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Inventions That Changed The World
Contents
Contents
2
Basic Information
4
Learning Goals
5
Assessment for Learning
9
The Entry Point
12
Knowledge Harvest
13
The Big Idea
14
Explaining The Theme
14
The Big Picture
16
History Learning Goals
24
History Task 1
25
History Task 2
28
History Task 3
31
History Task 4
35
History Extension Task
39
Technology Learning Goals
41
Technology Task 1
42
Technology Task 2
45
Technology Task 3
49
Technology Extension Task
52
Science Learning Goals
54
Science Task 1
55
Science Task 2
58
Science Task 3
61
Science Extension Task
64
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Inventions That Changed The World
Art Learning Goals
65
Art Task 1
66
Art Task 2
68
Art Task 3
71
Art Extension Task
74
Society Learning Goals
77
Society Task 1
78
Society Task 2
80
Society Task 3
82
Society Extension Task
84
International Learning Goals
85
International Task
86
International Extension Task
88
The Exit Point
90
Resources
92
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Inventions That Changed The World
Basic Information
This section details the time allocation for this unit of work, links to other subjects and Assessment for
Learning opportunities.
Timings
This unit of work is intended to last about 6.99 weeks.
The following suggested timings are approximate guides and are dependent on each school's individual
context.
Entry Point, Knowledge Harvest, Explain the Theme
History
Technology
Science
Art
Society
International
Exit Point
No of Hours
6
10
11
10
8
4
3
4
No of Weeks
¾
1¼
1.37
1¼
1
½
.37
½
Links to other IPC subjects
ICT & Computing learning goals are included in the subject learning. Links to ICT & Computing and
Geography are provided at the end of tasks where appropriate.
Language Arts and Mathematics links
Suggestions of possible links to Language Arts and Mathematics are provided where appropriate at the
end of tasks.
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Inventions That Changed The World
Learning Goals
Art Learning Goals
Children will:
2.01 Know how a number of artists - including some from their home country and the host country use forms, materials and processes to suit their purpose
2.02 Know about some of the work of artists in the host country
2.03 Be able to use art as a means of self expression
2.04 Be able to choose materials and techniques which are appropriate for their task
2.05 Be able to explain their own work in terms of what they have done and why
2.06 Be able to talk about works of art, giving reasons for their opinions
History Learning Goals
Children will:
2.01 Know about the main events, dates and characteristics of the past societies they have studied
2.02 Know about the lives of people in those periods
2.04 Be able to give some reasons for particular events and changes
2.05 Be able to gather information from simple sources
2.06 Be able to use their knowledge and understanding to answer simple questions about the past
and about changes
2.07 Understand that the past can be considered in terms of different time periods
2.08 Understand that the past has been recorded in a variety of different ways
International Learning Goals
Children will:
2.01 Know about some of the similarities and differences between the different home countries and
between them and the host country
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Inventions That Changed The World
2.02 Know about ways in which these similarities and differences affect the lives of people
2.03 Be able to identify activities and cultures which are different from but equal to their own
Science Learning Goals
Children will:
2.01a Be able to carry out simple investigations
2.01b Be able to prepare a simple investigation which is fair, with one changing factor
2.01c Be able to predict the outcome of investigations
2.01d Be able to use simple scientific equipment
2.01e Be able to test ideas using evidence from observation and measurement
2.01f Be able to link evidence to broader scientific knowledge and understanding
2.01g Be able to use evidence to draw conclusions
2.02 Be able to gather information from simple texts
2.03 Understand the importance of collecting scientific evidence
2.04 Understand some of the effects of what they learn on people’-s lives
2.09 Know about ways in which animals and plants are suited to different environments
2.31 Be able to compare common materials and objects according to their properties
2.34 Understand that different materials are suited for different purposes
Society Learning Goals
Children will:
2.03 Know that people within groups have different outlooks, characteristics and purposes
2.05 Know that people in different countries have different traditions, celebrations and ways of
living
2.06 Know about ways of keeping healthy and safe through diet, clothing, exercise, hygiene and the
observance of reasonable rules
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Inventions That Changed The World
2.08 Understand that people’-s health and safety can be affected by a variety of factors including
food, climate, rules, and the availability of resources
Technology Learning Goals
Children will:
2.01 Know that the way in which products in everyday use are designed and made affects their
usefulness
2.02 Be able to design and make products to meet specific needs
2.03 Be able to make usable plans
2.04 Be able to make and use labelled sketches as designs
2.05 Be able to use simple tools and equipment with some accuracy
2.06 Be able to identify and implement improvements to their designs and products
2.07 Be able to identify the ways in which products in everyday use meet specific needs
2.08 Be able to suggest improvements to products in everyday use
ICT & Computing Opportunities
The table below shows you where you can cover the following ICT & Computing Learning Goals.
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Inventions That Changed The World
Task
Art Extension Task
Art Task 1
Art Task 2
Art Task 3
History Task 1
History Task 2
History Task 3
History Task 4
International Extension Task
International Task 1
Science Extension Task
Science Task 2
Technology Task 1
Technology Task 2
Technology Task 3
Goals
2.2, 2.4
2.4, 2.5
2.1, 2.4, 2.5
2.4, 2.5
2.4, 2.5
2.4
2.4
2.1, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6
2.1, 2.2, 2.3
2.2, 2.3, 2.4
2.4
2.4
2.2, 2.4
2.2, 2.4
2.2, 2.4
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Inventions That Changed The World
Assessment for Learning
Are your children busy, or are they busy learning? This is the question that we need to be able to answer
throughout each IPC unit – what improvements are being made to children’s learning as a result of
studying this theme?
There are three areas of learning to reflect on, and three types of learning to assess.
The Three Areas of Learning: Academic, Personal and International
The three areas include academic, personal and international learning. To reflect on these, you will need
access to the IPC Learning Goals for each subject (including International) and the IPC Personal Goals – a
list of these can be found in Appendix A of the IPC Implementation File. You can also find a full list of IPC
Learning Goals in the Assess section of the Members’ Lounge.
The Three Types of Learning: Knowledge, Skills and Understanding
The three types of learning include knowledge, skills and understanding. We believe that differentiating
between knowledge, skills and understanding is crucial to the development of children’s learning. We
also believe that knowledge, skills and understanding have their own distinct characteristics that impact
on how each is planned for, learned, taught, assessed and reported on. The implications of these
differences are therefore far-reaching and deserve proper consideration.
Knowledge refers to factual information. Knowledge is relatively straightforward to teach and assess
(through quizzes, tests, multiple choice, etc.), even if it is not always that easy to recall. You can ask your
children to research the knowledge they have to learn but you could also tell them the knowledge they
need to know. Knowledge is continually changing and expanding – this is a challenge for schools that
have to choose what knowledge children should know and learn in a restricted period of time.
The IPC does not provide examples of knowledge assessment (tests or exams) as the knowledge content of the
curriculum can be adapted to any national curricula requirements.
Skills refer to things children are able to do. Skills have to be learned practically and need time to be
practiced. The good news about skills is the more your practice, the better you get at them! Skills are also
transferable and tend to be more stable than knowledge – this is true for almost all school subjects.
The IPC supports skills tracking and assessment through the IPC Assessment for Learning Programme. This
programme includes Teachers’ Rubrics, Children’s Rubrics and Learning Advice.
Understanding refers to the development or ‘grasping’ of conceptual ideas, the ‘lightbulb’ moment that
we all strive for. Understanding is always developing.
The IPC units can’t assess understanding for you, but they do allow you to provide a whole range of different
experiences through which children’s understandings can deepen.
(Please note: as well as the IPC Assessment for Learning Programme, we also offer an online Assessment
Tracking Tool, developed in partnership with Classroom Monitor. Please email [email protected]
for more information on how to sign up to this tool.)
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Inventions That Changed The World
Planning for Assessment
Once you have planned for the different IPC Learning Goals for each subject it is important to plan for
assessment opportunities within each unit of work. Assessment needs to be balanced but rigorous to
ensure that the children have learned what we planned for them to learn. The diagram below illustrates
the processes you may want to use to ensure this happens.
Helping Children Reflect on Their Own Learning
In addition to teacher assessment, it is also vital to include children in reflecting on their learning and
setting next steps for improvement. Ask the children to carry out self-assessments throughout each unit
(using the Children’s Rubrics to assess skills, and other methods chosen by the school for knowledge and
understanding).
They could use the following headings to list/make notes on their newly acquired knowledge, skills and
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Inventions That Changed The World
understanding – ‘new things I now know’, ‘new things that I can do’ and ‘new things I am beginning to
understand’.
Ask the children to evaluate different aspects of their learning – what did they do well, what could
improve next time and how, what did they find the most/least interesting? How did they prefer to learn –
as an individual/in pairs/small groups/large groups/as a whole class? What was their preferred method of
researching and recording - writing/talking/making, etc.? This evaluation aspect will also support the
development of the IPC Personal Goals.
Further Information
For more information on assessment, and knowledge, skills and understanding, please refer to:
The IPC Implementation File
The Assessment for Learning Implementation File
The IPC Self-Review Process
Or contact the Membership Support team at [email protected]
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Inventions That Changed The World
The Entry Point
Introduce the theme of the unit by having a ‘100 Years of Inventions’ exhibition that showcases important
machines and inventions of the last 100 years.
Refer to the list of inventions from the 20th and 21st centuries (see The Big Picture section later in this
unit). Collect as many objects as you can.
Ask friends, family, children and parents and carers if they can help you source the items you need. The
more objects you can display, the better the learning experience for the children. If it is not possible to
display a particular item, use photographs instead.
Ask the children, in groups, to identify the items and research and write descriptive labels for each.
Encourage the children to design and typeset the labels using word processing or publishing software
and to print them out. The labels should contain the following information:
Name of the object
How it is used
Name of the inventor
Date of the invention
Ask another group to design a logo for your inventions exhibition. If they come up with several different
alternatives, these can then be evaluated by the rest of the class and the best one chosen.
Give the children a brief for the logo, for example: it should be colourful, eye-catching and incorporate
the title and date of the exhibition. Does the chosen logo satisfy these criteria?
Use the logo to create posters and advertising leaflets that can be distributed among other classes and
sent out to parents to invite the wider school community to attend the exhibition.
Display the objects on tables and shelves in different categories, for example, the ‘communications’
category could include ballpoint pens, mobile phones and email; and ‘health’ could include contact lenses
and surgical plasters. Can the children think of any other categories that might be used to group the
items?
Take photographs of the items on display to produce a catalogue of the exhibits and a record of your
activities. You will be able to add to your inventions catalogue as the unit progresses.
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Inventions That Changed The World
Knowledge Harvest
After the inventions exhibition, explain to the children that together you are going to find out everything
they know about inventions and machines.
Remind the children of the entry point activity. Make a mind map, or a timeline, listing all the inventions
from the exhibition and any other suggestions offered by the children.
You could use a mind-mapping tool such as Inspiration 9:
www.inspiration.com/global
Include a photograph or drawing of each one and key words outlining what the children know about the
invention. You could organise the children’s ideas into different time periods (e.g. 1st century BCE, 1st
century CE, 2nd century CE, up to the 21st century) or by category (e.g. inventions in transport, building,
engineering, medicine, homes).
At this point, the information on the mind map will be incomplete because it is the intention that the
children will add to it as they progress through the unit.
Display the mind map or timeline prominently in the classroom where the children can easily access it.
You might decide to update your mind map once a week, adding new knowledge and information as the
children learn more about inventions and machines.
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Inventions That Changed The World
The Big Idea
Inventions have transformed the way that we live our daily lives – from the simple paperclip to the latest
mobile device. By learning about the important inventions that have changed our world, we can discover
how we could become great inventors too!
Explaining The Theme
In History, we’ll be finding out:
About significant inventions of the last 100 years
About inventions in the way we communicate
About the Islamic ‘Golden Age of Invention’
About the history of flight and associated inventions
In Technology, we’ll be finding out:
How to make a pinhole camera
How levers, gears and cams work
How to make a moving toy
How to invent and build something to solve a problem
In Science, we’ll be finding out:
About the air around us and the science of flight
How to make a paper glider
About man-made materials and their properties
How to carry out a scientific test
In Art, we’ll be finding out:
How technology has been depicted in art
About techniques in traditional and modern art
How to create digital art
How to make a print
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Inventions That Changed The World
In Society, we’ll be finding out:
How technology and inventions affect people’s lives
How inventions have made life easier or harder
About inventions in the home and host countries
Why some countries have fewer or more technologies than others
In International, we’ll be finding out:
How the invention of the internet has changed the way we communicate
How the world’s scientists are sharing knowledge about inventions and the latest technology
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Inventions That Changed The World
The Big Picture
Early inventions
The Golden Age of Invention (8th–13th centuries)
While Europe was in the Middle Ages after the demise of the Roman Empire (often known as the Dark
Ages), the Islamic world enjoyed a period of fantastic scientific and technological development. Advances
in mathematics, astronomy, architecture, engineering, education, computing, chemistry, optics and
medicine – and much more – would transform our civilization then and today.
Mathematics
Arabic numerals were being used and the concept of zero was developed by Muslim scholars. AlKhwarizimi is credited as the father of algebra and algorithms.
Astronomy
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Inventions That Changed The World
The earliest examples of the astronomical calculator, the astrolabe, were made in the Middle East.
Muslims perfected the astrolabe to include the direction of Mecca, the hours of prayer, the start of
Ramadan and over 1,000 other uses! Muslim scholars named of many of the stars. In the 10th century, Abd
al-Rahman al-Sufi was the first to describe ‘A Little Cloud’, now known as the Andromeda Galaxy.
Architecture
Arch shapes and domes first appeared in towns and cities in the Muslim world. Arabesque designs were
used to decorate buildings.
Engineering
Al-Jazari’s Book of Knowledge and Ingenious Mechanical Devices described double-action water pumps,
cranks that converted circular motion to linear motion, hydraulic technology and syphons.
Education
From the 8th century, Muslim scholars produced books and by the 12th century thousands of libraries had
sprung up. Mosques had schools from the 10th century. The first university was founded by Fatima al-Fihri
in Morocco in 850 AD.
Computing
Abu Rayhan Biruni invented the first mechanical calendar computer that used a gear train and a
knowledge-processing machine.
Chemistry
Muslim chemists developed perfumes, toothpaste, shampoo and hard soaps, and carried out early
experiments into plastics and rayon.
Optics
Knowledge about how our eyes worked, spectacles and the camera obscura were developed by Muslim
scholars, notably Ibn al-Haytham (Alhazen) in his Book of Optics, 1021 AD.
Medicine
Al-Zahrawi was a 10th century surgeon who pioneered the use of cat-gut and invented surgical tools that
are still used today. The first hospitals, pharmacies and medical schools were opened in Baghdad.
Vaccines and sticky plasters were first introduced.
Food
Coffee drinking and the three-course meal were introduced to the West from the Muslim world.
The following website provides detailed information, videos and images:
www.1001inventions.com
The 1001 Inventions website has information and award-winning videos for children about the Islamic
‘Golden Age of Invention’.
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Inventions That Changed The World
Al-Jazari’s elephant clock
The elephant clock represented the multiculturalism in scientific thinking that was a feature of the
Golden Age of Invention. The elephant was the symbol of India and Africa, the dragon China, the phoenix
Egypt, the water Greece and the turban Islam. The clock employed gears, levers, cams, tripping
mechanisms, pulleys and many innovative features including water flow control regulators, a mechanical
bird that chirped on the hour and a humanoid automaton. A working reproduction can be seen in Ibn
Buttuta Mall, Dubai and in Le Locle, Switzerland.
Water clocks
Water clocks are among the oldest instruments used to measure time. We are not certain when and
where they were first invented but some historians think they were used in China as early as 4000 BC. We
know basic forms of water clock existed in Egypt in 1600 BC. They were improved on by the Greeks and
Romans with gearing and automata, and by scientists such as Al-Jazari in the Islamic world.
Mechanical clocks
Tower clocks, like Big Ben, in London, UK, use an elaborate set of gears to display time. The hour hand is
a gear that rotates once every 60 minutes.
Pinhole camera
A pinhole camera is a box, painted black on the inside, with a tiny hole in one side. Light from outside the
box passes through the pinhole and is re flected upside-down on the opposite side of the box.
Why is the image inverted? To understand this you have to know that light travels in a straight line. This
means that light from the top of the object passes through the pinhole to the bottom of the re flected
surface and the bottom of the object appears at the top of the re flected surface. The human eye acts in a
similar way to the pinhole camera but our brain tells us that we are seeing the image the right way up.
Through the addition of lenses and mirrors, the camera obscura was an advancement on the pinhole
camera. There is evidence that some of the great master painters, including Canaletto and Jan Vermeer,
used the camera obscura to compose their paintings.
First flight
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Inventions That Changed The World
From Abbas Ibn Firnas’s attempts to fly in a wooden glider in the 9th century to Otto Lilienthal’s gliders in
the late 19th century, it took almost 900 years for us to properly understand the principles of flight.
Progress quickened once we realised wings didn’t need to flap. It was the Wright Brothers, Orville and
Wilbur who in 1903 made the first real flight in an aircraft with an engine.
Bernoulli’s Principle
The distance air has to travel over the top of an aircraft’s wing is greater than the distance it travels
underneath. Therefore, air moves faster over the top of wing and slower under the wing. The fastermoving air exerts less pressure on the wing but the slower-moving air underneath exerts more pressure.
The result is an upward push or lift on the wing.
Books
Printing started 3000 years ago in Mesopotamia. The printing of images and patterns on cloth, especially
silk, using carved wooden blocks preceded the printing of text. Text was more problematic because it
appeared reversed, as a ‘mirror image’. The earliest surviving printed book is the Diamond Sutra from
China, 868 AD. In the Muslim world in the 9th and 10th centuries, prayers were printed using blocks made
from other materials as well as wood, including metal, stone, glass and clay. In Europe, printing on paper
began around 1400 but it was the introduction of movable type by Johannes Gutenberg in 1439 that
revolutionised book printing by making it quicker and cheaper to produce larger quantities.
Inventions that led to the Industrial Revolution
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Inventions That Changed The World
Notable inventions from the 20 th and 21 st centuries
1900-1949
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Inventions That Changed The World
1950-1999
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Inventions That Changed The World
2000-present day
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Inventions That Changed The World
The following websites provide an ideal starting point for finding out more about the origins of the
world's greatest inventions:
www.edinformatics.com/inventions_inventors/
The Edinformatics website has a comprehensive list of the world's greatest inventions. (Note: this site
does feature advertising.)
www.my.christchurchcitylibraries.com/inventions/
Christchurch City Libraries website has lists of inventions and their inventors.
www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0908738.html
Face Monster features a guide to inventions as well as a useful timeline of everyday inventions. (Note:
this site does feature advertising.)
www.explainthatstuff.com/timeline.html
Explain That Stuff has a timeline of inventions with hyperlinks to articles that provide more information
about each invention.
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Inventions That Changed The World
History Learning Goals
Children will:
2.01 Know about the main events, dates and characteristics of the past societies they have studied
2.02 Know about the lives of people in those periods
2.04 Be able to give some reasons for particular events and changes
2.05 Be able to gather information from simple sources
2.06 Be able to use their knowledge and understanding to answer simple questions about the past
and about changes
2.07 Understand that the past can be considered in terms of different time periods
2.08 Understand that the past has been recorded in a variety of different ways
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Inventions That Changed The World
History Task 1
Learning Goals
2.01 Know about the main events, dates and characteristics of the past societies they have studied
2.02 Know about the lives of people in those periods
2.04 Be able to give some reasons for particular events and changes
2.05 Be able to gather information from simple sources
2.06 Be able to use their knowledge and understanding to answer simple questions about the past
and about changes
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Inventions That Changed The World
Research activity
Before the lesson, put together a collection of everyday objects that are regularly used in
your classroom or in the home, and are familiar to all the children. Some examples could
include: paper cups, ballpoint pens, felt-tip or marker pens, post-it notes, plastic fizzy drinks
bottle, Play-Doh, an MP3 player, a mobile phone and a digital camera. Display the objects
attractively so that the children are immediately curious about them as they enter the room.
Give the children time to examine the items and ask if they can think of reasons why these
items have been grouped together. Remind the children about the entry point activity and
the mind map. Possible answers might be:
They were all invented in the last 100 years
They are all useful
They are objects we use every day
Divide the children into small groups, asking each group to choose one of the objects. They
should find out:
Who was the inventor?
When it was invented?
Why it was invented?
How it was made?
They can research in encyclopedias and other reference books, and on the internet.
The following websites will provide a useful starting point:
my.christchurchcitylibraries.com/inventions
Christchurch City Libraries website has lists of inventions and their inventors.
enchantedlearning.com/inventors
Enchanted Learning features an informative A to Z listing of inventions and inventors.
factmonster.com/ipka/A0908738.html
Face Monster features a guide to inventions as well as a useful timeline of everyday inventions.
(Note: this site does feature advertising.)
explainthatstuff.com/timeline.html
Explain That Stuff has a timeline of inventions with hyperlinks to articles that provide more
information about each invention.
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Inventions That Changed The World
Recording activity
Ask the children to write a report based on the information they find.
They could use appropriate ICT software to present it in the form of a word-processed
document or make a more visual presentation using photographs, graphics and animation
tools in Microsoft PowerPoint or Publisher, or similar software.
Some children might prefer to present their report as a spoken or video presentation.
Language Arts link: ask the children to find out biographical details about a particular
inventor – family life, education, work, hobbies, etc. Can the children suggest reasons why
they became an inventor? What triggered their invention?
Ask them to write a biography of the inventor in the form of a timeline.
Personal Goals
Communication
Enquiry
Thoughtfulness
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Inventions That Changed The World
History Task 2
Learning Goals
2.01 Know about the main events, dates and characteristics of the past societies they have studied
2.02 Know about the lives of people in those periods
2.04 Be able to give some reasons for particular events and changes
2.05 Be able to gather information from simple sources
Research activity
Take away the children’s pens, pencils, crayons and writing paper. Tell them that you are
going to time travel to a place in history that was pre-pens and pre-paper.
Give the children a collection of early writing tools, for example, stones, sticks, pieces of
chalk and charcoal (early humans would have used burnt twigs), brushes made from twigs.
Provide flat stones, trays of sand and tablets of clay for writing on. Ask the children to write
messages to each other using these basic implements.
Ask the children to think about how people living in earlier times communicated with each
other. They could talk, sing, dance and play music but how could they keep a record of
important events? How could they make a more permanent record of their lives to pass on
to future generations?
Divide the children into small groups and ask each group to research a particular topic
related to our early forms of communication.
Examples might include:
Early cave paintings, stone carvings and Egyptian hieroglyphics
Paper made from papyrus, parchment and pulp
The invention of Indian ink and the first pens
The evolution of alphabets, from Phoenician to Latin
Tapestries and illuminated manuscripts from the Middle Ages
Earliest printed books and printing presses, e.g. the Gutenberg Press
The following websites provide a useful starting point:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cave_painting
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Wikipedia has a descriptions and photographs of prehistoric cave paintings from around the
world.
lascaux.culture.fr/index.php#/en/00.xml
The Lascaux Caves website features a stunning interactive tour of the caves. By clicking on the
various paintings, you can bring up a close-up view, which can then be explored further by
moving the cursor.
timetrips.co.uk/papyrus.htm
Time Trips provides a simple overview of how papyrus is made.
touregypt.net/featurestories/papyrus.htm
The Tour Egypt website has historical information suitable for teachers about papyrus and early
examples from around the world.
kidzone.ws/cultures/egypt/hieroglyph.htm
Kid Zone provides a comprehensive list of the commonly used hieroglyphs and their associated
letters and sounds
mesopotamia.co.uk/writing/home_set.html
The British Museum Mesopotamia website features useful sections on Ancient Sumer and their
system of cuneiform writing.
getty.edu/education/teachers/classroom_resources/curricula/manuscripts
The John Paul Getty Museum has information for teachers on illuminated manuscripts, as well as
a useful image bank of examples.
Recording activity
Ask the children to make research notes, listing reference books, websites and other sources
of information they found useful.
In their groups, ask them to report on their findings to the class. They could prepare a short
talk or presentation, with visuals they have sourced or created themselves. Within each
group, encourage the children to prepare a script and to take turns to speak.
Invite the children to ask questions of each other after the presentations. Encourage them
to give full and clear answers. Ask them, what did you learn that surprised you? Is it possible
or useful to extend your research further?
Can the children organise their different reports into a correct chronological order or
timeline? For example, which came first – papyrus or cave paintings?
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Personal Goals
Communication
Cooperation
Enquiry
Resilience
Thoughtfulness
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Inventions That Changed The World
History Task 3
Learning Goals
2.01 Know about the main events, dates and characteristics of the past societies they have studied
2.02 Know about the lives of people in those periods
2.04 Be able to give some reasons for particular events and changes
2.05 Be able to gather information from simple sources
2.06 Be able to use their knowledge and understanding to answer simple questions about the past
and about changes
2.07 Understand that the past can be considered in terms of different time periods
2.08 Understand that the past has been recorded in a variety of different ways
Research activity
Ask the children to find out about the Golden Age of Invention – the 500 years from the 8th
to the 13th centuries.
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The following websites will provide useful teacher information and resources:
edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/meast/01/29/muslim.inventions/index.html
CNN hosts an article on the greatest inventions of the Muslim world, including coffee and the
toothbrush.
http://islamichistoryonline.com/islamic-golden-age/
Islamic History Online provides a detailed examination of the many inventions, institutions and
industrial advances of the Islamic world.
www.historyforkids.org/learn/islam/
History for Kids has sections on Islamic science, art, literature and daily life. (Note: this site does
feature advertising.)
howellworldhistory.wordpress.com/quarter-4/unused/muslim-civilizations-golden-age/
Howell’s World History features a detailed article exploring the factors that influenced the rise
and success of the Islamic golden age.
islamicspain.tv/Arts-and-Science/flight_of_the_blackbird.htm
Cities of Light features an article on the musician, traveller and storyteller Ziryab, who was
responsible for bringing many changes to Europe during the Islamic Golden Age.
muslimheritage.com/article/ziryab-musician-astronomer-fashion-designer-and-gastronome
Muslim heritage offers a more detailed look at the life of Ziryab and the many innovations he
was responsible for.
1001inventions.com
The 1001 Inventions website has information and award-winning videos for children about the
Golden Age of Invention.
See also the notes provided on the Golden Age of Invention earlier in this unit, in the big
picture.
Research some of the following inventions from the Golden Age:
Elephant clock
Astrolabes
Concept of zero
Arabic numerals
Automata
Camera obscura
Perfumes
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Inventions That Changed The World
Spectacles
Cat-gut
First hospitals
First libraries
First university
Ask the children to find out why these inventions were important in world history, and how
they connect with our modern world.
Recording activity
The children should decide what or who they think the most important invention or inventor
of the Islamic Golden Age was and why.
They could work individually, in pairs or in small groups to make a presentation to the class
detailing their research. For example, they could make a model, drawing or animation of
their chosen invention or write a story, cartoon or poem about it.
Alternatively, the children could choose to pretend to be inventors of that time. They could
design and create their own costumes and act out a mini- drama to demonstrate what the
inventors did and why they were pioneers in their time.
Through the recording activity, the children should show their knowledge of the impact
these inventions and inventors have on the world today.
The Library of Secrets video on the 1001 Inventions website is a useful starting point for
ideas:
1001inventions.com/media/video/library
The 1001 Inventions website features the mini-movie, The Library of Secrets with Sir Ben
Kingsley as librarian and Al-Jazari.
Mathematics link: study the use of zero as a place holder in the numbers 10, 100, 101, 1000,
etc. Ask the children to imagine how difficult it would be to work out their sums without
using zero as a place holder. Invite the children to try it and see.
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Inventions That Changed The World
Personal Goals
Adaptability
Communication
Cooperation
Enquiry
Thoughtfulness
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Inventions That Changed The World
History Task 4
Learning Goals
2.01 Know about the main events, dates and characteristics of the past societies they have studied
2.02 Know about the lives of people in those periods
2.04 Be able to give some reasons for particular events and changes
2.05 Be able to gather information from simple sources
2.06 Be able to use their knowledge and understanding to answer simple questions about the past
and about changes
Research activity
Ask the children to research the history of flight. Divide them into small groups, giving each
group a different time period or pioneer of flight.
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Inventions That Changed The World
Ask the children intuitive questions, for example, what do you think motivated the early
pioneers of aviation? Why did they want to fly? What were the risks and difficulties they
faced? How did they overcome these? What sort of person takes risks?
They can use reference books and the internet. The following websites will provide a useful
starting point:
ueet.nasa.gov/StudentSite/historyofflight.html
This Nasa website for children has a history of flight from the first failed attempts to the first
heavier-than-air flight by the Wright Brothers.
slideshare.net/beatusest/people-want-to-fly?src=related_normal&rel=844331
Slideshare has this PowerPoint presentation created by a primary age pupil about the history of
flight.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aviation_history
Wikipedia has a detailed history of aviation with photographs and drawings.
invention.psychology.msstate.edu/moviesandphotos/index.html
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Inventions That Changed The World
The Digital Library of Aviation features movies and photographs of the Wright Brothers.
wright-brothers.org/History_Wing/History_Intro/History_Intro.htm
The Aviation History website has a section on the Wright Brothers, featuring an extensive
selection of photographs and drawings. (Click on the Timeline for more images.)
youtube.com/watch?v=GLAreFQ3G5k
YouTube features this stunning movie which uses 3D animation tomhighlight the key moments
and achievements in aviation history.
(To watch a YouTube video in safe mode, scroll to the bottom of the page and click on the
‘safety’ tab which brings up the ‘Safety mode’ information. Under this section, select the ‘on’
option, then click ‘save’)
Recording activity
Allow the children, in their groups, to choose how they wish to present their research to the
rest of the class.
They could design a poster, create a short story or drama, or write a report detailing the
main findings of their research.
Alternatively, they could make a short presentation, including any visual reference they have
discovered plus any appropriate sound effects (e.g. the engine noise of the 1939 jet plane).
Ask the children to collect any photographs from their research into the history of flight and
put them in chronological order.
Remind the children to add notes from their research to the mind map they created at the
beginning of the unit.
ICT link: You could ask pairs of children to create an animation of an old or modern aircraft
in flight, using animation software such as, Anithings anithings.com or I Can Animate
kudlian.net/products/icananimatev2/Home.html
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Inventions That Changed The World
Personal Goals
Adaptability
Communication
Cooperation
Enquiry
Thoughtfulness
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Inventions That Changed The World
History Extension Task
Learning Goals
2.01 Know about the main events, dates and characteristics of the past societies they have studied
2.02 Know about the lives of people in those periods
2.04 Be able to give some reasons for particular events and changes
2.05 Be able to gather information from simple sources
2.06 Be able to use their knowledge and understanding to answer simple questions about the past
and about changes
2.07 Understand that the past can be considered in terms of different time periods
2.08 Understand that the past has been recorded in a variety of different ways
Extension activity
Visit a museum in your local area or a nearby city.
Look for early examples of innovation and invention in science and technology.
If you notify the museum staff beforehand they might be able to organise a tour to
show you the most relevant exhibits for your study.
Encourage the children to write notes and make sketches to take back to the classroom.
Ask them to look for:
An unusual machine
A machine we no longer need
A machine that has been reinvented
The oldest machine in the museum
On your return, ask the children what the highlights of the museum visit were. Which
inventions or machines interested them the most?
Encourage the children to write a diary entry describing what they saw at the museum, or to
write and design a leaflet advertising the museum to other children.
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Inventions That Changed The World
Personal Goals
Communication
Enquiry
Thoughtfulness
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Inventions That Changed The World
Technology Learning Goals
Children will:
2.01 Know that the way in which products in everyday use are designed and made affects their
usefulness
2.02 Be able to design and make products to meet specific needs
2.03 Be able to make usable plans
2.04 Be able to make and use labelled sketches as designs
2.05 Be able to use simple tools and equipment with some accuracy
2.06 Be able to identify and implement improvements to their designs and products
2.07 Be able to identify the ways in which products in everyday use meet specific needs
2.08 Be able to suggest improvements to products in everyday use
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Inventions That Changed The World
Technology Task 1
Learning Goals
2.02 Be able to design and make products to meet specific needs
2.03 Be able to make usable plans
2.04 Be able to make and use labelled sketches as designs
2.05 Be able to use simple tools and equipment with some accuracy
2.06 Be able to identify and implement improvements to their designs and products
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Research activity
Ask the children to research how to make a simple pinhole camera. There are many
different ways of doing this, some more difficult than others.
Provide reference books and links to websites and videos on the internet.
The following websites provide a useful starting point:
staffordshire.gov.uk/Resources/Documents/p/pinholecameraworksheet.pdf
The Staffordshire.gov website has a guide suitable for children, explaining how to make a
simple pinhole camera.
exploratorium.edu/science_explorer/pringles_pinhole.html
The Science Explorer website explains how you can make a pinhole camera from an empty
Pringles can.
youtube.com/watch?v=ax-1dNyceo4
YouTube has this video presented by children on the study of light and its uses, and how a
pinhole camera works.
www.brainpop.com/technology/scienceandindustry/cameras
BrainPOP has this video that shows how cameras work.
(To watch a YouTube video in safe mode, scroll to the bottom of the page and click on the
‘safety’ tab which brings up the ‘Safety mode’ information. Under this section, select the ‘on’
option, then click ‘save’)
When they have completed their research, you could ask some children to find out why the
reflected image from the pinhole camera is upside-down. (Refer to the explanation in The
Big Picture, earlier in this unit.)
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Inventions That Changed The World
Recording activity
Divide the children into groups and ask them to make a simple pinhole camera. They should
look at their previous research and decide how best to do this. Older children can be
allowed to work independently on their designs, but younger or less confident children will
need help and guidance.
Ask the children to write a series of step-by-step instructions, explaining how to make a
pinhole camera. They should include annotated drawings or photographs to accompany the
text.
Some children could draw a diagram to explain why the reflected image from the pinhole
camera appears upside down.
Personal Goals
Communication
Enquiry
Resilience
Thoughtfulness
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Inventions That Changed The World
Technology Task 2
Learning Goals
2.02 Be able to design and make products to meet specific needs
2.03 Be able to make usable plans
2.04 Be able to make and use labelled sketches as designs
2.05 Be able to use simple tools and equipment with some accuracy
2.06 Be able to identify and implement improvements to their designs and products
2.07 Be able to identify the ways in which products in everyday use meet specific needs
45
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Research activity
Remind the children of Al-Jazari’s elephant clock and other inventions, from History Task 3.
Watch the following video from the 1001 Inventions website:
1001inventions.com/media/video/engineering
The 1001 Inventions website includes a video demonstrating Al-Jazari’s use of gears, a crank
device and camshaft.
Ask the children to research products that use cogs and gears, for example, analogue clocks
and watches, bicycles and cars. Can the children find out how gears work?
They should try to find out how gears of different sizes are used to speed up or slow down
movement – large gears move slowly and small gears move quickly.
The following websites provide a useful starting point:
robives.com/mechs
The Robives website has animated illustrations of gears, cams, cranks, levers and many other
mechanisms.
youtube.com/watch?v=6ZWz6457asM&feature=related
YouTube has this wooden rolling ball clock that uses gears.
youtube.com/watch?v=odpsm3ybPsA&feature=fvw
YouTube features this Hila Science video, a basic introduction to gears, rates of rotation and
examples of gears in use.
youtube.com/watch?v=M8ZEJTNW3OM&feature=channel
YouTube features this Hila Science video explaining the role that gears play in mechanical
clocks.
(To watch a YouTube video in safe mode, scroll to the bottom of the page and click on the
‘safety’ tab which brings up the ‘Safety mode’ information. Under this section, select the ‘on’
option, then click ‘save’)
Recording activity
Ask the children to make a chain of gear wheels using plastic cogs. These can be sourced
from education or craft suppliers opitec.co.uk or you can make your own gears from
cardboard.
To make your own gears you will need:
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Inventions That Changed The World
Two circular cardboard lids (different sizes)
Strips of thick corrugated card
Backing board or pin board
Drawing pins
Strong paper glue
Felt-tip marker pen
Cut a strip of corrugated card the same depth as the edge of the lid, and long enough to
wrap around it.
Place the flat side of the strip to the edge of the lid and glue it firmly around.
Mark the exact centre of the lid.
Fix the lid to one side of the backing board with a drawing pin.
Make a second (smaller or larger) gear in the same way as above. Pin it down next to the
first gear so that the teeth of both gears interlock but the wheels turn freely.
Notice the different directions in which the gear wheels turn. Which gear turns faster? Is
the big wheel faster or slower? Ask the children to explain why.
Mark the top of the wheels with a felt-tip pen. Turn the big wheel once and count how
many times the small wheel turns. With older children, you could record this result as a
ratio.
Mathematics link: make sure the children are familiar with analogue clocks and watches. Ask
the children, how many times does the minute hand go around the clock in one hour, two
hours, half-an-hour? How many times does the hour hand go around the clock in one day?
Which of the clock hands travels the fastest – the second hand, the minute hand or the hour
hand?
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Inventions That Changed The World
Personal Goals
Enquiry
Resilience
Thoughtfulness
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Inventions That Changed The World
Technology Task 3
Learning Goals
2.01 Know that the way in which products in everyday use are designed and made affects their
usefulness
2.02 Be able to design and make products to meet specific needs
2.03 Be able to make usable plans
2.04 Be able to make and use labelled sketches as designs
2.05 Be able to use simple tools and equipment with some accuracy
2.06 Be able to identify and implement improvements to their designs and products
2.07 Be able to identify the ways in which products in everyday use meet specific needs
49
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Inventions That Changed The World
Research activity
Ask the children to bring in to school any small toys they have with mechanical moving
parts. You will need to explain what a ‘mechanical moving part’ is. For example, you could
show them a string puppet, a doll with moving limbs, a toy car with moving wheels, etc.
Divide the children into pairs and give each pair one of the toys. Ask them to sketch the toy
and label the moving parts. Can they describe how the parts move? For example:
Up and down – vertical movement
Side to side – horizontal movement
Round and round – rotational movement
Ask the children to examine the toys carefully to find out how this movement is engineered.
For example:
Levers and pivots
Wheels and axles
Cogs and gears
Cranks and camshafts
The following website will provide a useful starting point:
robives.com/mechs
The Robives website has animated illustrations of gears, cams, cranks, levers and many other
mechanisms.
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Inventions That Changed The World
Recording activity
Ask the children, in pairs, to design a simple moving toy that uses one or more of the
following mechanisms: a lever, wheel, gear or simple cam.
They should sketch out their designs on paper, clearly labelling the moving parts and using
arrows to show the direction of movement.
Ask the children to share their ideas with another group or pair of children. Encourage peer
and self-evaluation. They should ask themselves, will this design work?
Once they are satisfied with their designs, the children can go on to make a prototype of
their moving toy.
Language Arts link: ask the children to think of a brand name for the moving toy they have
designed. Show them examples of toy packaging and ask them to write the text that would
appear on the packaging of their toy. This could include an accurate description of the
product together with the package design and illustration.
Personal Goals
Adaptability
Communication
Cooperation
Enquiry
Resilience
Thoughtfulness
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Inventions That Changed The World
Technology Extension Task
Learning Goals
2.01 Know that the way in which products in everyday use are designed and made affects their
usefulness
2.02 Be able to design and make products to meet specific needs
2.03 Be able to make usable plans
2.04 Be able to make and use labelled sketches as designs
2.05 Be able to use simple tools and equipment with some accuracy
2.06 Be able to identify and implement improvements to their designs and products
2.07 Be able to identify the ways in which products in everyday use meet specific needs
2.08 Be able to suggest improvements to products in everyday use
Extension activity
Discuss with the class problems they have or know about. For example, do they
always oversleep in the mornings? Do they always lose their gloves? Invite ideas until you
have a list of problems.
Ask the class to choose one problem from the list. Working as a class, analyse the problem.
What is the problem? (oversleeping)
What do you currently have to stop this? (an alarm clock)
Why do you still oversleep? (alarm clock not loud enough)
Now you can begin to think of ideas to solve the problem:
Having an alarm clock with three bells
Having an alarm clock attached to a device that pulls back the bed covers
Having an alarm clock that turns on the lights when it goes off, and so on
Divide the children into small groups. Each group should choose a problem to work on.
They should brainstorm as many solutions to the problem that they can think of.
The children should draw up sketches with text to describe their solution to their
problem, including:
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Inventions That Changed The World
How it works
Why it will solve the problem
They should ask themselves:
Is it easy to make?
Is it safe?
Is the idea really new or is it similar to something else?
The children should include a list of all the equipment and materials they will need.
They will be producing the solution in class, so it should be viable. However, they could
produce a small-scale model for a larger invention.
Display the inventions around the classroom. Is it obvious what each invention is or
should the children provide an explanation? Encourage each group to try out their
inventions and refine them where necessary. Invite the children to evaluate each other’s
inventions.
The children should name their inventions and take photographs or draw pictures when
finished.
You could hold a ‘Young Inventors’ Day’ at the school and invite other classes and parents to
look at the inventions. You could display the inventions and invite each group to give a short
presentation about what they did and why.
Personal Goals
Adaptability
Communication
Cooperation
Enquiry
Resilience
Thoughtfulness
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Inventions That Changed The World
Science Learning Goals
Children will:
2.01a Be able to carry out simple investigations
2.01b Be able to prepare a simple investigation which is fair, with one changing factor
2.01c Be able to predict the outcome of investigations
2.01d Be able to use simple scientific equipment
2.01e Be able to test ideas using evidence from observation and measurement
2.01f Be able to link evidence to broader scientific knowledge and understanding
2.01g Be able to use evidence to draw conclusions
2.02 Be able to gather information from simple texts
2.03 Understand the importance of collecting scientific evidence
2.04 Understand some of the effects of what they learn on people’-s lives
2.09 Know about ways in which animals and plants are suited to different environments
2.31 Be able to compare common materials and objects according to their properties
2.34 Understand that different materials are suited for different purposes
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Inventions That Changed The World
Science Task 1
Learning Goals
2.01a Be able to carry out simple investigations
2.01b Be able to prepare a simple investigation which is fair, with one changing factor
2.01c Be able to predict the outcome of investigations
2.01d Be able to use simple scientific equipment
2.01e Be able to test ideas using evidence from observation and measurement
2.01f Be able to link evidence to broader scientific knowledge and understanding
2.01g Be able to use evidence to draw conclusions
2.03 Understand the importance of collecting scientific evidence
2.04 Understand some of the effects of what they learn on people’-s lives
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Inventions That Changed The World
Research activity
Remind the children of History Task 4 and their research into the history of flight.
Tell the children that now you are going to find out all about the science of flight,
beginning with research into the air around us.
Pose the question – what is air?
The children can investigate the properties of air by trying some of the following
experiments:
Air is real
Fold a plastic bag to one quarter of its size. Then fold it again. What do you notice?
Scrunch a piece of A4 paper. Place the paper at the bottom of an empty beaker. Turn
the beaker upside down in a bowl of water. Why does the paper stay dry?
Air moves
Blow over the top of a thin strip of paper. Why does the paper lift?
Put two thick books on a table with a space between them. Place a sheet of paper across
the top of the books. Blow under the paper. Why does the paper sink in the middle?
Air pushes
Run with a big piece of cardboard in front of your chest. What does it feel like? Falling
through the air
Drop objects of different weights and sizes. Which fall quickly? Which slowly? Why?
Drop two pieces of A4 paper – screw one up and leave the other flat. Which falls faster
and why?
Falling through the air
Drop objects of different weights and sizes. Which fall quickly? Which slowly? Why?
Drop two pieces of A4 paper – screw one up and leave the other at. Which falls faster
and why?
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Inventions That Changed The World
Recording activity
Ask the children to write about their experiments using the following questions to structure
their report:
What were you investigating?
How did you carry out your test?
Was your test fair?
What did you predict would happen?
What was the result?
What did you learn from the investigation?
The children’s reports might show a basic knowledge of the following:
Air is all around us
Air presses against things
Air that moves quickly exerts less pressure (Bernoulli’s Principle – see the big picture)
Personal Goals
Communication
Enquiry
Thoughtfulness
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Inventions That Changed The World
Science Task 2
Learning Goals
2.01a Be able to carry out simple investigations
2.01b Be able to prepare a simple investigation which is fair, with one changing factor
2.01c Be able to predict the outcome of investigations
2.01d Be able to use simple scientific equipment
2.01e Be able to test ideas using evidence from observation and measurement
2.01f Be able to link evidence to broader scientific knowledge and understanding
2.01g Be able to use evidence to draw conclusions
2.02 Be able to gather information from simple texts
2.03 Understand the importance of collecting scientific evidence
2.04 Understand some of the effects of what they learn on people’-s lives
2.09 Know about ways in which animals and plants are suited to different environments
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Inventions That Changed The World
Research activity
Watch wildlife videos together of different flying animals, for example, birds, bats and
insects. Look also at more unusual examples such as pterosaurs, flying fish, parachuting
frogs, lizards and squirrels.
What are the physical features that enable these animals to fly, parachute or glide through
the air? For example, the flying fish has wing-shaped gills.
Examine the design of a bird’s wing, its tail feathers, its skeleton, the shape of its head and
beak. Study photographs of flying birds in books and on the internet.
The following websites provide a useful starting point:
slideshare.net/sirandyofgecko
Slideshare has a PowerPoint presentation called ‘Animal Adaptations’ that includes many
photographs of different flying and gliding animals
dkfindout.com/uk/animals-and-nature
The DK Find Out website has an excellent section on animals and nature, with detailed
photographs and hyperlinks to more information.
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Inventions That Changed The World
Recording activity
Using the knowledge they have gained from their research of different flying and gliding
animals, ask the children to design a paper glider. Remind them also of the gliders designed
by George Cayley and Otto Lilienthal and the research they did for History Task 4.
Provide them with a variety of materials, such as paper of different weights and sizes (glossy
and matt), transparent paper, tissue paper, straws, sticky tack, scissors and paper glue.
How many paper glider designs do they know of? Encourage them to experiment by making
gliders in different shapes and sizes. What’s the best size? What’s the best shape? They
should carry out test flights to find out. Can they make their glider swoop or swerve to the
left or right? Do they need to alter the wing shape or the tail to do so?
Encourage them to think about the glider’s balance and symmetry. Try adding a blob of
sticky tack to weight the nose of the glider. Does the weight improve performance? Is
symmetry important? What happens if they curl up the wings at the ends or fold up the tail?
Have a glider competition to find out:
Which glider goes furthest?
Which stays in the air longest?
Which does the best aerobatics?
Who can make the best glider from a postcard, scissors and glue?
Mathematics link: ask the children to find out about symmetry. They should be able to
recognise symmetrical and non-symmetrical shapes, draw points of symmetry and recognise
rotational symmetry. Can they find lines of symmetry on the flying and gliding animals from
their research in this task?
Language Arts link: Leonardo da Vinci was fascinated by the bird’s ability to fly. Look at
Leonardo da Vinci’s detailed drawings and theories on the flight of birds. Encourage the
children to ask their own questions, and find their own answers through their
research. Challenge them to think about the big question – how do birds fly?
Personal Goals
Communication
Enquiry
Resilience
Thoughtfulness
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Inventions That Changed The World
Science Task 3
Learning Goals
2.01a Be able to carry out simple investigations
2.01b Be able to prepare a simple investigation which is fair, with one changing factor
2.01c Be able to predict the outcome of investigations
2.01d Be able to use simple scientific equipment
2.01e Be able to test ideas using evidence from observation and measurement
2.01f Be able to link evidence to broader scientific knowledge and understanding
2.01g Be able to use evidence to draw conclusions
2.03 Understand the importance of collecting scientific evidence
2.04 Understand some of the effects of what they learn on people’-s lives
2.31 Be able to compare common materials and objects according to their properties
2.34 Understand that different materials are suited for different purposes
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Inventions That Changed The World
Research activity
Prior to the lesson make a collection of different types of materials that we use in the home
and in school. For example, wood, wool, silk, cotton, leather, faux fur, plastic (hard and soft),
bubblewrap, sticky tack (e.g. Blu Tack), tissue, Velcro, Sellotape, and so on.
Help the children to sort the materials into two groups: natural and man- made. Explain that
the human-made materials are inventions – that is why we sometimes refer to them by
their brand names. Can the children think of any examples?
Now ask the children to compare the different materials according to their properties, for
example:
Strength
Flexibility
Hardness
Waterproof
Magnetic
Man-made
The children should be able to relate these properties to the intended uses of the materials.
Encourage the children to devise simple means of testing the materials for the different
properties. The children should understand and ensure that the tests they carry out on the
materials are scientific and fair tests.
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Inventions That Changed The World
Recording activity
Ask the children to present the findings of their research in the form of a chart, for example:
As a class, discuss the everyday usefulness of the materials from their research.
Then ask the children to vote on the material they think is the most useful in modern-day
society. Ask them to justify their choice of material.
Language Arts link: make a list of descriptive words associated with the properties of
different materials, for example, smooth, rough, bendy, durable, waterproof.
Personal Goals
Communication
Cooperation
Enquiry
Thoughtfulness
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Inventions That Changed The World
Science Extension Task
Learning Goals
2.02 Be able to gather information from simple texts
2.04 Understand some of the effects of what they learn on people’-s lives
Extension activity
Ask the children to find out more about man-made materials. This could be a follow-up
activity to Science Task 3. They could find out:
Who invented the material?
When was it invented?
Why was it invented?
The following website provides a useful starting point:
blutack.com
The Blu Tack website explains how this famous sticky tack was invented by accident and why it
is blue in colour.
Personal Goals
Communication
Enquiry
Thoughtfulness
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Inventions That Changed The World
Art Learning Goals
Children will:
2.01 Know how a number of artists - including some from their home country and the host country use forms, materials and processes to suit their purpose
2.02 Know about some of the work of artists in the host country
2.03 Be able to use art as a means of self expression
2.04 Be able to choose materials and techniques which are appropriate for their task
2.05 Be able to explain their own work in terms of what they have done and why
2.06 Be able to talk about works of art, giving reasons for their opinions
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Inventions That Changed The World
Art Task 1
Learning Goals
2.01 Know how a number of artists - including some from their home country and the host country use forms, materials and processes to suit their purpose
2.03 Be able to use art as a means of self expression
2.04 Be able to choose materials and techniques which are appropriate for their task
2.05 Be able to explain their own work in terms of what they have done and why
2.06 Be able to talk about works of art, giving reasons for their opinions
Research activity
Show the children some examples of crazy machines and inventions created by Nick Park’s
Wallace from the Wallace & Gromit animations.
The following website, books and DVDs will provide a useful starting point for Wallace’s art:
crackingideas.com
A lot of ideas and materials for schools relating to innovation
Wallace & Gromit Grand Adventures and Glorious Inventions, by Penny Worms, Carlton Books,
2009.
Wallace & Gromit DVDs include: A Grand Day Out, The Wrong Trousers, A Close Shave, The
Curse of the Were-Rabbit, A Matter of Loaf and Death.
Ask the children to discuss, with a partner, their own ideas for weird and wacky machines in
the style of Wallace. Their machine needs to be:
Humorous
Over-complicated
Discuss the way in which Wallace designs complex machines to perform simple tasks. His
machines are humorous because of this, but also because they include parts of other
machines and bits of junk, too. Wallace’s ‘Techno trousers’, for example, are programmed to
take Gromit for ‘walkies’.
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Inventions That Changed The World
Recording activity
The children should choose one of their craziest ideas from the research activity and turn it
into a three-dimensional piece of artwork.
They can work singly, in pairs or in small groups. They will need to collect together a variety
of junk materials beforehand such as empty yogurt pots, paper cups, cardboard tubes, empty
food trays, egg cartons, cardboard boxes, corrugated card, drinking straws, buttons, bottle
tops, lids, etc.
You will need to provide paint brushes, paints, gold and silver spray paint, glue, glue sticks,
scissors.
Give the children enough time to sketch, plan and collect together all the materials they will
need beforehand. Give them time to compare the original images with their sketches –
what parts might they need to adapt or change? Have they got any alternative ideas they
could use in the model?
When their crazy creations are complete, ask the children to think of equally crazy names to
describe them. Can the children guess the purpose of each other’s wacky machines
ICT link: ask the children to compile a digital scrapbook of their class’s crazy inventions.
They should take photographs or videos of the machines, or of the children working on
them, and set them in gallery-style frames against digital wallpaper backgrounds.
(Scrapbook software, such as CraftArtist is available from serif.com/digital-scrapbooking)
Personal Goals
Adaptability
Communication
Cooperation
Enquiry
Resilience
Thoughtfulness
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Inventions That Changed The World
Art Task 2
Learning Goals
2.01 Know how a number of artists - including some from their home country and the host country use forms, materials and processes to suit their purpose
2.02 Know about some of the work of artists in the host country
2.03 Be able to use art as a means of self expression
2.04 Be able to choose materials and techniques which are appropriate for their task
2.05 Be able to explain their own work in terms of what they have done and why
2.06 Be able to talk about works of art, giving reasons for their opinions
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Inventions That Changed The World
Research activity
As a class, talk about the traditional artist’s tools such as canvas, paper, paint, pastel,
charcoal, pencil and ink. Compare with new digital media such as paint software, drawing
tablets, photography, video, animation and sound files.
Compare the different methods and techniques employed by traditional artists such as Hans
Holbein and Jan Vermeer and modern artists such as Damien Hirst, David Hockney or artists
from their home or host country. Discuss the roles of artists working in different times and
cultures. If possible, arrange a visit to an art gallery and study the work of artists from both
traditional and modern schools.
Consider the following when viewing the artworks:
Use of colour, form, texture and patterns
Materials and processes
Purpose or role of the artist
Ask the children to sketch and plan an artwork that explores the world of machines and
inventions, using either traditional tools or digital tools.
Discuss possible ideas:
An invention from the past
An invention from the future
Machines at work
Machines in the home
A scientific or medical invention
A time travel machine
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Inventions That Changed The World
Recording activity
Individually or in pairs ask the children to complete their pieces of traditional or digital
artwork, referring back to their initial sketches and reviewing their original ideas. They
should use their chosen media to express their interests and ideas about machines and
inventions – do they need to adapt or change any of their original ideas because of the
media they have chosen to represent the final piece with?
Encourage the children to draw comparisons between the different methods and techniques
they have used. They should compare their own and other’s artwork and express what they
feel about it.
Ask the children to think about how they are going to display their work to best effect.
Discuss how artwork is displayed in galleries. Traditional artwork can be put in a mount and
frame and hung from a wall. Digital artwork can viewed on computer screens or projected
on to walls.
Personal Goals
Adaptability
Communication
Enquiry
Thoughtfulness
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Inventions That Changed The World
Art Task 3
Learning Goals
2.03 Be able to use art as a means of self expression
2.04 Be able to choose materials and techniques which are appropriate for their task
2.05 Be able to explain their own work in terms of what they have done and why
2.06 Be able to talk about works of art, giving reasons for their opinions
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Inventions That Changed The World
Research activity
Show the children photographs of early wooden carved printing blocks from China. You will
find examples in reference books and on the internet.
Study photographs of the printing presses that came much later, for example, the Gutenberg
Press in the 1440s and the introduction of ‘movable type’.
The following websites provide useful background information for teachers:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_printing
Wikipedia has a complete and detailed history of printing starting from Mesopotamia in 3000
BC.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodblock_printing
Wikipedia includes a history of woodblock printing from the earliest surviving examples,
including images of the first printed book, the Diamond Sutra from China.
absolutechinatours.com/china-travel/Printing-China-Ancient-Inventions.html
China Absolute Tours is a travel website, that also features sections on Chinese history and
culture. This page contains information and images related to Bi Sheng and block printing
www.hrc.utexas.edu/exhibitions/permanent/gutenbergbible/process/#top
The Harry Ransom Center website features a brief but informative overview of Gutenberg and
his invention. The site also features a video showing the press in action.
Invite the children to experiment with as many different methods of printing as possible:
Potato printing – challenge the children to cut out the letters in their name from half
potatoes (or other hard vegetables) so that they are the right way round when printed
Printing stamps – provide block stamps for younger children, which can be sourced
from educational suppliers and craft stores
Inkjet or laser printers – print the same image in colour, greyscale and black and white,
and observe the different results
Junk printing – experiment with different effects and textures using a variety of junk
materials, for example, fabric, corrugated card, leaves, sponges, sticks, etc.
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Inventions That Changed The World
Recording activity
Ask the children to make a print. This could be a pattern, an image or some text. Discuss
with the children their choice of different printing methods. Can they choose the most
appropriate method to suit the purpose?
When the children have completed their printed artwork, discuss the different effects that
have been achieved through the various printing methods. Encourage the children to
compare their results with those of others in the class. Can they develop their work further?
Collect together the prints from everyone in the class and put them together to make one
huge patchwork of the children’s artwork and display this in the classroom.
ICT link: you might be able to arrange a class visit to a local printer to see a litho, web or
laser press in action. You could ask them to print something for you. One idea would be a
machines and inventions poster or leaflet that the children have designed on the computer.
Personal Goals
Communication
Enquiry
Thoughtfulness
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Inventions That Changed The World
Art Extension Task
Learning Goals
2.03 Be able to use art as a means of self expression
2.04 Be able to choose materials and techniques which are appropriate for their task
2.05 Be able to explain their own work in terms of what they have done and why
2.06 Be able to talk about works of art, giving reasons for their opinions
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Inventions That Changed The World
Extension activity
As a class, look at early 20th century artists and how they have depicted machines and
inventions in their art.
How have artists recorded how the world around them is changing? Do the artists view
inventions positively or negatively? How is this shown in their work?
What styles and materials do the artists use? Why?
You could compare the following artists:
Pre-Raphaelite painters, such as Dante Gabriel Rossetti and William Holman Hunt, who
idealised the past and used art as a way of escaping from the Industrial Revolution that
was changing society
LS Lowry, who depicted the lives of factory workers in the industrial landscape
of Salford, England
The following websites provide a useful starting point:
youtube.com/watch?v=Vx4MYXK0c7M
YouTube has this video of the work of Pre-Raphaelite painters.
thelowry.com/ls-lowry/the-ls-lowry-collection/
The Lowry website allows you to view Lowry’s work online.
bbc.co.uk/arts/yourpaintings/artists/laurence-stephen-lowry
The BBC Your Paintings website features an excellent slideshow of Lowry’s paintings.
(To watch a YouTube video in safe mode, scroll to the bottom of the page and click on the
‘safety’ tab which brings up the ‘Safety mode’ information. Under this section, select the ‘on’
option, then click ‘save’)
Alternatively, you could look at examples from artists in the host country.
The children should now produce their own piece of art showing inventions in either a
positive or a negative way. They should decide on the type of artwork they will produce,
for example, a 3D sculpture, as well as the colours and materials they will use.
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Inventions That Changed The World
Personal Goals
Adaptability
Communication
Enquiry
Thoughtfulness
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Inventions That Changed The World
Society Learning Goals
Children will:
2.03 Know that people within groups have different outlooks, characteristics and purposes
2.05 Know that people in different countries have different traditions, celebrations and ways of
living
2.06 Know about ways of keeping healthy and safe through diet, clothing, exercise, hygiene and the
observance of reasonable rules
2.08 Understand that people’-s health and safety can be affected by a variety of factors including
food, climate, rules, and the availability of resources
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Inventions That Changed The World
Society Task 1
Learning Goals
2.03 Know that people within groups have different outlooks, characteristics and purposes
2.05 Know that people in different countries have different traditions, celebrations and ways of
living
2.06 Know about ways of keeping healthy and safe through diet, clothing, exercise, hygiene and the
observance of reasonable rules
2.08 Understand that people’-s health and safety can be affected by a variety of factors including
food, climate, rules, and the availability of resources
Research activity
Ask the children to think of two or three inventions. What are the advantages of these
inventions? Now ask them to think about the downsides of each of these things, for
example, cars pollute the atmosphere.
Ask the children to work in small groups to think of ways to improve the downsides of each
invention without destroying the advantages of it.
Recording activity
Encourage the children to present their arguments logically. Show them how they can do
this by sorting their ideas into three columns, using these headings:
Advantages
Disadvantages
Solutions
Each group should now present their ideas to the rest of the class.
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Inventions That Changed The World
Personal Goals
Communication
Cooperation
Enquiry
Morality
Thoughtfulness
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Inventions That Changed The World
Society Task 2
Learning Goals
2.03 Know that people within groups have different outlooks, characteristics and purposes
2.05 Know that people in different countries have different traditions, celebrations and ways of
living
2.06 Know about ways of keeping healthy and safe through diet, clothing, exercise, hygiene and the
observance of reasonable rules
2.08 Understand that people’-s health and safety can be affected by a variety of factors including
food, climate, rules, and the availability of resources
Research activity
Explain to the children that they are going to design and conduct a questionnaire to find out
how people live differently because of inventions and technological advances.
They will use the same questionnaire for two different people – the first person will be
close to their own age (perhaps another child from the school) and the second will be
somebody much older (perhaps a parent or a grandparent).
First of all, work as a class to think about all the things you want to find out.
Some useful categories include:
Food – how you cook it (recipes, equipment), where you buy it, eating out, fast food
Health and fitness – how you keep fit (gym, sport), how you keep healthy (diet,
vaccinations, x-rays, scans, dental check-ups)
Leisure – television, games, books, music, dance, cinema, holidays
Communication – internet, telephone, mobile phone, letters
Travel – aeroplanes, boats, cars, bicycles, buses, trains
You should work together as a class to design the questionnaire. You need enough
questions to build up a picture of how people live now and how people lived in the past.
Make sure the children know the difference between ‘open’ and ‘closed’ questions. Use
‘open’ questions in the questionnaire to elicit as much information as possible.
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Inventions That Changed The World
Recording activity
Once the questions are agreed on and completed, the children can conduct their
questionnaires.
Collate the information from all the questionnaires as a class. How has life changed because
of new inventions and technology?
Ask the children to isolate the things that have been invented in the lifetimes of the two
people they questioned.
Personal Goals
Communication
Enquiry
Thoughtfulness
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Inventions That Changed The World
Society Task 3
Learning Goals
2.03 Know that people within groups have different outlooks, characteristics and purposes
2.05 Know that people in different countries have different traditions, celebrations and ways of
living
2.06 Know about ways of keeping healthy and safe through diet, clothing, exercise, hygiene and the
observance of reasonable rules
2.08 Understand that people’-s health and safety can be affected by a variety of factors including
food, climate, rules, and the availability of resources
Research activity
Organise the children into small groups.
The children should choose an area of the world which is different in terms of technology to
either their home or host countries.
Once each group has decided on a part of the world to look at, they should choose one area
of daily life, e.g. food, study, communication, transport, etc. They should research this area
further and find out how people in the country they have chosen live in terms of this topic.
For example, how is food grown? Are there machines to harvest the crops, or do the
people harvest the crops by hand? How do they transport the crops to other places? Are
there trucks and lorries or do the people use animals?
Can the children also identify similarities between this part of the world and their own?
Recording activity
The children should work in their groups to make a wall chart comparing their chosen
country with their home or host country. On one side they should have the home or host
country and on the other the country they have researched further.
The charts should provide a clear picture of life in the two countries with respect to one
area of life.
The children can draw pictures, use maps and text to complete their charts.
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Inventions That Changed The World
Personal Goals
Adaptability
Communication
Cooperation
Enquiry
Thoughtfulness
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Inventions That Changed The World
Society Extension Task
Learning Goals
2.03 Know that people within groups have different outlooks, characteristics and purposes
2.05 Know that people in different countries have different traditions, celebrations and ways of
living
2.06 Know about ways of keeping healthy and safe through diet, clothing, exercise, hygiene and the
observance of reasonable rules
2.08 Understand that people’-s health and safety can be affected by a variety of factors including
food, climate, rules, and the availability of resources
Extension activity
Ask the children to look at their wall charts from Society Task 3 and think about the
advantages and disadvantages of living in each of the countries they have looked at.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of living in a part of the world that has lots
of technology, compared with the advantages and disadvantages of living in a country
that has little technology? Where would they prefer to live?
They should think about pollution, cost, health, wealth and jobs, safety, etc.
The children can talk about their ideas as part of a class discussion. Alternatively, you could
record the children’s discussions within smaller groups and listen to them later as a class.
Invite the children to comment, express their opinions and debate the issues.
Personal Goals
Adaptability
Communication
Thoughtfulness
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Inventions That Changed The World
International Learning Goals
Children will:
2.01 Know about some of the similarities and differences between the different home countries and
between them and the host country
2.02 Know about ways in which these similarities and differences affect the lives of people
2.03 Be able to identify activities and cultures which are different from but equal to their own
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Inventions That Changed The World
International Task
Learning Goals
2.01 Know about some of the similarities and differences between the different home countries and
between them and the host country
2.02 Know about ways in which these similarities and differences affect the lives of people
2.03 Be able to identify activities and cultures which are different from but equal to their own
Research activity
As a class, discuss how the invention of the internet has changed the way we communicate
with each other. Focus on email, VOiP (Voice Over internet Protocol) such as Skype, video
conferencing, information sites such as Google, shopping sites such as Ebay and Amazon,
online games, and so on.
Ask the children to think about how they use the internet at school. Does their family use
the internet at home? If so, how much time does their family spend on it each day? Try to
establish a picture of how, when and why your class uses the internet.
Do the children think their use of the internet is typical of all children? What about children
in other parts of the world? Do they use the internet in the same way? Invite the children to
find out.
Discuss with the class how they could establish a link with another school in another
country. For example, the children might be able to contact a school in their home country.
Family and friends could be a valuable help with this. Perhaps they could contact another
IPC member school via the IPC Members’ Lounge. You may even find a school who is also
teaching this unit, allowing you to share your children’s work and ideas over the course
of the unit.
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Inventions That Changed The World
Recording activity
Once you’ve made contact with a school in another country, ask different groups of children
to communicate with the school in different ways, via:
Email
VOiP
Telephone (landline)
Mobile phone
Letter
Tell the other school about your topic on inventions and machines. Exchange information
and ideas with them. Are the children able to send them text and visuals? What information
can they send via the internet that they can’t send by telephone? Compare the different
methods and processes of communication.
Ask the children to find out how the contact school uses machines and technology at home
and in their school.
ICT /Geography link: ask the children to locate the school they are in contact with via
Google Earth. Study the landscape in the immediate vicinity of the school – buildings, roads,
houses, agriculture, towns, etc, and make comparisons with their own local environment.
Personal Goals
Adaptability
Communication
Cooperation
Enquiry
Thoughtfulness
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Inventions That Changed The World
International Extension Task
Learning Goals
2.01 Know about some of the similarities and differences between the different home countries and
between them and the host country
2.02 Know about ways in which these similarities and differences affect the lives of people
2.03 Be able to identify activities and cultures which are different from but equal to their own
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Inventions That Changed The World
Extension activity
Find out about international efforts that are being made to bring together scientists from
around the world to share scientific knowledge, invention and the latest technology.
You could ask the children, working in small groups, to research the following organisations:
The International Space Station – the main problem for future space exploration is not
lack of invention or technology but cost. Space exploration is hugely expensive, far
beyond the resources of one country alone. The International Space Station (ISS) has
been set up to foster scientific cooperation between countries.
CERN – the European Organisation for Nuclear Research is the world’s largest particle
physics laboratory. It was established in Geneva in 1954. This organisation employs
scientists from around the world to work together to study the mysteries of the
universe. The World Wide Web was invented here in 1990.
Water Aid – works in 26 countries in Africa, Asia and the Pacific region to make lasting
improvements to water, sanitation and hygiene using local skills and lowcost technologies. (We are delighted that the IPC is a supporting partner of Water Aid.)
The following websites will provide a starting point for your research:
nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html
NASA has a virtual tour of the International Space Station, how it works, how the crew lives,
eats, sleeps and exercises.
project-cernland.web.cern.ch/project-CERNland/
CERNland for children explains the work of CERN through video, cartoon animations and
interactive learning games.
wateraid.org/uk/what_we_do/the_need/default.asp
The Water Aid website features information about how the international community can help
the millions of people in the world who don’t have access to clean water.
Personal Goals
Communication
Enquiry
Thoughtfulness
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Inventions That Changed The World
The Exit Point
Remind the children of how they started this unit – recall the entry point activity and the inventions
exhibition. Refer to the mind map or timeline and talk about the knowledge, skills and understanding
they have learned across many different subjects.
Ask the children to think about a particular invention that has inspired them the most. Encourage them to
share their thoughts and opinions in pairs or in small groups. They should talk about the most important,
useful, life-saving, labour-saving, world-changing, courageous and clever inventions they have learned
about during the course of the unit.
Now tell the children that they are going to celebrate their learning on this topic by imagining they are
the inventors of these brilliant inventions. They should choose an invention and try to find out as much as
possible about who invented it and why.
Encourage older and more able children to carry out their own independent research. They should try to
find out the following:
Name and date of the invention
Name, age and occupation of the inventor
Historical background – what was the world like?
Interesting facts, e.g. was it an accidental discovery?
Associated problems, e.g. danger, expense
Amusing anecdotes and stories
When they have done this, the children could use drama and role play techniques to try to ‘step into the
shoes’ of the inventors. Encourage them to empathise and really get to know them. Think about what
they would have worn – what was fashionable for someone of their age and status in society? Where did
they live and what language did they speak? What problems did they face? Did they achieve success in
their own lifetime?
Ask the children individually, in pairs or small groups to produce a mini-drama, tableau, video-recording,
advertisement or song to introduce their inventions to the world (i.e. their class, families or school). They
could make models of their inventions and dress up in the kind of clothes the inventors might have worn.
Introduce each invention with music to build atmosphere and audience anticipation, for example, drum
rolls and other appropriate sound effects, or music chosen to re flect a particular inventor’s era and
country of origin.
The following websites will provide a useful starting point:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=cr6CnG5dmvM&feature=related
YouTube features Aaron Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AlEvy0fJto
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Inventions That Changed The World
YouTube features Wagner’s Ride of the Valkyries.
(To watch a YouTube video in safe mode, scroll to the bottom of the page and click on the ‘safety’ tab which
brings up the ‘Safety mode’ information. Under this section, select the ‘on’ option, then click ‘save’)
The inventors should say how they think their inventions are going to change the world. Encourage the
audience to ask questions about the inventions. You could do this in the style of the TV programme
‘Dragons’ Den’. This is a BBC programme but most countries will have a similar version.
www.bbc.co.uk/dragonsden
The BBC website features videos of budding entrepreneurs in the Dragons’ Den TV
show.
Try to make the Exit Point as exciting, educational and interactive as possible, for both the audience and
the children involved to celebrate everything you have learned about inventions.
The IPC community would love to see examples of your learning, in any subject, at any stage in the
learning process. If you have any pictures or stories you would like to share please visit our Facebook
page at www.facebook.com/InternationalPrimaryCurriculum, tweet @The_IPC or email
[email protected].
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Inventions That Changed The World
Resources
For this unit, you will need some, but not necessarily all, of the following:
Equipment
Objects invented in the last 100 years, e.g. ballpoint pens, Post-It notes, Play-Doh, plastic
drinks bottle
Objects representing early writing tools, e.g. stones, sticks, chalk, charcoal
Painting materials, e.g. paints, brushes, gold and silver spray paints
Craft tools: scissors, glue, glue sticks, rulers, pencils, sticky tape, drawing pins, pin board
Craft materials: paper, cardboard tubes, empty food trays, boxes, straws, bottle tops.
Printing equipment: printing stamps, rollers, paint trays, textured objects (fabric and
sponges)
Plastic gears from education or craft suppliers (including www.opitec.co.uk)
Software: mind-mapping software such as Inspiration 9 (www.inspiration.com/global)
and Wordle (www.wordle.net/create)
Animation software such as Anithings (www.anithings.com) and I Can Animate
(www.kudlian.net/products/icananimatev2/Home.html)
Scrapbook software, such as CraftArtist (www.serif.com/digital-scrapbooking)
Multimedia presentation software, such as Microsoft PowerPoint, Prezi (www.prezi.com),
Comic Life (http://comiclife.com) and/or Photo Story (www.microsoft.com)
Links
http://www.crackingideas.com/exhibition/
A lot of ideas and materials for schools relating to innovation.
http://inventors.about.com/od/timelines.htm
About.com has timelines of inventions from 1900 to 2009
http://www.bkfk.com/
BKFK, aimed at children, has tips for inventions and case studies of young inventors.
http://www.brainpop.com/technology/scienceandindustry/cameras/
BrainPOP has this video that shows how cameras work
https://project-cernland.web.cern.ch/project-CERNland/
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Inventions That Changed The World
CERNland for children explains the work of CERN through video, cartoon animations and
interactive learning games.
http://www.absolutechinatours.com/china-travel/Printing-China-Ancient-Inventions.html
China Absolute Tours is a travel website, that also features sections on Chinese history and
culture. This page contains information and images related to Bi Sheng and block printing.
http://my.christchurchcitylibraries.com/inventions/
Christchurch City Libraries website has lists of inventions and their inventors.
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/inventors/
Enchanted Learning features an informative A to Z listing of inventions and inventors.
http://www.explainthatstuff.com/timeline.html
Explain That Stuff has a timeline of inventions with hyperlinks to articles that provide more
information about each invention.
http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0908738.html
Face Monster features a guide to inventions as well as a useful timeline of everyday
inventions. (Note: this site does feature advertising.)
http://www.kidzone.ws/cultures/egypt/hieroglyph.htm
Kid Zone provides a comprehensive list of the commonly used hieroglyphs and their
associated letters and sounds
http://www.kidinfo.com/American_History/Inventors_Inventions.html
Kidinfo.com has an index of famous inventors and includes links to online biographies and
invention games.
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html
NASA has a virtual tour of the International Space Station, how it works, how the crew lives,
eats, sleeps and exercises.
http://www.slideshare.net/sirandyofgecko/
Slideshare has a PowerPoint presentation called ‘Animal Adaptations' that
http://www.slideshare.net/beatusest/people-want-to-fly?src=related_
Slideshare has this PowerPoint presentation created by a primary age pupil about the history
of flight.
http://www.1001inventions.com/media/video/library
The 1001 Inventions website features the mini-movie, The Library of Secrets with Sir Ben
Kingsley as librarian and Al-Jazari.
http://www.1001inventions.com
The 1001 Inventions website has information and award-winning videos for children about
the Islamic ‘Golden Age of Invention’-.
http://www.1001inventions.com/media/video/engineering
The 1001 Inventions website includes a video demonstrating Al-Jazari’-s use of gears, a
crank device and camshaft.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dragonsden/
The BBC website features videos of budding entrepreneurs in the Dragons’- Den TV show.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/yourpaintings/artists/laurence-stephen-lowry
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Inventions That Changed The World
The BBC Your Paintings website features an excellent slideshow of Lowry’-s paintings.
http://www.blu-tack.com
The Blu Tack website explains how this famous sticky tack was invented by accident and
why it is blue in colour.
http://www.mesopotamia.co.uk/writing/home_set.html
The British Museum Mesopotamia website features useful sections on Ancient Sumer and
their system of cuneiform writing.
http://www.dkfindout.com/uk/animals-and-nature/
The DK Find Out website has an excellent section on animals and nature, with detailed
photographs and hyperlinks to more information.
http://www.edinformatics.com/inventions_inventors/
The Edinformatics website has a comprehensive list of the world's greatest inventions.
(Note: this site does feature advertising.)
http://www.hrc.utexas.edu/exhibitions/permanent/gutenbergbible/process/#top
The Harry Ransom Center website features a brief but informative overview of Gutenberg
and his invention. The site also features a video showing the press in action.
http://www.getty.edu/education/teachers/classroom_resources/curricula/manuscripts/
The John Paul Getty Museum has information for teachers on illuminated manuscripts, as
well as a useful image bank of examples.
http://www.lascaux.culture.fr/index.php#/en/00.xml
The Lascaux Caves website features a stunning interactive tour of the caves. By clicking on
the various paintings, you can bring up a close-up view, which can then be explored further
by moving the cursor.
http://www.thelowry.com/ls-lowry/the-ls-lowry-collection/
The Lowry website allows you to view Lowry’-s work online.
http://www.robives.com/mechs
The Robives website has animated illustrations of gears, cams, cranks, levers and many other
mechanisms
http://www.exploratorium.edu/science_explorer/pringles_pinhole.html
The Science Explorer website explains how you can make a pinhole camera from an empty
Pringles can.
http://www.staffordshire.gov.uk/Resources/Documents/p/pinholecameraworksheet.pdf
The Staffordshire.gov website has a worksheet suitable for children,
http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/papyrus.htm
The Tour Egypt website has historical information suitable for teachers about papyrus and
early examples from around the world.
http://www.wateraid.org/uk/what_we_do/the_need/default.asp
The Water Aid website features information about how the international community can
help the millions of people in the world who don’-t have access to clean water.
http://www.ueet.nasa.gov/StudentSite/historyofflight.html
This Nasa website for children has a history of flight from the first failed attempts to the first
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Inventions That Changed The World
heavier-than-air flight by the Wright Brothers.
http://www.timetrips.co.uk/papyrus.htm
Time Trips provides a simple overview of how papyrus is made.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_printing
Wikipedia has a complete and detailed history of printing starting from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cave_painting
Wikipedia has a descriptions and photographs of prehistoric cave paintings from around the
world.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aviation_history
Wikipedia has a detailed history of aviation with photographs and drawings
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodblock_printing
Wikipedia includes a history of woodblock printing from the earliest surviving examples,
including images of the first printed book, the Diamond Sutra from China.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cr6CnG5dmvM&feature=related
YouTube features Aaron Copland’-s Fanfare for the Common Man
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8ZEJTNW3OM&feature=channel
YouTube features this Hila Science video explaining the role that gears play in mechanical
clocks.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odpsm3ybPsA&feature=fvw
YouTube features this Hila Science video, a basic introduction to gears, rates of rotation and
examples of gears in use.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLAreFQ3G5k
YouTube features this stunning movie which uses 3D animation to highlight the key
moments and achievements in aviation history.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AlEvy0fJto
YouTube features Wagner’-s Ride of the Valkyries.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vx4MYXK0c7M
YouTube has this video of the work of Pre-Raphaelite painters.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ax-1dNyceo4
YouTube has this video presented by children on the study of light and its uses, and how a
pinhole camera works.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZWz6457asM&feature=related
YouTube has this wooden rolling ball clock that uses gears.
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Inventions That Changed The World
Books
Wallace & Gromit Grand Adventures & Glorious Inventions, by Penny Worms, Carlton Books,
2009.
1000 Inventions and Discoveries, by Roger Bridgman, Dorling Kindersley, 2014.
How Things Work Encyclopedia, Dorling Kindersley, 2012.
Inventions: A History of Key Inventions that Changed the World, by Adam Hart-Davis,
Walker Books, 2012.
The Story of Inventions, by Anna Claybourne, Usborne Publishing, 2012.
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©WCL Group Limited. All rights reserved.