J.

Whitney
Social Studies Lesson Plan for Grade 1
Inventions That Changed the World

Title of Lesson: Inventions That Changed the World

Grade Level: 1

Subject Area: Social Studies with language arts,

Timeframe: Multi-day Lesson

physical education, art and health integration

Planning for Instruction:

Student Learning Goals/Outcomes: Overall, students will gain an understanding of how
science often leads to new technology in various areas such as transportation and
communications resulting in change over time. In this daily lesson, the students will be able to
describe the difference between invention and discovery and be able to compare and contrast
how social groups of the past and present address similar needs and concerns.

Standards Addressed:
NCSS Theme: 8) Science, Technology, and Society
Alaska Content Standard for Social Studies for KPBSD:
H.B.1: Comprehend the forces of change and continuity that shape human history
through:
B: human communities and their relationships with technologies.
C: the origin and impact of ideologies upon human societies.
Alaska Culturally Responsive Teaching Standard:
CS.B.4: Culturally knowledgeable students are able to build on the knowledge and skills
of the local community as a foundation from which to achieve personal and academic
success throughout life. Students who meet this cultural standard are able to identify
appropriate forms of technology and anticipate the consequences of their use for
improving the quality of life in the community.
KPBSD Language Arts Standard Inclusion:
Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 1 topics and
texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups. Ask and answer questions about
key details in a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media.
Ask and answer questions about what a speaker says in order to gather additional
information or clarify something that is not understood.

LA.1.3.6: Produce legible handwriting with correct spacing, letter formation and pencil
grip.

Physical Activity, Health and the Arts:

Physical Activity Integration:
Roll Like a Wheel. Students utilize their gross motor abilities to roll around like a wheel.
They will be encouraged to experiment in a variety of ways to roll like a wheel in the
classroom through guided instruction (e.g., tuck head and legs under body to roll a
summersault, try to roll a summersault with both legs out front). They will be asked to
discuss why one way is better than the other.

Art Integration:
If I Were an Inventor. Students author and illustrate an invention they designed. They
will be asked to include the following in their writing and illustration: the name of their
invention, how the invention works, and how it would improve their lives or the lives of
others.

Health Integration:
Students will be provided multiple opportunities to talk with each other in small groups.
The social and emotional experience will provide them with an opportunity to positively
interact with each other as they brainstorm ideas on how and why the inventions listed in
the lesson plan personally impacted their lives or the lives of someone they know. They
will gain practice in how to appropriately respond to their peers feelings while waiting
for their turn to speak and how to actively participate in a small and large group
discussion.

Technology Inclusion:
Opening activity:
An interactive Smartboard classification game of Discoveries vs. Inventions will be
played to provide an opportunity to verbalize and demonstrate the difference between the
two. Students will be given various images that are either discoveries or inventions and

instructed to classify them on a graphic organizer. Health will be integrated as students

discuss in a large group the differences between inventions and discoveries. They will
practice how to participate in a two-way conversation and how to appropriately respond
to each others feelings while waiting for their turn to speak.

During the lesson:

PowerPoint (PPT) of three influential inventions: light bulb, wheel, and telegraph will be
taught. The main body of the lesson includes a PPT presentation that illustrates past and
present images of these three items. Included with each invention is developmentally
appropriate informational reading that asks higher level thinking questions in order to
stimulate a deeper understanding of the subject. By displaying the text via Smartboard,
students will read it at the same pace to insure no one gets left behind. This will provide
the teacher with an opportunity to ask content questions throughout the lesson to gauge
material comprehension and determine if further instruction is required. Health will be
integrated in the form of social and emotional learning through large and small group
interactions and discussions as discuss how and why these inventions impacted their lives
and the lives of others.

Closing activity:
This internet website of kid creations, 6 Famous Kid Inventions, will illustrate there is no
age criteria to design a new invention. This introduction activity to art integration will
encourage students to think about something they could invent to benefit their lives or the
lives of someone they know. Health will be integrated in the form of social and
emotional learning through small group as they discuss inventions they would like to
invent.

Materials/Resources:

Computer with internet access

Smartboard

Technology Programs:
o Inventions that Changed the World PPT

o What is an Inventor? Uploaded into the Smartboard for guided reading

o Smartboard game: Invention vs. Discovery Classification
o Website depicting kid inventions

My Favorite Invention worksheet (one for every student)

Pencils to complete the worksheet

Crayons, markers, or colored pencils to complete If I Were an Inventor craft

If I Were an Inventor assessment worksheet (one for every student)

Whiteboard

Dry erase markers and eraser

To prepare for this lesson, worksheets will be printed from the computer and enough copies for
every student. If pencils need to be sharpened, there is a pencil sharpener in the classroom the
students can utilize. Crayons, markers, and colored pencils are located on shelves students have
access to. The host teachers computer with internet capabilities will be used and access to the
computer will need to be granted. The computer is password protected to protect students
personal information.

Instruction will take place in the classroom as it is set up to accommodate the needs of every
student and there are no known safety risks.

Classroom Environment:
The classroom is set up to effectively facilitate student learning. Student desks are arranged to
provide each student with personal space to complete seatwork. The desks are arranged in
groups of four; where there are three groups with four students in each group. The desks are
situated far enough away from the front of the room to facilitate large group discussions with
students sitting on the floor. Be familiar with how students work with each other and encourage
positive interactions to insure that each student and their cultures are respected. Remind students
that everyone is valued and has something of value to contribute to the classroom community.

Differentiation Strategies / Individual Modification / Special Arrangements:

Differentiation teaching strategies include:

student Smartboard technology participation

large group discussion with open ended, higher level thinking questions to encourage
participation and increase comprehension of the material

large group guided reading

gross motor brain break

creativity arts

guided writing

Opening Activity:
A guided reading lesson and an interactive Smartboard activity will draw on their
previous understanding of the subject and introduce the topic to insure every student will
be eager to begin the lesson. The students will sit on the floor in front of the Smartboard
to participate in the main body of the lesson. By having them away from their desks and
on the floor, an alternate learning environment will be created so every student will be
engaged.

Brain Break (physical activity integration):

How Does a Wheel Roll, will serve as a brain break by providing an opportunity for
students to release their wiggles while waking the brain up as they cross the mid-line.

Main lesson:
Students take turns reading a bullet from the PPT and engage in a meaningful discussion
regarding past and present implications of three inventions: wheel, telegraph, and light
bulb. Higher level thinking questions will be asked to encourage critical thinking (e.g.,
What was life like before people had a telephone?)

Final Assessment
My Favorite Invention assessment handout instructs students to return to their desks
where they will write about one thing they learned.

Conclusion
Bring the students back together as a large group. They will be shown six inventions that
were created by kids and asked to brainstorm new invention ideas, how they work, and
how they will improve their lives or the lives of others. The activity will conclude with
them writing about their invention and illustrating its appearance.

Differentiated teaching strategies/ individual modification / special arrangements for

unforeseeable classroom interruptions:

If students become restless on the floor during the main activity, they can return
to their desks and finish the lesson from there.

If students appear uninterested in the three inventions that are presented, I can
review the brainstorm ideas that were provided at the beginning of the lesson that
dictated their thoughts on what type of inventions they interact with.

While students will be encouraged to roll on the floor like a wheel, they may
choose to participate in the discussion rather than participate in the brain break.

As they are completing the final assessment at their desks, I will observe them
and provide support as needed to keep them on task.

Assessment of Student Learning:

80% of the students will actively participate in large group discussion regarding the differences
between discoveries and inventions, what inventions have enhanced the modern day world, what
life was like before the inventions, and complete a page in the classroom book entitled: If I Were
an Inventor. 90% of the students will complete the assessment worksheet entitled: My Favorite
Invention is.

Instructional Sequence:

Prior Knowledge / Experience:

Students should know that present day modern advances affect their lives on a daily basis.
Advances such as cars and trucks for modes of transportation and cell phones and internet for

means of communication improve quality of life and enable others to build on these means to
make improvements for the future.

Students interact on a daily basis with modern advances such as riding in a car, truck, or bus to
get to school, researching a topic on the internet, using a cell phone to call home, or turning on a
light switch to provide light in their bedroom. The pedagogies in this lesson will expand their
base knowledge and explore how and why these advances were made; as well as encourage them
to make predictions as to what advances could be made in the future to better their lives.

Opening Activity:
Read out loud or choose a student(s) to read: What is an Inventor? Discuss with the students
what inventions are, how they are different than discoveries, and brainstorm a few of the
inventions they see in the classroom or at home. Have them write their responses on the
whiteboard to be revisited later.

Learning Activity:
Play the Discoveries vs. Inventions classification game on the Smartboard. Call students up one
a time to place an invention or discovery on the graphic organizer.

Discussion following Discoveries vs. Inventions:

Point to inventions column and ask: What is an invention? (Possible student response:
An invention is something new, something created by a person, something that people
use.) Refer back to What is an Inventor if needed. Point to discovery column and ask:
Why are they not inventions? (Possible student response: Because they were already
found in nature. Because people did not create them.)

Using the PPT slides entitled Inventions That Changed the World as prompts and visual aids, tell
the students together you are going to look at three inventions that have had a big impact in our
lives. Say: We still use these inventions today. Engage them in a large group discussion
about each one: wheel, telegraph, and light bulb. Ask them what they thought life was like
before the invention, what life was like after the invention, and what modern day improvements

have been made to it. Assess their understanding throughout the discussion by asking critical
thinking questions such as: What was life like before this invention? How has life improved?
Can you think of other ways this invention is being used? Adjust the discussion as needed to
insure the students comprehend the main idea.

Assess their knowledge at the end of the large group discussion and presentation using What I
Learned About Inventions handout. Go over the instructions and guide them in writing and
illustrating their favorite invention.

Tell the students they are going to become inventors. Show them the website that gives
examples of inventions made by kids. Ask: What is something that you could invent that would
help you and/or your family? What would you call it? What does it do? How does it improve
your life? (Student responses will vary.) Use the handout If I Was an Inventor and instruct
them to write it down and draw a picture of if it. Display the artwork on a bulletin board or bind
it together in a book they can read throughout the day.

Closure:
Provide students with an opportunity to share their favorite invention or have them describe to
the rest of the class how their invention works and how it will improve the quality of their lives.
If there is enough time, encourage them to ask each other questions pertaining to their invention.