are drawn from a hat; each one has the name of a common invention. Individuals research the origin and history of the invention, then present the...