Below is a media player that has a recording of me reading the
Story and the Directions of the assignment.
Click on "Prop Me Up Challenge Story" to hear me read the story or
Click on "Challenge Directions" to hear me read the directions.
The Story…
“G” Inventson is a great inventor. His inventions help lots of people and he always has good ideas. G has three grand-children, Walt, Sue, and
Jesse. They are inventors too, and they love their Grandpa, G!
The evil Balzer is also an inventor, but he’s not very good at it. He steals ideas and hurts people with his inventions. Balzer is jealous of G
and his grand-kids, the Inventsons. He will stop at nothing to prove that he’s the best inventor, even if he has to cheat to do it.
One day, Balzer kidnapped G. Now G is a prisoner in Balzer’s lab and it’s
up to G’s grand-kids, the Inventsons, to save him before it’s too
late!
Walt, Sue, and Jesse Inventson rush to Balzer Tower but stop short when
they see the challenge before them.
“Look at how high the tower is!” exclaims Walt the oldest, but not always
the bravest, Inventson.
“Height doesn’t bother me, but what about those giant steel doors?”
points out, Sue.
“How will we get to the steel doors with all those robot guards in front
of the building?” asks Jesse, the daredevil of the group.
The three pause to think for a moment, then Walt snaps his fingers. “Hey!
I’ve got an idea!”
“Are you guys thinking what I’m thinking?”, asks Sue.
“I bet we are!” exclaims Jesse with excitement. “We can build what we
need to solve this problem!”
What are the Inventsons going to build? It’s up to YOU to finish the
story!
Introduction
Props are the objects used in a play, show, or movie. These are
things like the gadgets in spy movies, or future tech in science fiction shows,
or the artifacts in stories about archaeological adventures and magical
stories. The Prop-Me-Up Challenge invites you to come up with your own prop to
use to complete the above story.
Implementation (what to do)
Step 1.) Read the story included above. Think about different
items you would want the Inventsons to use to save G. Your item (or items) can
be real or imaginary.
Step 2.) Once you have an idea of what you want, draw it or
build it!
Option A.) If all you have to work with is paper,
pencil and maybe other art supplies like pens, markers or crayons, Draw out
your device. You can also draw it ( your device/ invention) being used by a person to show how it works. Use
call-outs! Call-outs are labels or short descriptions that you add to your
drawings with arrows pointing to the specific detail you are describing.
Option B.)
You can build your prop. Building a prop can be fun. Here are some tips:
1. Remember that a prop is just a model. It doesn’t have to work!
2. Use what you have. Old toys, broken electronics, or
even just hot glue and cardboard are all you need to build a prop. (Ask a
parent or guardian what you can use.)
3. If your
idea is for something that is too big, make a small model.
Step 3.) Write out how your device would be used in the story using Padlet. Take a photo or video of your drawing or prop model and upload it along with your description.
If you have
any questions
please feel free
to email me at:
April.leonard@isd47.org
Credit for the activity Inventionland Institute https://inventionlandinstitute.com/
