Lesson Plan Title : What Would You Invent?

Age Range: Grade 6 through Grade 8 (Middle School)

Overview and Purpose: Students use the inventions of African American inventors as inspiration to create their own inventions.

Objective: The student will be able to use the achievements of African American inventors as inspiration to turn his own ideas into an invention.

Resources:

Information on African American inventors

Activities:

Have your students work in pairs or small groups to research African American inventors and discuss their inventions. Challenge the students to create their own invention. They should create a drawing of their invention, list the materials needed to make it, and explain how it works and what it is for. The groups can then share their inventions with the rest of the class.

Wrap Up:

This activity can be taken a step further by having students make a 3-D model of their invention. Students can make plausible inventions, or they can be free to make whatever they want.