Introduction to Inventions

Welcome!

Pick an object in your room and ask yourself, “Where does this come from?” And no, I don’t mean the story. Ask yourself who invented in, why it’s here, and what is its purpose. Every single day we use inventions and never second guess why they exist. 

Theme

The theme of this blog is “Invention.” Invention is defined as a new, useful process, machine, improvement, etc., that did not exist previously and that is recognized as the product of some unique intuition or genius, as distinguished from ordinary mechanical skill or craftsmanship. Throughout this blog, you will be introduced to the background of important inventions, the impact they had on history, and their purpose today. 

Significance of Inventions

Why is this important?

Whether you notice or not, inventions are important in our everyday lives. 

Without people thinking of new or more valuable ways to do things, or creating mechanisms to make work easier, our lives would be much different than they are today. Inventions are important because they shape today’s society, make life easier, and in some cases, keep us alive!

Activities Overview

What am I supposed to do?

The students will use this blog to learn about and better understand certain inventions, their uses, and how they’ve impacted history and life today.

 The four inventions we will be discussing are: The wheel, telephone, light bulb, and penicillin. 

The students will study the following posts, engage with their peers through discussion comments, participate in activities relative to the given application, and relate their discoveries to current events. 

Finally, the students will use what they learned to create a final project.    

If there’s a Wheel, there’s a way!

The Wheel 

Many people believe the wheel is the most important mechanical invention of all time. 



Originally, the first wheel was invented by the Sumerians’ in Mesopotamia to sculpt pottery as early as 3500 B.C., and it wasn’t used for transportation until about 3200 B.C. in Mesopotamia. 

The wheel was not that important of an invention to the Mesopotamians because they used animals as their mode of transportation. 

The transformation from pottery wheel to transportation wheel was not an easy one and the concept of the wheel went through many developmental stages before it became a useful method of transportation.

Evolution

The following link is an interactive animation of the invention of the wheel and how it evolved: 

The Invention of the Wheel

Without the wheel, where would we be today?

In the comment section, brainstorm your thoughts and provide at least 5 things we would not have without the invention of the wheel.