Description
Give your November lessons a spark of creativity with this Thankful for Inventions Crack the Code Science Activity for Thanksgiving!
Students travel through 8 interactive science stations, each highlighting an invention that transformed the way we live — from the microwave to video games! This is set two of Thankfulness for Inventions!
At each station, students:
- Read a short passage about the invention
- Examine a graph, timeline, or diagram
- Answer three multiple-choice questions
- Record their answers to reveal a hidden word at the end
This low-prep resource brings together STEM history, data analysis, and literacy skills, all wrapped in a Thanksgiving theme focused on innovation and gratitude.
✨ What’s Included
- 8 science and invention stations
•Thankful for the Airplane
•Thankful for the Radio
•Thankful for the Television
•Thankful for the Microwave Oven
•Thankful for the Computer
•Thankful for the Internet
•Thankful for Video Games
•Thankful for the Solar Panel
- Student recording sheet with code grid
- Answer key
- Mini lesson plan with discussion ideas
- Exit ticket reflection: “One invention I’m thankful for is…”
🎯 Skills Covered
- Reading and interpreting graphs, diagrams, and timelines
- Making connections between science, technology, and society
- Practicing problem-solving and data interpretation
- Reflecting on gratitude and innovation
🍂 Perfect For
✔ Thanksgiving week science lessons
✔ STEM enrichment and critical thinking activities
✔ Early finishers or sub plans
✔ Cross-curricular science and history connections
💡 Teacher Favorite
Students love solving the mystery and discovering how each invention changed daily life.
Teachers love the easy prep, real-world connections, and built-in reflection on gratitude and progress.
Connects to:
- Analyzing and Interpreting Data (SEP 4): Students interpret graphs, timelines, and diagrams for each invention.
- Constructing Explanations (SEP 6): Students connect how each invention solved a problem or improved life.
- Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information (SEP 8): Students read informational text and use evidence to answer questions and decode clues.
3-5-ETS1: Engineering Design
- 3-5-ETS1-1: Define a simple design problem reflecting a need or a want that includes specified criteria for success and constraints.
- 3-5-ETS1-2: Generate and compare multiple possible solutions to a problem based on how well each meets the criteria and constraints.
MS-ETS1: Engineering Design
- MS-ETS1-1: Define criteria and constraints of a design problem with sufficient precision to ensure a successful solution.
- MS-ETS1-2: Evaluate competing design solutions using a systematic process.
- MS-ETS1-3: Analyze data from tests to determine similarities and differences among several design solutions.
