This document provides an overview of a week of lesson plans focused on how inventors inspire imagination. It includes links to videos about inventions, excerpts from stories, vocabulary words and activities. Some of the main topics covered are Benjamin Franklin's inventions, a story about twin inventors named Carlos and Lily Perez, and vocabulary like "experiment", "device" and "improvement". Students are asked to discuss how inventors get their ideas and complete activities like defining words, analyzing parts of stories, and reviewing their understanding of literary concepts from the week.

1. The Fabulous Perpetual
Motion Machine
By Don Abramson
Unit 3 Week 1

2. Day 1 – How do inventors inspire
our imaginations?
• Video –
https://www.youtube.c
om/watch?v=ik4zE4p
_Mjo
• Page 324 – 325
• What do you think
people thought and
felt when they saw
the earliest vehicles?
• What are the students
doing in the photo?
• How does the two-
wheeled vehicle
compare with a car?

3. Concept Map
Read Aloud: What’s the
Big idea Ben Franklin?
Amazing Words: theory,
experiment, suggested
After reading:
What does the word
experiment mean?
What context clues from
the story help you
understand what it means?
What did Ben Franklin lean
from his ant experiment?
How inventors inspire our imaginations
Make life
easier
experiment

4. Comprehension Skill: Sequence
Comprehension Strategy: Summarize

5. Kid Inventor
• Weekly
Concept –
Inventors
Inspire
Imaginations
• Read “Kid
Inventor” on
p. 327

6. Vocabulary
• Use and online dictionary or glossary to define the words
below.
applauds browsing fabulous

7. Vocabulary
• Check your vocabulary definitions with the definitions
above!

8. Spelling – Take your pretest on SpellingCity
Conventions – Finish WS 11 after reading
groups
Handwriting – Work on the next two pages in
your cursive packet

9. Day 2 – Content Knowledge
Oral Vocabulary
• How do inventors inspire our imaginations?
• Video -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75okexRzWMk
• “Once he made an experiment with a pot of
molasses and an ant. He hung the pot on a string
and watched for the any to crawl down. Soon there
was a swarm of ants crawling up the string, so
Benjamin concluded that ants have a way of telling
each other news.” – “What’s the Big Idea, Ben
Franklin?”
• What does “made an experiment” mean?
• What is the purpose of the second and third

10. Concept Map
Amazing Words: device,
vehicle, enterprise
Ben Franklin invented a
special stove, a pole to grip
books, and many other
devices. How can the
context of those inventions
help us understand what a
device is?
Discuss with a partner:
What are some devices
you use?
If you could invent a new
device, what would it be?
How inventors inspire our imaginations
Make life
easier
experiment

11. Vocabulary
inspecting project
unable to
produce much
or any plant life
stunningly loud leaned or
rolled suddenly
loudunproductive stagger

12. Vocabulary
• Check your vocabulary definitions with the definitions
above!

13. Word Analysis: Shades of
Meaning
• Sometimes two words have similar meanings and the
difference between the meanings are called shades of
meaning.
• Mel’s invention was a ______ idea.
• modern, new, cutting-edge, fresh, newfangled
• Which of the following words sounds most appealing?
Which one makes it sound least appealing?
• Using an online dictionary look up the words inspecting,
watching, observing, and looking at. Compare the
different definitions. How are the shades of meaning
different?

14. Vocabulary Skill: Multiple-
Meaning Words
• Example:
• We will grow plants for
a class project.
• I will project images
onto that movie
screen.
• This word can mean
different things, such
as an “undertaking” or
“an activity” as well as
“to show an image on
a surface.” Use context
clues to determine the
meaning of each word.

15. Vocabulary Skill: Multiple
Meaning words
• Read “The Play’s
the Thing” on page
329.
• Words to know:
applauds,
inspecting, project,
browsing, fabulous
• When you are
finished write a
note to a friend
explaining why you
would like to see a
play. Use words
from the Words to
Know list in your
note.

16. • A drama, or play, is
a story written to
be acted out for an
audience. A drama
consists mainly of
dialogue and stage
directions, which
tell the actors
where to move on
stage.
A written drama
usually lists a cast
of characters and
describes the
setting.
• Preview the title
and illustrations.
Predict what the
play will be about.
• Read to page 337

17. Parts
Carlos
Perez
Lilly
Perez
Larry
Sand
Effie
Brownin
g
Joyce
Reardo
n
Mrs.
Perez
Mr.
Perez
Doming
o Perez
Lee
Come
r
Group
1
Merrick Emma
L.
Ben B. Aniston Ada Zoe Jason Milon Zoe
Group
2
Ben W. Claire Corbin Kaydence Mandy Emma
H.
Casey Ian Emma
H.
Group
3
Isaiah Keith Micah Jada Sophia Olivia Zeb EXTRA Olivia

18. Spelling – Practice words on Spelling City
Conventions – Ws 181
Vocabulary – WS 184

19. Day 3 – Content Knowledge
Oral Vocabulary
• How do inventors inspire our imaginations?
• Top 10 revolutionary mobile technologies
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=426vOAMWRYE
• “Larry: Enough Already! What is this project?
Lily: Well, Carlos was browsing the Internet-
Carlos: Looking for failed inventions.”
- The Fabulous Perpetual Motion Machine
• What does browsing mean?
• What words could we use instead of browsing?
• Why would Carlos be looking for failed inventions?

20. Concept Map
Amazing Words:
design
improvement
In “What’s the Big Idea,
Ben Franklin?” we learned
that Ben had ideas for the
improvement of
Philadelphia, such as
forming a circulating library.
What does improve mean?
What context clues help
you define improve?
Discuss with a partner:
Name an improvement you
would like to make in your
classroom.
How inventors inspire our imaginations
Make life
easier
experiment

21. Literary Terms:
Foreshadowing
• Foreshadowing refers to hints authors give about
what will happen later in a story.
• Foreshadowing builds curiosity or suspense.
• Let’s look back at A Summer’s Trade on page 271. I
read that Tony’s uncle is home early. How does that
foreshadow, or hint at, what will happen later?

22. • Mrs. Perez says
that the twins had
been driving the
whole family crazy.
What had they
been doing to
cause her to say
that?
• Come up with a
one-sentence
summary to answer
these questions:
What is the twins’
goal?
Why do their
friends think it’s a
difficult one?
• Read pages 338 -
335

23. Think Critically – Answer the think critically
questions on page 344
Conventions – WS 128
Type to Learn – Practice your typing for 15
minutes

24. Day 4 – Content Knowledge
Oral Vocabulary
• How do inventors inspire our imaginations?
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=426vOAMWRYE
• Finish Top 10 revolutionary mobile technologies
• “Mrs Perez: (entering): And just what is it the fabulous
Perez Twins have achieved to warrant a spontaneous
round of applause?
• What other words could we use here in place of
fabulous?
• How do you think Mrs. Perez was using the word
fabulous?

25. Concept Map
Amazing Words:
innovation, entrepreneur
Use context clues in this
sentence to help you come up
with a definition for the word
innovation: Creating a new
machine instead of a typical
diorama was a real innovation.
Discuss with a partner:
What would some synonyms be
for the word innovation?
Think about the improvement
Carlos and Lily thought they
made with the perpetual motion
machine. What role does
improvement play in ideas for
new inventions?
How inventors inspire our imaginations
Make life
easier
experiment

26. Vocab and Listening
• Vocabulary: Adages and
Sayings
• An adage is a short but
memorable saying that
expresses a meaningful idea.
For example, “one bad apple
spoils the bunch” means that
people often remember bad
things instead of good things.
other saying you know may
also have meanings.
• Reread Perpetual Motion
Machine and think about
other sayings you know that
could apply to the play’s
theme or to what it takes to
make an invention. Write the
adage and explain how it
connects to the text.
• Speaking and Listening:
Play Review
• A play review offers an
opinion of a drama, and
makes a recommendation
about it.
• Prepare a review of The
Fabulous Perpetual
Motion Machine. Give
your opinion of the play,
and tell whether
classmates should see it
or read it. Support your
opinion with details from
the play then present your
review on Seesaw

27. Spelling – Practice your spelling words quietly with a
partner and a dry erase board
Conventions – WS 188
Vocabulary – WS

28. Day 5 – Content Knowledge
Concept Map
• Amazing words: experiment,
theory, suggested, device,
vehicle, enterprise, design,
improvement, innovation,
entrepreneur
• Use the concept map and
what you have learned
from this week’s
discussions and reading
selections to form and
– a
realization or big idea
about inventors and
artists.
• In your spiral write down a
few sentences about your
beginning
with, “This week I
How inventors inspire our imaginations
Make life
easier
experiment

29. REVIEW: Sequence
• The sequence of events is the order in which they
take place, from first to last.
• Clue words such as first, next, then, and while, as
well as dates and times, can help readers
understand the time order of the events in a story.
• Find an example of sequence in The Fabulous
Perpetual Motion Machine. Make sure to discuss the
evidence in the story.

30. REVIEW: Multiple-meaning
Words
• Use context clues to help choose the correct
meaning for multiple-meaning words.
• She will project the image on the screen.
• The group worked on the project for 2 hours.
• What context clues help you understand the
meaning of the word project?
• Write 5 sentences using the selection vocabulary.
Have a partner determine the meaning of the word
you used.
• Selection vocabulary: applauds, browsing, fabulous,

31. REVIEW: Shades of
meaning
• The shades of meaning refers to the differences in
meaning of two words with similar meanings.
• What are the shades of meaning for device and
gadget?
• Work with your table group to understand the
shades of meaning in extraordinary and incredible.

32. REVIEW: Foreshadowing
• Foreshadowing is refers to hints authors give about
what will happen later in a story. It is used in
narrative genres and builds curiosity or suspense.
• Look back at the first half of The perpetual Motion
Machine and find an example of foreshadowing.
• Make a T-chart in your reading spiral. Mark one
column hint and the other what it foreshadows.
Record your findings here.