Invention Convention

It provides each qualifying student with an opportunity to display her or his project. The Invention Convention is the event that students have been waiting for. The Invention Convention will be open to the public, and students should be present to answer questions about their inventions. Here the inventions will be officially judged, and awards will be presented. On the designated date, students will bring their inventions to the selected convention site. The Invention Convention is an event that gives students an opportunity to demonstrate these skills independently as they invent a new product or process. Students should be given opportunities to solve problems, think creatively, experiment, and work with data throughout the school year. Fostering the development of important science skills is an ongoing challenge.

In addition, they will do appropriate testing and record any necessary data for their test report. They will learn that plans need to be changed along the way and that trial and error is a part of the invention process. In this step, students build their invention or develop their process.

The suggested procedure for the Invention Convention involves the following five basic steps: Developing and Testing , Finding an Idea , The Invention Convention, Research and Planning , 5Learning About Inventors

During the planning step, students must decide whether they will produce a small model or a full-size prototype of their invention. Students inventing a new process will want to develop an outline for their report. Students should create detailed plans for their invention or process. In the plans the developmental steps are laid out, preliminary drawings may be made, time limits are established, materials are listed, and testing methods are defined.

The invention may be a new product or it may be a new process for doing something. Finding a need to fulfill or a problem to solve is the second step in the invention process. Once students have learned about inventors and inventions, you may wish to have each student write a brief tribute to an inventor.

The application form has been modeled after the U.S. Patent Office form and should be "notarized" by the school principal. They will consider their potential customer and how best to convince that customer of the value of their idea. Once students have built their product or have developed their process, they will plan a strategy to market their invention.

The culmination of this step will be the completion of an application that makes the student eligible to take part in the Invention Convention. Students will write and design advertisements for newspapers, magazines, television, and the Internet.

Participants are encouraged to identify a need or to solve a problem by following the same steps and patent application procedures that an inventor would follow in patenting an invention. The Invention Convention can be a classroom, school, or school district wide science event. Communication and research skills are also greatly enhanced throughout the invention procedure. This science event is designed to encourage students to apply basic science skills in a creative and productive manner.

The knowledge gained in this step will help students develop an appreciation for inventors and will help establishes in them a positive attitude about the invention process. In this step, students will learn about inventors and their inventions. They will learn that successful inventors