Fourth Grade Explore
Welcome to Inventors and Inventions!
Week 1
Our Fourth Grade unit began with lots of laughter as the students had to figure out what inventions they had taped to their backs. After they determined what their invention waswe took some time to learn a little more about those inventions. Following that I gave them a quick class pop quiz on famous inventions throughout history. We continued stretching our brains as we worked together to try to come up with 15 unique uses for common items (think paper towel rolls, chip bags, etc) The kids had some great out of the box ideas. This will transfer well to the next weeks when they will continue having fun with inventions and eventually design their own invention to solve an "annoyance" in their own lives.
Week 2
Due to internet issues, we had to delay the plan of exploring the world of Rube Goldberg. Instead we brainstormed possible inventions the kids want to create to make their world a better place. I can't wait to explore the fun side of inventing by exploring Rube Goldberg later in our unit.
Week 3
This week the kids started the grunt work of inventing. Identifying a need, brainstorming potential solutions, determining if others have already patented the invention, creating a supply list, and creating the design. We will continue our process next week as well. Hopefully in a couple of weeks the kids will be able to begin the actual creation.
Week 4