Title:  Ideas and Inventions

Grade Level:  3-5

Description of Unit:  Ideas and Inventions Unit is for the 3rd, 4th and 5th grade class level.  The students will spend two weeks learning about different techniques in making rubbings of objects, carbon printing techniques, reflections using mirrors and worksheets, color writings using chromatography and the history of Inventors.  Each lesson provides the students opportunities to use hands-on activities and inquiry thinking in developing their knowledge in Science.  This unit consists of five lessons that take fifty minutes for each activity to be completed. Each lesson and activity should help promote student inventiveness.  The first lesson will help the students get a feel of the inventors that helped change the way we live today.  The next four lessons have several activities, which help the students develop vocabulary of key words in the science field.  The students will get a chance to develop their own inventions from ideas that they acquire while completing each activity.  Along with getting a better understanding of Science, the students will use their speaking and artistic skills in developing and presenting their inventions to the whole class.  They will also be required to do group projects in completing this unit. This unit provides valuable science content while introducing new techniques to discover the unknown.  Each lesson incorporates reading, writing, social studies, and science into the student’s everyday activities.  Some of the unique features in this unit plans are the use of technology to administrate quizzes, the worksheets being available online, State standards, objectives and assessments, all the resource available, and the student website that allows the students to complete the first and second lessons by following the steps on the website.  This allows the students to use their reading abilities in completing the online activities.  This unit plan is easy to read and is very useful in teaching inventions to the fourth grade classroom. With the use of cooperative learning, direct instruction, and inquiry, these activities will challenge the student’s insight, creativity, and reflections of knowledge.  This unit activity should be fun, challenging, and educational.  With the use of Internet websites, handouts, and textbooks, the students will further develop their knowledge of ideas and inventions in the science field. 

Description for Reading and Science Activity:  Another unique part of this Unit is the students activity page.  This page is an Internet based lesson that students can do if they were to miss any of the first four activities.  All the student needs to do is go to the Students Website and fellow the directions to complete the activity that they missed.  This is a great opportunity for the students to use the Internet and integrate Language Arts into their skills.  This Internet based activity list each activity and the materials needed for that particular activity.  When the student completes the part he/she missed, all they need to do is print everything off and hand it in.  This makes it easier for both the teacher and the student in making sure they make up the assignment or if the student is home sick they can get started are complete the assignment ahead of time.