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Lesson Plan

Inventing and Presenting, Part 2: Building the Invention and Effective Speeches

Grades	6 – 8
Lesson Plan Type	Unit
Estimated Time	Six 50-minute sessions
Lesson Author	Karen Sinning Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania John Blank Jeannette, Pennsylvania
Publisher

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Standards

Resources & Preparation

Instructional Plan

Related Resources

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Preview

OVERVIEW

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.

FEATURED RESOURCES

Invention Speech Unit: Student Notes: This printout includes questions on topics including audience and purpose, content and tone, structure, and delivery, designed to help students write an effective speech.
Disclosure Statement: Students use this form to describe their planned project and notify the teacher of their "intent to invent."

FROM THEORY TO PRACTICE

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.

Standards

NCTE/IRA NATIONAL STANDARDS FOR THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS

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.

12.

Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information).

Resources & Preparation

MATERIALS AND TECHNOLOGY

Guest speakers, including local inventors, patent attorneys, engineers, speech writers, and marketers (optional)
Monthly calendar sheets
Folders or binders for work accumulated through the unit

PRINTOUTS

WEBSITES

“The Gettysburg Address”
This site shares the original version of the Gettysburg address for students to view.
“I Have a Dream” Speech
On this website is the full version of Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous "I Have a Dream" speech.
Introduction to the Scientific Method
This website includes the steps to the Scientific Method, along with an explanation of each.
The Life of Martin Luther King, Jr. Timeline
This site includes a timeline of MLK's life, from birth to death.

PREPARATION

The activities in this lesson continue from sessions presented in Analyzing Nonfiction and Inventing Solutions (Part 1). Teachers should review that lesson before continuing with Part 2.
Prepare print copies of speeches to be studied and secure audiovisual materials and equipment. Speeches studied in this lesson are Lincoln's "Gettysburg Address" and King's "I Have a Dream" (see Websites section).

Instructional Plan

STUDENT OBJECTIVES

Students will:

identify the characteristics of effective speeches.
find elements of good speeches in the text and in the delivery of model speeches.
build a working three-dimensional model of an invention OR an actual invention to solve a problem of their choice.
verify the adequacy (or inadequacy) of the invention through experimentation.
chart their own progress as they work through the steps of the process.

Session One

By this time in the unit, students have worked together and individually to decide on a problem they wish to research in order to invent a solution. Have them revise and turn in the final draft of their Disclosure Statements at this point.
As a whole class, discuss how inventors evaluate the adequacy or inadequacy of an invention, and move to discussing the students' ideas and the relative adequacy or inadequacy of their own inventions. Discuss testing procedures and the students' planned testing procedures.
Remind students that they will test their inventions and summarize the results in one or more graphs.

Session Two

Discuss the need for and advantages of the Invention Progress Reports.
Have students complete Progress Report #1. This report requires a parent or guardian signature along with any other safety documentation required by the teacher and/or the school.
In their groups have students exchange reports, peer edit, and make any corrections. Students should turn in this report when finished, or finish it before the next session.

Session Three

Review the scientific method with students. Using this method, students should continue to work on their inventions for a period of days or weeks (this is flexible and can be done immediately or occasionally as other items are studied in class).
Repeat the reporting process, discussing, drafting, and peer editing using Progress Report #2.

Session Four

After students have continued to work on their inventions, once again, repeat the reporting process, discussing, drafting, and peer editing using Progress Report #3.
Continue to provide time for students to work on their inventions.

Session Five

Once students have completed their inventions or are nearing completion, discuss with students the importance of the invention speeches. Remind students that it is possible to receive full credit for the invention and the speech even if the invention is not entirely successful.
Discuss with students the elements of successful speeches with which they are familiar. Provide and discuss notes on these elements. These may come from videos, books, Websites, etc. You may also choose to use the Student Notes handout.
Tell students that during the next session, they will study famous speeches and discuss their success.

Session Six

Complete discussion of the Student Notes. Read “The Gettysburg Address” and discuss it in terms of the Student Notes. Point out that the evaluation of historical speeches requires the reader to research the context (for more information on Abraham Lincoln's life, visit the Abraham Lincoln Timeline).
Emphasize the significance of audience and purpose. Lincoln's awareness of the interests and needs of his audience (both listening and reading) resulted in a speech that encouraged the North to fight on but did not preclude reconciliation.
Read and discuss Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech in terms of the Student Notes. Provide context as necessary.
Explore the highlights and other speeches that King delivered using the The Life of Martin Luther King, Jr. from The Martin Luther King Papers Project at Stanford University.
Point out the challenge that Dr. King faced: he, like Lincoln, had to encourage his supporters to persevere without alienating other listeners.
Optional: Play a clip of the "I Have a Dream" speech and of other speeches of your choice. As a whole class, discuss audience, purpose, content, structure, and delivery.
As a class, discuss how students might use some of the techniques that these two historical figures used in their speeches to write a successful invention speech.
Students should continue working on their inventions and will begin working on their speeches during Part 3 of this Unit.

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.

STUDENT ASSESSMENT/REFLECTIONS

Teachers will monitor progress throughout the unit by observing, conferencing, and giving feedback on various proposal drafts. Suggested rubrics for assessment are also available and used most effectively later in the unit, but should be introduced to students early on so that they are aware of the expectations of their projects.
- Project Rubric: Long Version
- Project Rubric: Short Version

Related Resources

LESSON PLANS

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.

CALENDAR ACTIVITIES

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.