Historical Inventions

Title of Project: Historical Inventions

Schools and Teachers

Glenwood landing, Glen Head, Sea Cliff        Teachers: Gila Stanisic, Lisa Daly, Victoria Bader, Colleen Hasselmann, Marie Zilinski, Nathalie Silva

ENL Proficiency Level | ENL Program | Standards | Technology

Appropriate for all English Proficiency Levels   |   Stand-Alone   |  3SL1,  3W2  | Book Creator, Fathom Reads

Assessments

Description

This experience allowed students to learn about the special functions of historical inventions such as the telephone, toaster and hair dryer. They were exposed to information about the lives of famous inventors such as Thomas Edison and Marie Curie before rolling up their sleeves and creating their own futuristic invention using an assortment of recycled materials.

Content

I can identify problems and solutions within an invention and create an invention using everyday materials. 

Language

I can present my invention to a group of my peers.

Technology

I can create a report of presentation with information I found using technology. 

Procedure

After exploring the Long Island Children's’ Museum,  ENL students had an in-house LICM Museum-to-Go experience.  Teachers and students defined the meaning of inventions and the real world application.  They learned about some of the greatest inventors and inventions of the last several decades and had the opportunity to engage in the process of inventing. Students then identified various problems that exist in everyday life. First, they brainstormed real-world problems with their ENL peers across the district. Following this, they developed possible solutions and inventions that go along with it in order to help with those problems.  Then, together they developed prototypes of inventions that might be used to solve these problems. Furthermore, students used repurposed materials to create their inventions. Students planned, designed, and implemented their invention improvements. Students truly enjoyed exploring, collaborating and learning together.

Resources and Other Materials

Reflection

To activate and motivate students for our lesson we took our students to the Long Island Children’s Museum. Students were able to collaborate with peers in other grade levels and other buildings within our school district giving all types of learners access to content language and learning opportunities.  Overall, the students were able to flex their problem solving skills and produce a truly unique invention that was tailored to fix a specific problem.