PBS
Inventions
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...
Curated OER
Inventions
Students study invention steps and design their own invention. In this invention lesson, students discuss inventions and the process of inventing. Studnets write in an inventor's journal and study various types of inventions....
DocsTeach
Patent Analysis: Wright Brothers' Flying Machine
Ideas take flight in an exciting activity exploring the Wright Brothers. Scholars view the Wright Brothers' patent for their flying machine and makes educated guesses as to the purpose of the document. Scholars discuss the purpose of...
Curated OER
Patenting My Invention
Fifth graders learn the importance of a patent for a new invention. They use the internet to practice typing a classroom patent for a compound machine that their class invented. While on the website, 5th graders choose a month and...
Curated OER
Inventions: Third Grade Science
This inventions PowerPoint includes age-appropriate text and information about what an invention is, the planning process for developing inventions, and common factors of successful inventions. Several short biographies with text...
Curated OER
Innovation for Good
Many historical innovations were created for the common good. Get your students ready for life as a critical thinker with this lesson plan which defines the differences between innovation and invention. They will conduct Internet...
Curated OER
Bank On it! Inventions
In this science worksheet, students complete a cloze activity about inventions. They read an article about Isaac Merritt Singer, who invented the sewing machine. The article includes 9 blanks to fill in.
American Institute of Physics
African American Inventors in History
A two-part activity introduces young historians to the work of famous African American inventors. Groups first research and develop a presentation of an inventor that includes biographical information and information about one of their...
Curated OER
The Invention of the Telephone
Learners study the history of the telephone and its inventor. In this communications lesson students complete a tuning fork experiment to further demonstrate how sound is produced.
Curated OER
Internet Inventors Scavenger Hunt
In this inventors scavenger hunt worksheet, students research 10 different significant inventors known to history. First, they read each question to determine which inventor to search for using the Internet. Then, students write a...
Curated OER
Alexander Graham Bell's Patent for the Telephone and Thomas Edison's Patent for the Electric Lamp
Students read a short biographical account about Bell and student B about Edison. Ask each pair to exchange information and determine what qualities these inventors shared. Ask students if they think all inventors share these qualities.
Curated OER
What Can You Make of It?
Students investigate the various uses of a paper cup. In this scientific inquiry lesson, students investigate various ways to use a paper cup by identifying its characteristics. Students sketch their discovery.
Curated OER
The Dymaxion Car
In this motion activity, students read about the invention of the Dymaxion car that was designed to achieve high speeds. Students complete 2 short answer questions based on the reading.
Nikola Tesla documentary student worksheet
PBS documentary: Tesla - Master of Lightning; this worksheet will keep the students engaged while watching this excellent documentary about Tesla. The documentary can be found on Netflix or YouTube. It will take two class periods to...
Curated OER
Technological Twins
Students list comparisons between technology and nature. Then they create superheroes with special animal characteristics and describe how ordinary persons might replicate the changes with technology.
National Energy Education Development Project
Exploring Transportation
Did you know horsepower is actually based on the power of a horse? 60 horse power is the equivalent of being pulled by a team of 60 horses! Viewers will learn other interesting facts like this from a presentation that begins with the...
Curated OER
Puppy Poop Pouch
Learners create a device to hold dog poop to help keep trails clean. In this animal care instructional activity, students utilize donated fabric to create a couple hundred pouches to help people clean up after their dog....
Curated OER
Industrial Agriculture
Students write about the benefits that industrial agriculture has had on growing crops. In this industrial agriculture lesson plan, students research how technology has impacted the processing speed of growing food.
Curated OER
Applied Science - Built Environment Pre Lab (Morse Code)
Young scholars study communication. In this telegraph lesson, students examine Morse code and the composition of an elementary telegraph circuit. They listen to a presentation and try to create Morse Code messages on a worksheet. This...
Curated OER
The Improvement of the Electric Light Bulb
Students study how the first electric light was made and the history behind it. In this electricity activity students create their own light bulb.
Curated OER
On the Wright Brothers' Flight Path
In this airplane worksheet, students complete a graphic organizer by comparing three Wright brothers' airplanes: how were they alike and how were they different.
Other
Explain That Stuff: Inventors and Inventions
Inventing isn't just about coming up with a great idea; that's the easy part! There's also the matter of turning an idea into a product that sells enough to recoup the cost of putting it on the market. And there's the ever-present...
US National Archives
Nara: Teaching With Documents: Eli Whitney's Patent for the Cotton Gin
This National Archives and Records Administration site relates the history of Eli Whitney and his remarkable inventions. Links to sites with patent information on the cotton gin. Tons of teacher's resources can be found at this site.
Other
United States Patent and Trademark Office: The Cycle of Invention
Read about the cycle of invention where one invention inspires someone to create another one.