Invention Investigations!

Hi Friends!

I just got back from a weekend in Sedona, Arizona. We went hiking both days and had a blast. It's just so beautiful there!

                                                             
I wanted to share the Inventions unit we started last week. The lesson we completed Friday hit so many Common Core Standards!

After reading Meet Ben Franklin in our Treasures books, we discussed Ben's inventions and built our background about inventions. We read Now and Ben, a great book about how Ben's inventions are used today.
And Kids Inventions, another story in our Treasures book.

On Friday, I modeled how to make a poster about an invention and then gave each table group a problem card that kids can relate to. The groups had to create an invention that would solve the problem.

They all did a really good job! I was so proud!

After they created their posters, they presented their inventions to the class.

 This group created the Lid Tracker 1000. This device tracks down your lost marker lids and shows you a GPS map so you can find them. It beeps as you get closer.Only sold at Walmart and Fry's! They even created a boy, girl, unisex and adult version. So amazing!

 This group created the Security Box. The pencil box with a security camera. If a pencil is lost or stolen, the camera alerts the robot and he retrieves it!




These kiddos invented the Sand Slippers.These slippers can be worn at recess to keep sand out and then are easily removed once recess is over. This product is also available in two styles as well.





This next week, the students will be thinking about a problem they want to solve individually and then an invention they could create to solve the problem.  We will be building our prototypes and creating diagrams with labels as well. Once they are done with that we will be writing about how our invention works.Here's last year's post about our inventions if you're interested.

I'll keep you posted with more pics as we continue through this unit. If you are interested in trying this yourself, I have everything you would need!

I'll be back this week with some freebies for Read Across America! Have a Happy Monday!

Invention Investigations

I am so excited for our leprechaun day tomorrow! I will be using Looking for a Leprechaun from Tunstall's Teaching Tidbits and Lucky Leprechaun Centers from Made for 1st. More pictures to come!

In other news, I finished my Invention Investigations unit this week and wanted to share some pictures of my students' inventions. They were priceless!

 Here are their group invention posters. They were given a problem card and had to work together to create an invention to solve the problem.

 This group created an invention to solve the pesky problem of sand always ending up in the student's shoes! It covers the entire top of the shoe or boot to block the sand. Very practical. :)

This group had to solve the problem of growing out of clothes. They found a new material that will continue to stretch as you grow. Like spandex does for your waist!

This group created a watch that will scan the floor for your pencil and put it on the watch for you to find. It also beeps to alert you when it's ready. So futuristic!

At the end of the unit, students have the opportunity to pose their own problem and create an invention to solve the problem. They have to complete a detailed tree map describing their invention and then a multiflow map to give the reasons as to why or how the invention will solve the problem. It was a lot of writing but so good for them! Here are a few of the inventions:

 The "Make Your Bed" robot

An automatic trash can that roams at night picking up trash on the ground!

"Dorothy" a device that helps tornado chasers predict tornadoes and sensors that travel inside the twister.

The students all brought in recyclables and could use any material for their invention. I've never seen such creativity and absolute engagement. Not one behavior for over an hour during the creation stage!

They presented their invention to the class and the questions they were asking one another were amazing. They would ask clarifying questions that really made the inventor think and most of the times they would decide to change their design. This unit goes along with Meet Ben Franklin from the Treasures Basal series but would also be great for a unit on recycling around Earth Day.

You can check out the unit on TPT!

Thanks!

Erin