GIPS TIE Program: inventions08: Overview

Ideas, Inventors and Inventions
Grand Island, Nebraska

Grand Island
Ideas, Inventors and Inventions
Students Learn to Solve Problems
Using the Scientific Process

GIPS Overview

Becoming an Inventor

Encouraging students "to see themselves as inventors and problem solvers and to view obstacles as problems to be solved, not insurmountable barriers."
-Invent America

Becoming an Inventor is an opportunity offered by integration specialists to all identified elementary high ability learners in the GIPS district.

During October, integration specialists will work with 3rd-5th grade classroom teachers to integrate and expand related areas of core curriculums to provide students with an introduction to developing inventions.

Curriculum units and related skills for each grade level are noted below.

Grade	Unit/Title	Related Skills
Grade 3	FOSS Science, Ideas & Inventions	Use techniques to see details about the world that would otherwise be difficult to observe Use scientific thinking processes to conduct investigations and build explanations: observing, communicating, comparing, and organizing
Grade 4	Language Arts, What an Idea	Gather, analyze and apply information and ideas Recognize and solve problems Communicate effectively within and beyond the classroom
Grade 5	FOSS Science, Variables	Design and conduct controlled experiments Construct materials that will be used in the investigations Record and graph data concretely, pictorially, and symbolically to discover relationships Use scientific thinking processes to conduct investigations and build explanations: observing, communicating, comparing, organizing, and relating

All students will have opportunity to work within varying levels of learning, building skills in summarizing, synthesizing, analyzing, evaluating, and solving problems creatively. Students showing a strong interest or talent in inventing and inventions will be provided with materials to continue through the process steps of creating their own invention. The Integration Specialist will serve as a facilitator and coach for students. Students will complete the actual invention at home or on their own, in accordance with rules for invention competitions.

Targeted Participants:
* Formally Identified HAL Students
Students and their parents will be provided with information regarding Becoming an Inventor through a district mailing.
* Students exhibiting a high interest/talent
Students showing a strong interest or talent in inventing and inventions will also be given the opportunity to participate in the invention project.

"Children bring their particular array of strengths to school,
and it is our job to enable these strengths to be fully realized."
-Mindy Kornhaber, Multiple Intelligences