Hello all,
I hope you have had a lovely relaxing weekend. This week our Key Stage focus is ‘Important Inventions!’.
The famous inventor, Thomas Edison said, “To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk.”
Please see below for suggested ‘Important Inventions’ activities for this week.
Monday:
Find out about life changing inventions.
Choose one from the following:
Camera, television, telephone, vaccines, car, printing press, penicillin, biro (ball point pens), electricity, light bulb, glass, pasteurisation.
You could use Espresso to help you do this (Link below).
https://central.espresso.co.uk/espresso/modules/search/index.html?source=espresso-home-mixed-topnav-search#/search/inventions?sortKey=Relevance
Tuesday:
Find out about a famous inventor:
Things to consider…
What year was the inventor born?
Where did the inventor live?
What did they invent?
How did they improve people’s lives?
Was the inventor young or old when they came up with their invention?
How is their invention used today?
Thinking activity:
Discuss with a family member whose invention was the most important and whose invention was the least important after looking at the PowerPoint below.
Link:
How things work – Famous Inventors PP and research activity
Wednesday:
Becoming an inventor!
All great inventors need thinking time, so using the knowledge you have learned so far about different inventions/inventors. Maybe you could keep a notebook of things you see around your home that might need improving. Think to yourself, how could I improve it? Would it make life easier if …?
Link to step by step approach:
Here is a step by step guide on how to become and inventor
Also, here are some video clips of some other useful inventions, just in case you need some inspiration!
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zw44jxs/resources/1
On the link above you will find:
Edward Jenner describes his discovery of the smallpox vaccine.
Joseph Priestley describes his work and his discovery of carbon dioxide and oxygen.
Sir Alexander Fleming describes his discovery of penicillin.
The invention of super powerful magnetic grippers and their practical uses.
How Stone Age man discovered that clay could be changed into pottery by baking it in fire.
The invention and importance of tarmac.
Thursday:
Think about your own invention and design it.
In our house, Bethany decided to create a notice board for Jenny and I to store our important ‘stuff’. Before this, everything went into a big drawer never to be seen again! Now, we can simply store and see all the post, important documents, letters, keys, pens, pencils and hairbands (not that Mr Whitty needs hairbands due to his lack of hair!). Bethany decided that Jenny’s section is on the left and that my section is on the right. This has made a huge difference as we can now find things when we need them. Bethany also wanted a door stop installed on the floor to stop the kitchen door from opening and knocking stuff from the notice board to the floor. This was a really good idea too. Please see pictures of Bethany’s invention/idea. It certainly has solved a problem for us as a family.
Bethany’s idea: The Noticeboard
The door stop:
Friday:
Today, we would like you to present your invention/idea to your parents or siblings so you can convince them (Dragon’s Den style) that your invention/creation will benefit their lives.
See link to Dragons Den ideas. You can also check out YouTube videos on Dragons Den for more information.
Inventions – Dragon’s den pitch ideas
Additional learning opportunities/suggestions:
Maths:
Spelling:
Spelling Activities to help you learn.
Top Tip: Choose 5 or 6 spellings to learn at a time.