Then, explain to students that they will be referring back to these qualities of successful inventors and inventions in this lesson as they become inventors themselves, creating something that would be useful to them and then drafting a patent for their creation. Students should write down all of the ideas that come to mind, even the silly ones. Then, divide students into small groups of three or four students each, and have students share their ideas with their group members. Each group then selects one invention that they would want to develop. Students might also evaluate the inventions proposed by other groups, offering suggestions on how the invention could be improved.
Groups can then create magazine or television ads for their inventions.
Students might also enjoy using this database to type in a word or series of words and see what patents exist related to these keywords. Encourage students to try to find the weirdest, wackiest inventions that have been patented. Visit a Web site mentioned in the featured article and write a review of that site, focusing on what information is provided on the site, how easy it is to find information or to navigate the site and the general physical arrangement of the site. Research and diagram the steps of obtaining a patent. Create an illustrated timeline of the evolution of a type of technology that you consider to be a great invention.