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Objective:
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1. Students will read, discuss and write about the book, The Gadget War.
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2. Students will discuss the positive and negative aspects of inventions.
Time Frame:
This lesson will take 3 to 4 weeks. This lesson can be overlapped with lesson 1. This lesson is an integrated lesson that can take place during traditional reading instruction time. This lesson is primarily whole class or small group activities.
Materials:
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The Gadget War, Betsy Duffey (74 pages)
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Questions for reading comprehension and class discussions.
Procedure:
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1. Students will read The Gadget War. The class will read the first chapter together. The class will discuss the characteristics of the main character, as well as the real inventors mentioned in the story.
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2. The class will continue to read in small groups (three to four students) taking turns with the reading. Students will discuss questions together in their groups with the teacher rotating through the room. They will write their answers to questions independently.
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3. The class will continue to read in groups, as a whole group. It is also important to discuss the real inventors in the story.
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4. Students will brainstorm inventions they feel are helpful to people and those inventions they feel are harmful.
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5. Students will write about how inventions can be helpful and harmful.
Closure:
Children will share their ideas, thoughts about harmful vs. helpful inventions.
Culminating Activity:
Children will draw their own gadget on large construction paper. They need to label the gadget’s parts. (if materials are available, they can build their gadget). Children will share their gadget and how it is helpful to people.
In order to build their own innovations, students need background information on what they are interested in learning about. This information can be integrated into the school day as the science curriculum. There are different kits created to teach students how to build their own machines, such as Electric Circuits (put out by STC- Science and Technology for Children), Motion and Design (STC) and Magnetism and Electricity and Magnetism (put out by FOSS- Full Option Science System). Having this hands-on experience will provide students with the motivation and experience to create their own inventions.
In order for students to create their inventions, the time must be built into the day. Children should be encouraged to collaborate on their work either in small groups or with a partner. Children need to go through steps to prepare themselves to make their creation. There are some suggested guidelines attached to this lesson. Students should share their plans with each other and gather suggestions from each other before they begin. As they are building and creating, students should keep a science journal about the process of making their own invention. When their inventions are complete, the students should have a way to display their projects. This inventions can be displayed in the classroom, entered into science fairs or even entered into invention contests for young people.
Suggestions:
The Gadget War is appropriate for children in second through fourth grade. For older children, using the fiction book The Bomb by Theodore Taylor is recommended. This book will allow for the same discussions about the negative and positive aspects of inventions, but within a real historical situation. The same procedure can be followed for this lesson with The Bomb, using teacher-made questions for reading comprehension and class discussion for the story.
The Gadget War
by Betsy Duffey
Something’s Up and Hate at First Sight (pages 1 - 14)
Answer all questions in complete sentences.
1. What does Kelly Sparks love to do? Why?
2. Describe the gadgets Kelly creates.
3. The teacher, Ms. Haycock asks the students to write about what they want to be when they grow up. Why is she disappointed in their answers?
4. What job do you want to have when you grow up? Why?
On a separate piece of paper, draw yourself at work at your future job.
5. Describe Kelly’s poster and her job.
6. Who comes in the door with the principal?
Describe this new character.
7. What trick does the new student play on Kelly?
8. The last paper put on the bulletin board of class jobs says “Pull” on it. What does it say when pulled? What does Kelly think?
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Invent It!!!, Whoops, and Gadget Grounded (pages 14 -33)
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Answer all questions in complete sentences.
1. What are some good inventions to Kelly?
2. List 5 more inventions you think are good for you or other people. Explain why they are good inventions.
3. What are some inventions that Kelly says she could live without?
4. List 5 inventions that you think are harmful. Explain why you think they are harmful inventions.
5. What are the three steps to inventing?
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6. What is Kelly’s problem?
7. Hoes does she plan to solve the problem?
8. How was the Frisbee invented? In what city was it invented?
9. Why does Kelly think Ruth Wakefield is important? Do you agree with her? Why or why not?
10. Describe how Kelly makes her catapult and how she tests it.
11. When Kelly mom discovers what Kelly has done, what does her mom do? How does Kelly feel about her punishment?
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Gotcha!!, The Real Gadget Wiz, and The Real Gadget Wiz (pages 34 - 50)
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Answer all questions in complete sentences.
1. What happens to Kelly at the start of her school day? Do you think Albert is being fair to her? Why or why not?
2. How does the class realize what happened to Kelly? What do they think happened?
3. Describe what Kelly finds in Albert’s desk.
4. What happens to Albert during the spelling quiz?
5. How does Albert get back at Kelly for her trick?
6. What does Kelly have on her list?
7. What do you think of her new gadgets? What is the difference between the gadgets she creates before she met Albert and those she makes afterwards? How are the War Gadgets similar to the gadgets Kelly said she could live without?
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This answer should be a complete paragraph.
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Whoosh!! Squoooooosh!! and The Mystery Person (pages 51 - 62)
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Answer all questions in complete sentences.
1. How does Kelly get back at Albert for making her smell bad?
2. What do you think about Kelly and Albert getting revenge on each other? Is their fighting with these gadgets going to solve their problems? Why or why not?
3. What advice would you give Albert and Kelly to solve their problems?
4. Who does Kelly hit with her latest gadget?
5. Who takes the blame for Kelly?
6. Why do you think Kelly goes to the principal’s office at the end of The Mystery Person?
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Dum Dum Dee-Dum and Peace (pages 63 - 74)
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Answer all questions in complete sentences.
1. What does Kelly learn about her principal?
2. Why does Kelly confess to her “crime”?
3. What happens in the last chapter? Write a one paragraph summary of the events in the chapter.
4. What did Kelly and Albert learn about war gadgets in the end?
5. What do you think will happen to Kelly and Albert the rest of the school year?
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Guideline for Inventing
1. Our group’s invention is
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2. The purpose of our invention is
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3. This invention will be helpful/ important to other people because
4. What special features will your invention have to attract consumers?
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5. If your invention is an improvement on a previous invention, in what way is it better? If your invention is a new product, in what way is it unique?
6. Materials needed for our invention are:
7. What do you think it will cost to produce your invention?
If you are going to sell your product, how much will you sell it for?
8. Steps to putting together our invention are
9. Our invention will look like (sketch below)
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Footnotes
1. Bell, Janet Cheatham, the Soul of Success, Inspiring Quotations for Entrepreneurs, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, 1997, p.35
2. Wilkinson, Philip and Jacqueline Dineen, The Early Inventors, Ideas That Changed the World, Chelsea House Publishers, New York, 1991
3. Bell, Janet Cheatham, the Soul of Success, Inspiring Quotations for Entrepreneurs, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, 1997, p. 117
4. Petroski, Henry, The Evolution of Useful Things, How Everyday Things- From Forks and Pins to Paper Clips and Zippers- Came To Be As They Are, Alfred Knopf, New York, 1993, p.220-225
5. Settle, Robert B., and Pamela L. Alreck, Why They Buy, American Consumers Inside and Out, John Wiley & Sons, New York, 1986, p. 24-25
6. Suid, Murray, How To Be An Inventor, Monday Morning Books, Inc., Palo Alto, 1993, p.71
7. Jeffries, Michael, and Gary A. Lewis, Inventors and Inventions, Smithmark Publishers, New York, 1992, p.4
8. Mitchell, Barbara, The Wizard of Sound, a Story about Thomas Edison, Carolrhoda Books Inc., Minneapolis, 1991
9. Brodie, James Micheal, Created Equal, The Lives and Ideas of Black American Innovators, Quill, William Morrow, New York, 1993, p. 23-24
10. Pinkney, Andrea Davis, Dear Benjamin Banneker, Harcourt Brace & Company, Orlando, 1994, p. 19
11. haskins, jim, outward dream, Black Inventors and Their Inventions, Walker and Company, New York, 1991, p. 73-75
12. Brodie, James Michael, Created Equal, The Lives and Ideas of Black American Innovators, Quill, William Morrow, New York, 1993, p. 153-162
13. Platt, Richard, Smithsonian Visual Timeline of Inventions, Dorling Kindersley, London, 1994, p.31
14. Suid, Murray, How To Be An Inventor, Monday Morning Books, Inc., Palo Alto, 1993, p. 39