By Christel Peele Oaklawn Language Academy

While it may seem that the market is saturated with inventions, new innovations are made daily. The process of inventing a new technique or object requires a significant degree of creativity and imaginative thinking. Teachers can foster these desirable skills in their students by engaging them in invention projects. Through the imagining of new inventions, students practice their critical thinking and improve their overall problem-solving abilities.

From brushing your teeth to combing your hair, the morning routine can become tedious and repetitive. Think of a way to liven up this daily activity by creating an invention that would be used during this morning preparation period. Consider what you do when they get up in the morning, and think about how one of those tasks could be made easier or more enjoyable through the creation of a new invention.

 Choose an invention to improve upon  Give your invention a name  Describe it in at least a paragraph  Draw a sketch of the invention  Create a model of the invention.

 Create an infomercial for your invention, persuading your class mates to purchase your creation.  Students will vote on which imaginative invention they would most like to see become a reality.

Students will improve upon an everyday object or invent a new product. The students will create a prototype of their product using paper, tape, etc. Students will create a TV ad, which the student will present to the class. The presentation will be done in this order: How individual came up with the idea. How the product is used and why is it useful. Perform the TV ad 100 points Total _________ 25 points Creative, original idea. _________ 25 points Product is very detailed and well made. _________ 25 points Ad includes two reasons to use product. TV ad is acted well. _________ 25 points Presentation was well planned and included how the student came up with idea, how the invention is made, the use of the product and why it is a useful product.

 January 17 th start an inventors journal in which you write about your ideas and thinking process. Be a dreamer! Think about things that people need in order to make life or everyday activities better, easier, or cheaper.  Brainstorm a list of problems that you have thought about.  Narrow your list down to one problem you think you can solve and is interesting to you.

 By January 24th th you should have decided on the problem you want to fix. Now you should think about how to solve it. Still writing in your journal, come up with possible ways to solve your problem.

Once you have decided on what solution you’ll use, ask yourself these test questions:  Is my invention or improvement really a new idea?  Is it useful?  Can it be made easily?  Can I use material that is easily available?  Will people really use it?

 Once you are able to answer yes to each of the test questions, draw a picture of how your invention should look. Your first drawing is a rough draft and should be done in your journal.  Then complete both pages of the Student Invention Disclosure Forms and submit to Mrs. Peele. Your invention must be approved before you go any further.  Redraw the invention until it looks exactly right. Label all the parts. This final drawing needs to be presentation quality. It will be graded.

Part 2 must be completed by February 10 th !