What Is InVenture?
Are you looking for a challenge for your students that will tap into their natural curiosity and creativity, develop critical thinking and provide the opportunity to solve an authentic problem collaboratively? Georgia Tech created the InVenture Prize Challenge as a capstone project for their engineering students. Since its inception, Georgia Tech has expanded the competition to include high school programs and, as of the 2014 – 15 school year, elementary students. Georgia Tech’s vision for InVenture is to reach schools throughout Georgia in grades K-12. As the program grows, it is Cobb County’s goal to take advantage of this learning opportunity by extending it to more students. Delivery options might include after school clubs, STEM classes, talent development and the ALP program. Individual schools can incorporate this engineering design challenge in a way that best meets their school’s population. Schools host their first round of competition to determine which team will go to the finals at Georgia Tech. Schools also have the option to simply compete at their own school and not send a team to the Georgia Tech InVenture Prize competition. More information on the Georgia Tech InVenture Prize program can be found at:
InVenture Curriculum:
Lessons are provided to help students understand the role of engineering in their lives. The activities provided in the lessons help students navigate through the design process. It is important to understand that the design process is iterative. In other words, the process is not necessarily linear in sequence. Students will need to revisit some of the steps as they encounter hurdles in developing an innovative device or process. The lessons included in this unit are:
- Empathy
- What is engineering?
- Discovering your design problem
- Defining your design problem
- Primary resources
- Research problem and solution
- Patent Search
- Ideate
- Prototype
- Launch
The delivery model will dictate the timeline of the lessons. Traditionally Georgia Tech will ask for the name of each school’s first place team in February; however, this competition is growing and each year will bring changes.
Flow Chart
GA Tech vs Invention Convention
InVenture Challenge – What Is Engineering?Enduring Understandings:
Designing a product or process to solve a problem has come naturally to humans throughout history. Even when you do not know the steps of the engineering process, your mind follows these steps in order to solve a problem. / Essential Questions:
What is the engineering process?
How is the engineering process iterative?
How is teamwork an advantage when solving a problem?
Estimated Pacing / Standard for instruction / Supporting activity / Assessment of standard / Recommended Resources
Week 1
1 Hour / S4CS8. Students will understand important features of the process of scientific inquiry.
ELAGSE6SL1. Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly. / Design and build a table out of newspaper tubes. Discuss the process teams used to solve the problems and compare them to The Engineering Design Process model. / Informal observation of problem-solving process, teamwork, and higher-order thinking.
Creativity, Collaboration, Critical Thinking, and Communication / www-tc.pbskids.org
InVenture Challenge – What Is Empathy?
Enduring Understandings:
Students will understand that inventors are keenly aware of the needs of others and focus on those needs when improving a device OR creating a new device to solve a problem, making life better and easier for its users. / Essential Questions:
What is empathy?
How does an inventor use empathy to make life better for its users?
Estimated Pacing / Standard for instruction / Supporting activity / Assessment of standard / Recommended Resources
Week 2
1 Hour / S4CS8. Students will understand important features of the process of scientific inquiry. / Differentiated choices for students of different abilities.
- Students will consider needs statements and match the invention that was created due to the empathy its inventor had for its users.
- Students will write need statements when presented with a variety of inventions.
Students will define empathy and identify potential negative problems of inventions.
Critical Thinking, and Communication /
InVenture Challenge – Discovering Your Design Challenge Part I
Enduring Understandings:
Students will be empowered to consider the notion that their natural curiosity and creativity allow them to identify problems and brainstorm solutions through an invention.
It is important for them to realize that they will need to consider multiple ideas in this part of the invention process. / Essential Questions:
How can I use my curiosity and observation skills to discover problems I encounter in my everyday activities in a variety of settings?
Estimated Pacing / Standard for instruction / Supporting activity / Assessment of standard / Recommended Resources
Week 3
45 Minutes / ELAGSE6SL1. Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly. / Students will consider the many settings they are in each week, such as: school, practice fields or gyms, clubs they belong to, music lessons, church, camps, etc. They will keep a journal of problems they experience and briefly describe them on a chart. / See Week 4
Creativity /
InVenture Challenge – Discovering Your Design Challenge Part II
Enduring Understandings:
Students will use a decision matrix to evaluate ideas. Students will understand that empathy will help identify problems that other people experience. / Essential Questions:
How can I use empathy to discover problems in multiple settings by considering the needs of others?
Estimated Pacing / Standard for instruction / Supporting activity / Assessment of standard / Recommended Resources
Week 4
45 Minutes / ELAGSE6SL1. Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly. / Students will share completed homework chart from Week 3. Teacher will lead a discussion to evaluate ideas. Teacher will introduce Invention Decision Matrix and new vocabulary.
Students will complete a new Discovering Your Design Chart emphasizing empathy and considering the needs of others. / Completion of Discovering Your Design Chart homework from Week 3.
Did the chart show:
- Effort
- Thoughtfulness
- Detailed Description
- Original Ideas
InVenture Challenge – Discovering Your Design Challenge Part III
Enduring Understandings:
It is important to reflect honestly on personal strengths prior to engaging in a collaborative effort. Collaborative efforts require a variety of strengths to complete a multi-faceted project. / Essential Questions:
How do various strengths of team members contribute to a productive collaboration?
Estimated Pacing / Standard for instruction / Supporting activity / Assessment of standard / Recommended Resources
Week 5
1 Hour / ELAGSE6SL1. Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly. / Students will complete a second Invention Decision Matrix to evaluate their second round of ideas when considering the needs of others.
Students will complete a self-reflection checklist to identify personal strengths and weaknesses that could affect their ability to contribute productively as part of an engineering team.
Share episodes of “Shark Tank” and/or past Inventure Challenge competitions on GPBS. / Realistic completion of Self-Reflection
Completion of Discovering Your Design Chart homework from Week 4.
Did the chart show:
- Effort
- Thoughtfulness
- Detailed Description
- Original Ideas
- Empathy
InVenture Challenge - Define
Enduring Understandings:
Students will understand that during this part of the engineering process, the focus becomes very narrow. A team works together to synthesize the data and observations gathered during the empathy stage to define ONE need and a SPECIFIC user. / Essential Questions:
How can the team incorporate its research into a problem statement that clearly indentifies the intended user, the problem experienced by the user, and the impact of the problem’s solution?
Estimated Pacing / Standard for instruction / Supporting activity / Assessment of standard / Recommended Resources
Week 6
1 Hour / S4CS8. Students will understand important features of the process of scientific inquiry. / Students will watch Team Sucette InVenture Pitch as a model for problem statement development.
Teams will write a problem statement for Team Sucette and I-Phone prior to writing a problem statment for their own InVenture idea. / Teacher will conference with teams to evaluate problem statements to ensure that they include:
- User
- Need
- Empathy
InVenture Challenge – Primary Research
Enduring Understandings:
In addition to researching the writings of other people (secondary sources), you can assess the relevance and practicality of a project by conducting primary research through surveys and interviews. / Essential Questions:
What is primary research?
How does research help me better define my design problem and focus on the specific needs of the users?
How does asking the right questions help me make better design choices for my prototype?
Estimated Pacing / Standard for instruction / Supporting activity / Assessment of standard / Recommended Resources
Week 7
1 Hour / ELAGSE6SL1. Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
ELAGSE6SL1. Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
ELAGSE6W1: Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence. / Students will read and discuss information on the primary research topics of writing surveys and interviewing procedures.
Students will complete “Where Do I Start?” hand-out to identify goals of primary research for their specific projects.
Students will write sample survey questions and test on a sample population to evaluate them in terms of their goals. / Informal observation of problem-solving process, teamwork, and higher-order thinking.
Students’ written evaluation of their sample survey question experience and development of final survey questions.
Critical Thinking, Communication, Collaboration /
InVenture Challenge - Research
Enduring Understandings:
The engineering process requires investigating relevant topics so that you have accurate, up-to-date information and understand the main concepts related to your invention.
Having a deep understanding of the science, math, vocabulary, history, and engineering of your design project makes you better prepared to make a pitch and answer questions about your idea. / Essential Questions:
How do I locate answers to questions related to the development of my design project?
What types of secondary sources can I use to research my questions related to the development of my design project?
How do I evaluate information sources?
How do I correctly cite information sources to avoid plagiarism?
Estimated Pacing / Standard for instruction / Supporting activity / Assessment of standard / Recommended Resources
Week 8
Lesson 45 Minutes but research ongoing. / ELAGSE6W1: Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence. / Students will read about types of resources for information and will develop a Research Strategy based on their problem statements.
(Ongoing)
Students will use a variety of resources to locate answers to specific questions, will take notes and correctly cite references. / Completed Research Strategy plan.
Informal observation of student research process including use of key terms, effort and perseverance and correct citation of sources.
Critical Thinking, Communication, Collaboration /
(Elementary Citation Guide)
InVenture Challenge - Ideate
Enduring Understandings:
Students will understand that once they have thoroughly researched their problem and defined it, they are now ready to generate many, varied and unusual solutions to solve the problem. Brainstorming will help provide fuel for the innovative ideas for their prototype. / Essential Questions:
What are the rules of brainstorming?
How can SCAMPER help me consider multiple ideas for my team’s solution?
Estimated Pacing / Standard for instruction / Supporting activity / Assessment of standard / Recommended Resources
Week 9
One hour / S4CS1. Students will be aware of the importance of curiosity, honesty, openness, and skepticism in science and will exhibit these traits in their own efforts to understand how the world works. / Students will practice the creativity technique called “SCAMPER” using a paper bag to encourage them to consider many ideas for the prototype features. / Ticket out the door:
Which bag transformation did you feel was most innovative and why?
Critical Thinking, Creativity, Collaboration /
Brainstorming Rules
InVenture Challenge – Patent Search
Enduring Understandings: Students will understand the importance a patent provides to protect intellectual property of the inventor. Over the years there have been many famous stories of people racing to the U.S. Patent Office to be the first to apply for a patent to protect their ownership of their devices or processes. Students will understand that it is their responsibility to search patents similar to their device or process to confirm it is original and an improvement to similar products. / Essential Questions:
What is a patent?
How can I search patents to make sure our group’s idea is original?
Estimated Pacing / Standard for instruction / Supporting activity / Assessment of standard / Recommended Resources
Week 10
One hour / S4CS6. Students will question scientific claims and arguments effectively. / Students will investigate a variety of websites to introduce patents and how to interpret them. This will prepare them to complete their own patent comparisons with their InVenture idea. This is a requirement on the InVenture judging rubric. / Teacher will review students’ patent comparisons to evaluate their understanding of similar patents to their current device or process.
Critical Thinking, Communication, Collaboration /
InVenture Challenge - Prototype
Enduring Understandings:
Students will understand that once a design has been chosen, they will need to make a formal sketch and prototype. This part of the engineering process makes their thinking tangible. / Essential Questions:
How can I use common materials to create a prototype of our device?
Estimated Pacing / Standard for instruction / Supporting activity / Assessment of standard / Recommended Resources
Week 11
and 12
1 hour each week / Students will understand important features of the process of scientific inquiry.
S4CS5. Students will communicate scientific ideas and activities clearly.
b. Make sketches to aid in explaining scientific procedures or ideas.
/ Students are required to provide a sketch of their idea. This may be done by hand on using a CAD program. TinkerCAD is free to use. GA Tech also encourages schools to use IronCAD which is free to schools participating in InVenture. Students are also encouraged to create a prototype of their InVenture idea. Georgia Tech does not require teams to have working prototypes, but it is more desirable to create one. Prototypes must be done by students and the cost of materials should not exceed $25. / Teachers will evaluate the quality of final sketch and prototype of product or process.
Critical Thinking, Creativity, Communication, Collaboration / TinkerCAD (
InVenture Challenge - Launch
Enduring Understandings: Teams will consider how best to share their innovative idea to their audience or judges. The best way to do this is through a pitch. The pitch should focus on the needs of the users and explain how it makes life better for people. / Essential Questions:
How can I make others care about my device?
Estimated Pacing / Standard for instruction / Supporting activity / Assessment of standard / Recommended Resources
Week 12 and 13 / ELAGSE6SL4: Present claims and findings, sequencing ideas logically and using pertinent descriptions, facts, and details to accentuate main ideas or themes; use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation. / Students will evaluate pitches of GA Tech students in previous InVenture Prize episodes to help them better understand how to make their pitch polished and persuasive. / Teachers will conference with teams throughout the pitch process to give them specific feedback as to how well they include:
- Statement of problem
- Intended users
- Description of invention
- How it is different and better to similar products on the market
2014-
What Is Engineering?
Enduring Understanding: Designing a product or process to solve a problem has come naturally to humans throughout history. Even when you do not know the steps of the engineering process, your mind follows these steps in order to solve a problem.
Essential Questions:
What is the engineering process?
How is the engineering process iterative?
How is teamwork an advantage when solving a problem?
Problem: Design and build a table out of newspaper tubes. Make it at least eight inches tall and strong enough to hold a heavy book. (from PBS.org/designsquad)
Materials:
1 piece of cardboard approximately 8 ½ x 11 inches
heavy book
masking tape
8 sheets of newspaper
Procedure:
Introduce the problem to students, divide class into design teams and distribute materials. Without any instruction about the engineering process, have students complete the project, allowing time for planning, design, experimentation, and sharing.