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Feb. 10, 2022, 5:20 p.m.

Four lessons for National Inventors' Day

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NewsHour Classroom offers dozens of lesson plans on invention and the invention process, including the four popular lessons below. These lessons challenge students to identify problems in their own backyards as well as global concerns related to the environment, public health and safety, energy usage and more!

Invention education is a student-centered and project-based approach to solving problems. The journey along the way is in many ways just as important as the final product. For more lessons beyond these four, see our full invention lesson list here.

Lesson Plan: How inventions are saving sea turtles

In this lesson, students will research different ways to curb poaching of sea turtles and design their own invention to help protect endangered species.

Lesson Plan: Inventing smarter cities to minimize extreme heat

Tourists struggle with the heat as temperatures soar in Rome
A woman cools off at the Barcaccia fountain near the Spanish Steps during a heatwave across Italy, in Rome, Italy, August 12, 2021. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane

Students will plan and design a city block adapted for a changing climate using the power of invention.

Lesson Plan: Inventing safety bike helmets using the ironclad beetle

Diabolical Ironclad Beetle (Coleoptera; Phloeodes diabolicus)
A large, heavily-armored beetle, native to California, Arizona, and northern Mexico.

In this invention lesson, students will make tiny bike helmets based on the unique protective design of the "diabolical ironclad beetle."

Lesson plan: Inventing assistive devices that give people their independence

Have students learn about assistive devices and how innovation plays a key role in the invention process, and then design their own devices.


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