Participating in ePals & Spark!Lab
Invent It Challenge
Create Your Own Invention!
About the Project
Our Objective: Students will be able to create an invention that solves a problem and review projects created by others to determine how inventions solve problems.
Aligned With: ePals Challenge: Spark!Lab Invent It Challenge
Necessary Technology: Computers/devices, internet connection, ePals participation, ePals accounts
See which Common Core Standards are aligned with this project.
​
This project will take place during and immediately after our Inventions and Innovations unit in Reading. In this unit, we read all about different inventors, inventions, and innovations that solved problems. We will use the readings in this unit as research and motivation to creating our own inventions.

The planning phase will take place during Writing time so that the Language Arts curriculum can continue and students can dedicate their writing time to coming up with a draft for their invention. We will use what we have learned in the Inventions and Innovations unit to brainstorm different inventions we might create in the future to solve current real-world problems. These have to be real problems, and the inventions/innovations themselves must be able to solve the problem in a particular way.
Students will then either work independently or work within a small group to sketch and label an invention. Students will spend writing time describing the invention, its parts, how it would be made, and how it would solve the problem. Students will be encouraged to get creative by coming up with a name and cool features/decor for the invention.
If students create an invention thoroughly and have a really clear idea in their head of how they would make it, they will be allowed to build their invention and compete for a patent. This is only if they are able to bring the necessary materials and put it together themselves!
What is a real-world problem that needs to be solved?
Timetable
Research Phase

We will be reading about different inventions and inventors in our Inventions unit in Reading.
​
December-January
Planning Phase

You will think of an invention to solve a real-world problem, sketch what it will look like, and describe how it will work.
January-February
Sharing Phase

You will create an advertisement for your invention to sell it to people. You will share this with other kids online.
​
February-March
Collaborating with Other Students
The most interesting and motivating aspect of this activity will be the ability to interact with other kids who are involved in the same project. As students plan and sketch their invention, they can join a chat forum on ePals to discuss problems they are running into, share any ideas they have, and ask any questions from students that are going through the same thing. There are also forum posts by judges in the competition so that students get an idea of what their audience is looking for.
Once projects are complete and submitted, students can view inventions created by other kids and vote for which invention they like the best. These may be the same kids they chatted with on ePals throughout their entire Planning Phase, so they can see what progress they made.
This project aligns with the "Internet As an Audience for Writers" activity type of tellecollaborative project. Students will feel more accountable for their work because it will be viewed not only by judges for a contest but also by other students creating inventions with similar guidelines.