In this microunit, explore life, the universe, and everything from the comfort of your own home!
NOTE: Depending on the age of your student(s), you may choose to use only some of the resources, or adapt them to fit resources that you have on hand or make the activity more age-appropriate. There is no wrong way to use this microunit!
Central Questions:
NOTE: Depending on the age of your student(s), you may choose to use only some of the resources, or adapt them to fit resources that you have on hand or make the activity more age-appropriate. There is no wrong way to use this microunit!
Central Questions:
- What's in our solar system?
- What types of objects are in outer space?
- What do astronauts do?
- How do we reach space?
What's in Our Solar System?
Ask students to list or draw all the things they think are in space or the solar system (depending on how old the child is, they may or may not be aware of what distinguishes our solar system from the rest of space). Possible answers might include:
Show students this video. Ask:
Show students one of the videos below:
- Stars
- Rockets
- Planets
- Moon
- Aliens
- Spaceships
- Astronauts
Show students this video. Ask:
- What do you see in this video?
- What do you notice?
- Can you name anything in this video?
- What questions do you have about what you see?
Show students one of the videos below:
- Solar System 101 from National Geographic (better for older kids)
- Exploring Our Solar System (better for older kids)
- Solar System Song (better for younger kids)
What inventions help us in our everyday lives?
Have students take a tour of their environment, making a list of all the inventions that they notice.
Help students to choose their top five inventions, the ones that they think are most important in their daily lives. If you have more than one child, this could turn into a debate--and that's okay! Ask them to support their responses with evidence and come to a conclusion.
Students then choose one of the top five inventions to explore further. Consider the following options:
Help students to choose their top five inventions, the ones that they think are most important in their daily lives. If you have more than one child, this could turn into a debate--and that's okay! Ask them to support their responses with evidence and come to a conclusion.
Students then choose one of the top five inventions to explore further. Consider the following options:
- A list of all the ways that invention helps them
- A picture of the invention with labels showing the different parts
- A poem to the invention (consider reading "Ode to My Shoes" as a mentor text and encourage kids to make it super cheesy)
- Researching the invention and creating a timeline of its creation
- Researching the inventor and creating a one-page visual biography (similar to these one-pagers)
- Writing or talking about how their lives would be different if they didn't have this invention in their lives
How do inventors come up with ideas?
Ask students to help you make a list of all the places they think inventors might get their ideas. Possibilities might be:
Watch "How the Popsicle Was Invented" and "How the Bendy Straw Was Invented" (or one of the other Moments of Vision videos, depending on student interests and abilities). Whichever video you choose, consider having the inventions on hand if possible/available.
Tell students that a great idea is often referred to as a "light bulb moment" and show them this GIF. Where do they think that saying comes from?
Begin making a list of vocabulary that inventors might need to know. This list might include:
- They need help doing a task
- They are interested in a topic
- They do something by accident
- They see something that could work better
Watch "How the Popsicle Was Invented" and "How the Bendy Straw Was Invented" (or one of the other Moments of Vision videos, depending on student interests and abilities). Whichever video you choose, consider having the inventions on hand if possible/available.
- With student support (or as an independent activity, depending on the age and ability of the student), complete a Venn diagram comparing the stories of the two inventions. What makes them similar and different?
- Have students create a drawing or storyboard (either on paper or digitally) of one of the stories.
- Have students create a "how-to" document teaching someone how to make the object, complete with steps and illustrations.
Tell students that a great idea is often referred to as a "light bulb moment" and show them this GIF. Where do they think that saying comes from?
Begin making a list of vocabulary that inventors might need to know. This list might include:
- Test
- Machine
- Part
- Component (for upper grade levels)
- Failure
- Trial (for upper grade levels)
What obstacles do inventors encounter?
Read the poem "Invention" by Shel Silverstein (available in his poetry collections or on Google). Afterwards, ask the following questions:
Read or play The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires. As you read, ask some or all of the following questions:
Read or play Rosie Revere, Engineer by Andrea Beaty and David Roberts. As you read, ask some or all of the following questions:
- What does she want her invention to do and why?
- What obstacle is she facing?
- What might she do to solve her problem?
- Extension: Research how long the cord would have to be to plug into the sun. Ask students to consider the difference between a great idea and a great invention. What would she have to change in order to turn a great idea into a great invention?
- For older students: Direct their attention to the exclamation points at the beginning of the poem and ask them what those might mean about the speaker's feelings. Does the punctuation change by the end? What does that reveal about the shift in the speaker's feelings?
Read or play The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires. As you read, ask some or all of the following questions:
- What do you notice about her great idea? What might be missing from her great idea?
- What do you think she is trying to make? What clues do you have?
- What do you notice about her feelings as she continues to try to make something magnificent? How do you know these are her feelings?
- What do other people notice about her inventions?
- What lesson does she learn in the end?
- Looking at her final product and identifying its parts in her rejected inventions.
- Ask students what advice the main character might give to someone who is frustrated that they can't do something just right.
Read or play Rosie Revere, Engineer by Andrea Beaty and David Roberts. As you read, ask some or all of the following questions:
- What qualities does Rosie have? What is she interested in? How would you describe her?
- What does Rosie have in common with her aunt?
- What is Rosie's reaction when her invention doesn't work?
- What lesson does she learn in the end?
- Comparing the main character in Rosie Revere, Engineer to the main character in The Most Magnificent Thing.
- Role play a conversation the two characters might have about what they learned.
Why do people invent things?
With student help, recall the texts and videos from earlier. Why did each inventor invent? Make a list.
Show students this clip from Despicable Me. Clearly Gru has an evil plan for the shrink ray (ask students what that is). But what would be a less evil way we could use the shrink ray? What about this invention?
Watch "The Cake Server" and "Marble Machine."
Hear from a kid inventor by watching one of the following videos.
Read or play Papa's Mechanical Fish by Candace Fleming and Boris Kulikov.
Are there any more reasons for inventing that you can add to your list?
Show students this clip from Despicable Me. Clearly Gru has an evil plan for the shrink ray (ask students what that is). But what would be a less evil way we could use the shrink ray? What about this invention?
Watch "The Cake Server" and "Marble Machine."
- Why do you think these inventors create these machines?
- How did you feel when you watched them? Do you think that was part of the goal of the inventor?
- Extension: Research the term "Rube Goldberg machine" and look up other Rube Goldberg machines.
- Extension: Have students design your own Rube Goldberg machine on paper.
Hear from a kid inventor by watching one of the following videos.
- "A 12-year-old app developer"
- "My invention that outsmarted lions"
- "A 13-year-old's plan for removing plastic from the oceans"
- "11 Kid Inventors Break Down Their Greatest Inventions"
- "3 Kid Inventions and a Baby!"
Read or play Papa's Mechanical Fish by Candace Fleming and Boris Kulikov.
- How can other people help inventors?
- This book uses a lot of sound words to help us imagine what inventing sounds like. Think back to the invention in your environment that you wrote about earlier. What sounds does it make?
- In this book, the inventor's daughter asks him a question that gives him inspiration. What questions do you think the inventors asked about some of the other inventions you've learned about so far?
Are there any more reasons for inventing that you can add to your list?
Final Project
Option 1: Picture Book
- Have students create a picture book, either on paper or digitally, about one of the following topics:
- The life of a famous inventor
- How to become an inventor
- The "secret life" of an invention
- Ask students about problems that they see in their house, their community, or the world that they'd like to solve.
- Have students create an invention to help solve that problem in one of the following formats:
- Legos or similar toys
- Drawing
- A collection of miscellaneous junk objects from around the house (straw, paper clip, pencil, popsicle stick, tape, etc.)
- Provide students with one of these mystery objects and have them do one or more of the following things:
- Create a verbal or written explanation of what they think the object does
- Create an ad for the object, attempting to sell it to someone who needs it
- Create a how-to document about how the object is used
For any written components, refer them back to the list of inventor vocabulary and encourage them to use words from that list.
As students work and after they're done, confer with them using questions or conversation starters like:
- What is your favorite part of this?
- Tell me about this part.
- How will this help your invention?
- What does this do?
- Where did you get this idea?
Additional Resources and Ideas
Here are some additional texts and resources that you can use to supplement the ones above, extend the unit, or otherwise change things up to meet the needs of the learners!
If your student is especially into a certain topic, like cars or space or music, this is the perfect time to do an inquiry project about inventions associated with that topic! Consider starting them off with the following questions:
- How to Be An Inventor!
- Kids' Inventions Turned Into Reality
- Little Inventors (a site where kids can submit their invention ideas)
- Makey Makey
- Invention At Play (interactive games)
- Build a Bot
- Powersuit Maker
- Rocketship Creator
- Inventions that Changed Our World
- Rube Works Game
- Articles about inventors for grades 2-5
If your student is especially into a certain topic, like cars or space or music, this is the perfect time to do an inquiry project about inventions associated with that topic! Consider starting them off with the following questions:
- What inventions have influenced the history of ___?
- Choose 1-3 to research more deeply.
- Which of these inventions is the MOST influential and why?
- Research to answer the question and present results in the form of a poster, a picture book, a mini TED talk, etc.