Invention Lesson Plans for Grades K-12
Lesson 2: I am a THINKER!
Ready to practice the first habit of becoming an INVENTOR? We are going to focus on THINKING today. Our brain has many jobs and is like our own personal human computer. Just like muscles in your body, you have to use it and challenge it for it to grow and develop. Let's give our brains a good workout today!
Inventors young and old have one thing in common . . . they are all THINKERS!
We are going to think about our thinking so that we can make it better. Each one of us has so much magic inside our heads. We are going to do activities that help us get that magic out of our brains to help solve problems.
Think about your thinking and complete this handout.
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Bring a box to our next class!
Robert Gair moved from Scotland to New York when he was 14 years old. He owned a business that made paper bags. In 1879 a worker made a mistake cutting through a pile of bags verses creasing them. Gair had the idea to make cardboard boxes and Kellogg's cereal was the first food company to use the "new" cardboard box for its cereal.
Time to get out our boxes! Wow! Look at all of the different boxes you brought into the classroom. Soon we will be using the boxes in a way that lets me see what kind of thinker you are!
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Remember Dr. FEFO's advice for being a creative thinker?
FLUENCY: Thinking of LOTS of ideas
FLEXIBILITY: Using things in a new way OR seeing things from another perspective
ORIGINALITY: Thinking of ideas others won't. Coming up with unique ideas
ELABORATION: The details you add to an idea
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Check out this book . . . A Box Can Be Many Things.
How are the characters being creative?
Now YOU will get to transform your box into a new creation. Be creative! What materials will you need for your new creation? Does your invention box have some of these materials? Use the Dr. FEFO Creative Thinking Practice handout to help you record your ideas.
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Did anyone see a box that used strong elaboration by adding lots of details? Did anyone see a box that was original and different from the other boxes?
How did thinking of LOTS of ideas first lead to a more creative box? Why?
Consider the following:
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“Arnie looked around and saw all sorts of doughnuts sitting nearby”. How is this an example of FLUENCY and ORIGINALITY?
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When Arnie was selected, how does he get details added to him? How does he experience ELABORATION?
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Before reading “Things Mr. Bing can do instead of eating Arnie” ask learners to share ideas. This is FLUENCY again.
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Before reading “Things I can do with Arnie instead of eating him” Share this is PERSPECTIVE. We just learned what Arnie thought Mr. Bing can do, now let’s see what Mr. Bing himself says he can do (FLUENCY).
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As the story ends, Arnie the doughnut becomes a dog doughnut. This is FLEXIBILITY and ORIGINALITY. (Using a doughnut as a dog…who would have thought of that?)
Dr. FEFO gave us words to nudge our creative thinking. Now meet Beatrice the Bee. She is going to share her favorite creativity strategy . . . SCAMPER!
Let's BUZZ through the slides with Beatrice to practice SCAMPER.
We are going to practice one letter of SCAMPER today . . . C for Combine. What can you combine with a donut to make a new invention?
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