Lesson Plan: The Coolest Inventions
LESSON PLANNER
A guide for using our resources
Learning Objective
Children will identify several Black inventors and explain how their inventions solved problems.
Social Studies Focus: Black History Month
Science Focus: inventors/inventions
CCSS (and states that have similar standards): RI.1.1, RI.1.3, RI.1.4
LESSON BOOSTERS
Simple, spectacular ideas to boost your lessons.
Paired Text: Have You Thanked an Inventor Today? by Patrice McLaurin
Paired Text: Have You Thanked an Inventor Today? by Patrice McLaurin
- This book celebrates Black inventors and how their inventions aff ect kids’ everyday lives.
- There are mini biographies of each inventor in the back of the book.
Draw the Word: bristles
Draw the Word: bristles
- Kids learned the word bristles from the issue. Help make the word “stick” by having kids draw what the word means.
- Use our Draw the Word skill sheet, or have kids draw it in a word journal.
Hands-On Activity: Be an Inventor
Hands-On Activity: Be an Inventor
Skill: engineering design, critical thinking
Materials: Be an Inventor skill sheet, pencils, crayons
- Children can work on this project alone, in pairs, or in groups. Hand out copies of the skill sheet and discuss the problem from the sidebar: The giraff e is too tall for Kim to reach.
- Challenge kids to come up with a solution that does NOT use a ladder! Have them draw their design and write about how the invention works.
- Finally, have children share their work and compare their inventions.