Student slideshow: English | Spanish

Teacher printout: English & Spanish

These readings will help students think more about inventions. They are free with registration on ReadWorks, a nonprofit committed to providing teachers with research-proven, Common-Core-aligned readings. All readings include comprehension questions.

• Ideas that Pop describes an invention contest for kids.
• A Brush with History tells the history of the toothbrush.
• Inventions: Then and Now describes how the telephone, the television, the calculator, and the clock have changed over time.

To inspire your students to invent and create, show a few videos about young inventors of the past and present.

• Trampoline: A young gymnast figured out how to bounce high in the air after watching acrobats at the circus.

• Ear muffs: A fifteen-year-old with cold ears and an allergy to wool scarves found a way to keep his ears warm.

• Surprise!:A boy who didn’t have enough room for an air hockey table in his bedroom came up with a clever way to solve his problem.

A list of inventions by young inventors.