Lesson plans and teaching resources
With ready to go student and teacher guides for each unit, Invention Engine is truly designed for the classroom! Our free to download resources provide the scaffolding for students to build engaging inventions and the support for educators to guide their students in their learning journey.
There are three progressive units and unit bundles for learning with Invention Engine; coding, engineering, and design thinking.
Each Unit has a corresponding bundle which allows for 10 students working individually to complete the matching lesson plan and activities included in each of the units.
Unit 1
Code your inventions!
Unit 2
The engineer cycle at work! Turn your ideas into inventions.
Unit 3
Design thinking applied to real world problems.
Unit 1 – Computer Science
In Unit 1 students will learn about the input-process-output cycle of computers, before moving on to their first Invention Engine coding activity, ‘Lights! Coding! Action!’
From there it’s time to create their first cardboard character using programmable LED’s.
Unit 1 Bundle contains…
- Invention Engine Hub 10 pack
- Punch & stencil 10 pack
- Battery bit 10 pack
- LED bit 30 pack
- Button bit 10 pack
- Display bit 10 pack
- Speaker bit 10 pack
- Proximity sensor bit 10 pack
- USB extender 10 pack
- Rivet 350 pack
Unit 2: The Engineer Cycle
In Unit 2 students will explore the engineering cycle one invention at the time.
Working with the Noise, Light, Proximity, Dial, Speaker and Servo bits students will build upon coding skills introduced in Unit 1 while creating more sophisticated inventions and programs.
Unit 2 Bundle contains…
- Button bit 10 pack(TOP UP)
- LED bit 30 pack(TOP UP)
- Light sensor bit 10 pack
- Magnet sensor and magnet bit 10 pack
- Tilt sensor bit 10 pack
- Dial bit 10 pack
- Servo bit 10 pack
- Rivet 350 pack(TOP UP)
Unit 3 – Code your inventions
In Unit 3 students will be looking for trouble! And creating fun inventions to solve it.
Students will be diving deeper into design thinking principles and how to create innovative solutions to real-world problems.
Unit 2 Bundle contains…
- Temperature sensor bit 10 pack
- IR RX & TX bit 10 pack
- Noise sensor bit 10 pack
- Motor bit 10 pack
- Rivet 350 pack(TOP UP)
Supporting resources
Invention Engine Data Sheets
Discover the Invention Engine bits and hub with the Invention Engine Data Sheets.
Each Invention Engine bit has its own downloadable data sheet that includes information about the Invention Engine bit, how to use the bit and where you could find this type of bit in the real world!
Students will likely reference the Invention Engine data sheets regularly as part of the Unit 1 student resources.
Invention Journal
In Unit 2, students are introduced to the Invention Cycle and record their work in the Invention Journal.
Journaling helps students document the process of inventing and, in addition to the inventions, are both; proof of the learning journey and the outcome achieved.
Students work through and note instances such as defining the problem they are trying to solve, brainstorming ideas for their invention, and planning how they want their code to work using pseudocode.
Is this your first time using Invention Engine?
If this is your first time using Invention Engine there are a few extra things you need to know.
This Getting started with Invention Engine guide will help you get the most out of Invention Engine and this activity set. Inside you will find:
- step-by-step help for setting up Invention Engine
- information on the different Invention Engine bits and construction tools