Inventions and Inventors Teacher Resources

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...

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...

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...

Fourth graders plan how to sell and market their group's new invention. In this marketing activity, 4th graders plan how to sell their group's idea for a new invention. Each group has a choice between three creative ways to present their...

Fourth graders discuss a problem and come up with inventions to solve the problem.  In this invention lesson, 4th graders brainstorm the kinds of solutions that might solve the problem. Students work in groups to solve problems.

Celebrate inventors all February long with a video that introduces a problem and demonstrates the steps toward solving that problem using the scientific method, and using the resources—especially education—in getting an idea working.

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...

Inventions are the focus of this interesting lesson. 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 invention to the class...

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...

Class members research African American inventors, the challenges they faced in their attempts to patent their works, and the importance of their inventions to the development of technology. After a brief introduction to inventors Elijah...

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...

Middle schoolers identify particular 19th Century invention/inventor in the 19th century that is of interest to them, conduct research on that person and his/her invention, and prepare report of findings in form of paper, Powerpoint...

Challenge your class with this lesson on simple machines. Using a dowel rod, learners explore the invention process. They figure out original ideas for use of the dowel rod, come up with their own invention, and think through the...