http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/inventing-presenting-part-building-162.html
Grades | 6 – 8 |
Lesson Plan Type | Unit |
Estimated Time | Six 50-minute sessions |
Lesson Author |
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Jeannette, Pennsylvania |
Publisher |
This lesson is part of a larger interdisciplinary unit combining experimentation and the scientific method, critical thinking, clear writing, and effective speaking. In this lesson, students begin work on inventions of their own design, and also spend time studying effective speeches from history.
This lesson was originally published in June, 2003. It was updated from its original version in March, 2013 by Christy Simon, ReadWriteThink staff.
Young adolescents thrive in active learning situations, and they work best when they are engaged in their topic and are able to connect their learning to their own lives. These connections can more easily be made in interdisciplinary units that accommodate multiple learning styles and multiple ability levels. When students produce something that they value and for which there is a real audience, the learning and assessment are authentic. In their article describing a team-taught interdisciplinary science class that heavily integrated writing, Gardner and Southerland state "One of the most significant means for helping students to see this interconnectedness [among science disciplines], they reported, came from their writing experiences..." As one student in their class noted "Writing helped concretize what I knew." (35) This lesson, part of an interdisciplinary unit integrating language arts and science, provides students with chances to use writing and presenting to "concretize" their scientific thinking.
Further Reading
Gardner, Susan A. and Sherry A. Southerland. "Interdisciplinary Teaching? It Only Takes Talent, Time, and Treasure." English Journal 86.7. (November 2007): 30-36.
Students read a wide range of print and nonprint texts to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new information; to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment. Among these texts are fiction and nonfiction, classic and contemporary works.
Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language (e.g., conventions, style, vocabulary) to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes.
Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use different writing process elements appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes.
Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions (e.g., spelling and punctuation), media techniques, figurative language, and genre to create, critique, and discuss print and nonprint texts.
Students conduct research on issues and interests by generating ideas and questions, and by posing problems. They gather, evaluate, and synthesize data from a variety of sources (e.g., print and nonprint texts, artifacts, people) to communicate their discoveries in ways that suit their purpose and audience.
Students use a variety of technological and information resources (e.g., libraries, databases, computer networks, video) to gather and synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge.
Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information).
This site shares the original version of the Gettysburg address for students to view.
On this website is the full version of Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous "I Have a Dream" speech.
This website includes the steps to the Scientific Method, along with an explanation of each.
This site includes a timeline of MLK's life, from birth to death.
Students will:
Review students' progress reports over a period of days while students work and have students continue to revise their writing and continue testing their inventions as necessary. Time spent here will increase the chances of students' success as they progress to the third part of the unit, Invention Promotion and Persuasive Speaking.
Grades 6 – 8 | Lesson Plan | Standard Lesson
Timelines and Texts: Motivating Students to Read Nonfiction
In an effort to help motivate students to read nonfiction, students are challenged to use a timeline to help them name the year when certain products were invented.
Grades 5 – 12 | Calendar Activity |  May 24
The Brooklyn Bridge opened on this day in 1883.
Students explore the literary concept of point of view by examining a pair of picture books that highlight the controversies surrounding the Brooklyn Bridge.
Grades 3 – 12 | Calendar Activity |  June 23
The first typewriter patent was awarded in 1868.
Students take part in an inquiry-based study that compares typewriters to computers.
Grades 3 – 6 | Calendar Activity |  December 17
The Wright brothers made their phenomenal flight!
Students celebrate the Wright brothers' flight in 1903 by having a classroom celebration that includes a multimedia timeline and comparisons of the Wright Flyer to the planes we have today.
Grades 5 – 8 | Calendar Activity |  November 6
James Naismith, inventor of the game of basketball, was born in 1861.
Students look at Naismith's original 13 rules for basketball and write about the rules and how they have changed in small groups.
Grades 1 – 8 | Calendar Activity |  October 14
Kodak was issued a film patent on October 14, 1884.
Students create a scrapbook of their favorite pieces throughout the year and present it to parents at an end-of-year party.
Grades 7 – 12 | Calendar Activity |  November 19
Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address in 1863.
Students practice the Pre-AP strategy called SOAPSTone, identifying important parts of the Gettysburg Address and comparing it with John F. Kennedy's inaugural speech.
Grades 7 – 12 | Calendar Activity |  August 28
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech in 1963.
Students explore the "I Have a Dream" Foundation's website and brainstorm ways they can help themselves or others at their school achieve their educational dreams.