Invention Convention

Note: This lesson was originally published on an older version of The Learning Network; the link to the related Times article will take you to a page on the old site.

Overview of Lesson Plan: In this lesson, students work in groups to create products that can help address everyday annoyances. They then design business plans for the manufacturing and marketing of their inventions.

Author(s):
Sarah Kavanagh, The New York Times Learning Network
Javaid Khan, The Bank Street College of Education in New York City

Suggested Time Allowance: 1 hour

Objectives:
Students will:
1. Discuss how devices they use on a daily basis make their lives easier.
2. Explore the world of inventors and inventions by reading “Oh, To Be Discovered by the Folks at QVC.”
3. Learn about manufacturing and marketing by developing products and business plans.
4. Develop prototypes and print advertisements for the products/devices of their choice.

Resources / Materials:
-student journals
-pens/pencils
-paper
-classroom board
-copies of Oh, To Be Discovered by the Folks at QVC” (found online at //www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/featured_articles/20061116thursday.html) (one per student)
-computers with internet access

Activities / Procedures:
1. Warm-Up/Do-Now: Students respond in their journals to the following prompt, written on the board prior to class: “What recently invented device or product do you use on a daily basis that has made your life easier? Was there a product you used before this one for the same tasks? What improvements were made?” Allow students several minutes to write, and then have them share their responses with the class. Can anyone think of other devices that they use everyday that make their lives markedly easier? What makes a device useful? What makes a device marketable?
2. As a class, read and discuss “Oh, To Be Discovered by the Folks at QVC” (//www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/featured_articles/20061116thursday.html) focusing on the following questions:
a. Why does Corey Kilgannon, the author of the article, compare the national product search for QVC to ´American Idol?´
b. What do the QVC buyers look for when they inspect products?
c. Why does QVC hold product searches like this most recent one in New York City?
d. What does Renee Ward mean when she says “the human element is a huge factor in selection?”
e. What is the demographic composition of QVC shoppers?
f. Why was Margaret Roew´s ´Noemadic Chair´ not chosen by the QVC buyers?
g. What is the difference between the “prototype stage” and the “manufactured stage?”
h. Why does QVC choose not to deal with products in the prototype stage?
i. What does Ms. Ward mean when she says that “it´s better to be conservative?”
j. Which of the inventions discussed in the article would you be most and least likely to buy? Why?
3. Inform your students that they will be working in groups to design their own inventions to make daily life easier for students at their school. They will also create business plans for marketing their inventions.
Divide the class into small groups. Instruct students to conduct brainstorm sessions in which each group will create a list of inventions that would make their everyday lives easier. To help guide the process, ask students which tasks they have recently performed that could have been aided by some product or device. Ask them to think about daily activities, such as, sitting, sleeping, washing, and cleaning. Have them also consider products used daily, like footwear, clothing, or toiletries, and processes that typically take several steps that an invention could cut down to one (like bending, then scooping dog waste).
Inform students that in a brainstorm session every idea is valuable. Each group should assign one member to be the scribe, the person who will write down every idea mentioned in the group discussion. This activity should last no longer than fifteen minutes. Once brainstorming is completed, have each group select the one product respective group members believe would likely be the easiest to make, market, and sell to students at school. Let groups know that their business plans must be feasible. The products selected should be easy to manufacture and sell locally.
After a product is selected, each group must create and agree upon a preliminary design. Once their product is sketched, students will create business plans for the manufacturing and marketing of their products. Inform them that they must be able to make their products using readily available materials. Each business plan must include the following components:
-Cost of all materials and supplies needed (Students should use materials that can easily be found in their hometowns. If they need to check pricing of certain materials, direct them to a Web site like ebay.com)
-Start-up cost (such as, space for manufacturing, the manufacturing process, labor, etc.)
-A detailed sketch of the finished product
-Retail price of product
-The number of products that will have to be sold before making a profit
-Projected profits
-A description of how the product is used, who would use it, and why.
Before reconvening, place a blank piece of paper with the title “Suggestions” on each desk. Invite students to write questions and offer opinions as they watch each presentation. Then allow each group ample time to present product sketches and business plans to the class. Are there any products that students in the class would buy? Which ones? What makes a product successful in the market? Which groups would be most likely to make a profit? Why?
4. Homework/Wrap-Up: For homework, each student will pick one of the products presented in class (it does not need to be their own) and make a prototype of this product using readily available materials.

Further Questions for Discussion:
-What products would you be unable to live without?
-What products do you use often but could definitely do without?
Why do you continue to use them?
-What are some ways to cut back on start-up costs when building a small business?

Evaluation / Assessment:
Students will be evaluated based on written journal entries, participation in small group and class discussion, thoughtful completion of business plans, and the imaginative creation of prototypes and advertisements.

Vocabulary:
idol, retailing, surveyed, entrepreneurs, lugging, hordes, descended, bulged, fledgling, moldable, innovative, equipped, hydraulic, slivers, debriefing, candidates, vendor, ultrasonic, confided, progressive, hassock, prototype, conceptual, tethering, prescribed

Extension Activities:
1. Start a student store at your school that sells only student inventions. Make a business plan for the store and run it as you would a small business.
2. Create a chart that describes a projected path of your small business highlighting profits and losses. How many students would have to buy your product to make it worthwhile? After how much time would the sale of your product begin to decrease? Use this chart to project sales of your product for the remainder of the school year.
3. Watch QVC and evaluate five products being sold. In your evaluation, rate the following: Usefulness, Design & Style, Price, & Presentation. Given this criteria, which of the products would you be most likely to buy?

Interdisciplinary Connections:
Global History – Create a timeline that enumerates when, where, and by whom the inventions that most changed the world were created.
Health – Invent a product that would help students at your school lead a healthier lifestyle. Design a healthy living ad campaign to entice students to buy your product.
Media Studies – Watch television advertisements for one week and write an essay about what strategies are used most often to sell products. Why are these strategies used? Are they successful? How could they be made more effective?
Teaching with The Times – Read the Circuits Section each week. Choose a product that is set for release (for example, Sony’s Playstation3). Read reviews on the product and develop an ad campaign for it. Who will be your target audience? To order The New York Times for your classroom, click here.

Other Information on the Web:
-Students can find prices for most products on the market at //www.ebay.com. -The official site of QVC is //www.qvc.com.

Academic Content Standards:
Grades 6-8
Technology Standard 3- Understands the relationships among science, technology, society, and the individual. Benchmarks: Knows that scientific inquiry and technological design have similarities and differences; Knows that science cannot answer all questions and technology cannot solve all human problems or meet all human needs; Knows ways in which technology has influenced the course of history; Knows ways in which technology and society influence one another
Technology Standard 4- Understands the nature of technological design. Benchmarks: Implements a proposed solution; Evaluates a designed solution and its consequences based on the needs or criteria the solution was designed to meet
Science Standard 16- Understands the scientific enterprise. Benchmarks: Knows that people of all backgrounds and with diverse interests, talents, qualities, and motivations engage in fields of science and engineering– some of these people work in teams and others work alone, but all communicate extensively with others; Knows that the work of science requires a variety of human abilities, qualities, and habits of mind

Grades 9-12
Technology Standard 3- Understands the relationships among science, technology, society, and the individual. Benchmarks: Knows that science and technology are pursued for different purposes; Knows ways in which social and economic forces influence which technologies will be developed and used; Knows that alternatives, risks, costs, and benefits must be considered when deciding on proposals to introduce new technologies or to curtail existing ones; Knows examples of advanced and emerging technologies and how they could impact society; Knows that mathematics, creativity, logic, and originality are all needed to improve technology; Identifies the role of technology in a variety of careers
Technology Standard 4- Understands the nature of technological design. Benchmarks: Implements a proposed solution; Evaluates a designed solution and its consequences based on the needs or criteria the solution was designed to meet
Science Standard 16- Understands the scientific enterprise. Benchmarks: Knows that throughout history, diverse cultures have developed scientific ideas and solved human problems through technology; Understands that individuals and teams contribute to science and engineering at different levels of complexity; Knows that science and technology are essential social enterprises, but alone they can only indicate what can happen, not what should happen; Knows that creativity, imagination, and a good knowledge base are all required in the work of science and engineering.

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This lesson plan may be used to address the academic standards listed above. These standards are drawn from Content Knowledge: A Compendium of Standards and Benchmarks for K-12 Education; 3rd and 4th Editions and have been provided courtesy of the Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning in Aurora, Colorado.