Explore Inventors with Impact

Pop art meets profound inventions, as students study influential inventors and explore their enduring impact on the modern world. 

Learning Objective:

In this project, students dive into the significance of inventors by exploring how inventions from the distant past have impacted their life. They’ll choose an inventor, and explore the impact of their invention on the modern world. Students will communicate their findings creatively, merging historical photographs with pop art drawings, and reflecting on the connections between inventions of the past and the technology of today.

The Process

My own journey in science led me to create this project. As a student, I struggled to bridge the gap between seemingly outdated inventions and their relevance to my life in the modern world. It wasn’t until adulthood, after watching far too many documentaries, that I fully realized the ripple effects that inventions can have across time. 

Dedicated to infusing creativity into every classroom, I was compelled to create a versatile lesson to honor past inventors and explore their lasting influence. The Everyone Can Create project Create Pop Art provided the perfect entry point, with easy to follow instructions, and from there my imagination bounded forward, inspired to find ways to showcase the lasting impact of these profound inventors.

Here's how students can delve into inventors' legacies and visualize their impact:

Step 1: Explore historical inventors and their contributions. Provide a list of famous inventors or brainstorm as a class. Encourage students to pick one or two to study more in-depth. Use the Freeform app to keep track of research notes.

Step 2: Focus on one inventor and connect their creations to modern technologies. Make a brief list of the inventions linking their initial creation to contemporary technology. Find a Creative Commons licensed image of the inventor, saving it to Photos to begin creating.

Step 3: Create Pop Art depicting the chosen inventor. Utilize the Create Pop Art project to bring the inventor to life visually.

Step 4: Design a visual invention timeline showcasing connections to contemporary innovations. Draw one of the inventor's creations and illustrate how other inventions built off of it, linking to the modern world. This could be presented in bubbles, a film strip, or any creative format chosen by students.

The Markup tool, built right in to Photos, makes it easy to create Pop Art and lets creativity flow freely as students add depictions of inventions.

This dynamic lesson invites students to unleash their creativity while exploring historical connections and selecting innovators to investigate. With a drawing component, it accommodates various learning levels, culminating in visually captivating images that inspire curiosity and appreciation for inventors' influence.

Reflection

In developing this project, I gained insight into the intersection of history, creativity, and engagement. I'm excited about this lesson as it empowers students to create relevance and take ownership of their educational journey by connecting the past to their lives.

To streamline the process, I found it helpful to narrow the specific purpose of historical inventions and research their connection to modern life. Providing clear guidelines and scaffolding aids students in navigating the creative process while fostering creativity and expression. Peer feedback and reflection are so helpful, as students realize the impact their inventions may have on each other, while providing opportunities to enhance understanding and guide each other in refining their ideas.

In implementation, access to tools like iPad's accessibility features and various styluses supports student success. Zooming in while drawing can help students achieve fine details throughout their project. Early finishers can further explore the social, economic, and ethical implications of inventions, fostering critical thinking and a holistic perspective of innovation.

For assessment, student presentations and peer Q&A sessions formalize understanding and develop public speaking skills, boosting confidence. I'm confident this project will ignite curiosity, creativity, and a deeper understanding of how small historical moments can lead to lasting change.

Lesson Recap

This project links historical inventions with their modern counterparts through vibrant pop art representations, fostering a deeper understanding of technological evolution. It cultivates creativity and critical thinking, bridging art, science, and social studies. This project could easily be adapted for language arts and mathematics, showcasing how written works have inspired each other, or mathematics, showcasing how mathematical discoveries throughout time have impacted each other, and society.

To celebrate students' creativity, their work can be showcased in a classroom gallery (goodbye boring white walls!) or shared digitally, inspiring reflection and engagement locally and globally.

Learn how to Create Pop Art today >