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...

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...

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...

Use this lesson plan to discuss inventions that have changed your class's world and have impacted society. Middle schoolers investigate important inventions of their time and design an invention in a simulated business atmosphere. Modify...

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. 

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...

Students investigate inventions and the impact they can have on people. In this technology instructional activity, students research Thomas Edison and discuss how the invention of the light bulb impacted others. Students sketch out an...

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...

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.

Students study invention steps and design their own invention. For this invention lesson, students discuss inventions and the process of inventing. Studnets write in an inventor's journal and study various types of inventions. Students...

Students research inventions and the impact it has on society. In this technology lesson, students read a timeline of significant inventions throughout history and identify ways the inventions impacted society. Students develop their own...

While a woman didn't invent the parasol, three women received patents for their improvements to the original design of umbrellas. In the first of a two-part series on inventive women, class members investigate the patent system to...

The Declaration of Independence was published in 1776. The Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions, modeled after the Declaration of Independence, was drafted and read by Elizabeth Cady Stanton at the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848....

Students read two books about Chinese inventions such as the compass, kite or dominoes. They bring in examples of Chinese inventions from home and create a class gallery. They make a compass in class.

From play pumps that provide clean water to shoes made from trash, innovators change the world one invention at a time. After researching various inventions, young entrepreneurs develop their own. Extension opportunities include prompts...

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.

Students explore innovators and inventions. In this technology lesson, students investigate the issues inventors face as they tackle new technology. Students design their own realistic needs-based invention.

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,...

How did the television change people's lives? Learners consider the question as they complete their storyboards about the invention of the TV, adding visual elements along the way. Then, they participate in a peer review to offer and...

Leonardo da Vinci is the focus of a hands-on activity that encourages scholars to become inventors. Pupils brainstorm and sketch their idea, compose a detailed depiction using a mirror writing technique, and antique the paper for a...

Students recognize that inventions are developed to fill a need.In this inventions lesson, students become familiar with the inventing process and create simple inventions. Students complete a worksheet about their inventions.

Students explore the process of inventing a new product. In this inventions lesson, students explore a timeline that gives a history on significant inventions from ancient times to the present. Students look at pictures of the...