OCTOBER 18 - 24, 2012 • ST. LOUIS AMERICAN A19

MAP CORNER

This special Newspaper In Education initiative is made possible through The St. Louis American Foundation and its NIE Corporate Partners:

The St. Louis American is proud to partner with Normandy School District, the St. Louis Public School District and the Saint Louis Science Center to provide this classroom tool for STEM education for students in 3rd, 4th and 5th grades, with content based on Missouri Learning Standards.

FirST AFriCAN-AMEriCAN iNvENTor—

Thomas L. Jennings Thomas L. Jennings was born in New York City in 1791 when slavery was a harsh reality for African Americans. Jennings worked many different jobs before he found his true calling as a tailor, a person who designs clothing. Jennings’ clothes became popular and he began to make a lot of money. With this money, he opened his

very own store on Church Street in New York City.

However, there was a problem. When the clothes would become dirty, the usual cleaning methods would ruin the fabric. His customers were forced to choose between dirty clothes or throwing them away. Jennings created a way to clean the clothes that protected the fabric. He called it the dry scouring method, which is similar to the dry cleaning method used today. He applied for a patent to protect his idea and was approved.

obtaining a patent was not an easy process. Laws at that time stated that slave owners were entitled to the ideas and creations of their slaves. Patent courts also argued that slaves were not citizens, and therefore could not own the rights to a patent. Because Thomas Jennings was born a free man, he was able to obtain a patent and keep the profits of his invention. He used these profits to free the rest of his family from slavery. He also used his money to support abolitionist causes, gaining rights for African Americans across the United States. Thomas Jennings is known in history as the first African American to receive a patent for his idea.

Discuss: Why is Thomas Jennings famous? What is the main idea of this article? Underline two supporting details that prove the main idea. What is the theme (life lesson) of this article?

Learning Standards: i can read a biography and find the main idea and supporting details.

For more information about African American inventors, check out the following links: http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/bhistory/inventors/index.htm

http://inventors.about.com/od/blackinventors/a/ blackinventors.htm

Use the newspaper to practice your skills.

q Find an item in the newspaper. research who invented it and how it was created. How has this invention helped society?

w Use the newspaper to find a problem. State the problem. Create an invention that could help solve the problem. Explain how your invention would help.

e inventors understand cause and effect. Think of this common scenario. A student oversleeps and misses the school bus. The cause is the fact the student overslept. The effect (result) is that the student misses the school bus. Use the newspaper to find an example of cause and effect.

INVENTORS & INVENTIONS

DID YOU KNOW?

stlamerican.com

Learning Standards: i can identify a problem and solution. i can identify a cause and effect.

MATH CONNECTIONinventors are excellent problem solvers. Did you know that math is a great opportunity to sharpen your problem solving skills? Here are six techniques you can use to solve a math problem:

q Draw a picture

w Look for a pattern

e Guess and check

r Make a list

t Logical reasoning

y Work backwards

To learn more about the math problem solving strategies listed, visit: http://www.thesingaporemaths.com/stratf.html

Process: You have only 20 minutes! You will need to discuss a strategy with your group, sketch a

quick design, and create your device. At the end of 20 minutes, each group will test their design by dropping

an egg from the height of 3 feet.

Evaluate: After you have tested the designs, discuss what worked and what didn’t? What can you learn from this process? What other invention challenges can you create?

Learning Standards: i can follow directions to complete a process. i can analyze results and make deductions based on the outcome.

in this experiment, you will invent a device that can catch an egg that is dropped from three feet without cracking. You will need to work with a group to plan a strategy, sketch a design for your device, and create the device. Are you up for the challenge?

Materials Needed: Each group will be given one egg, 10 pieces of notebook paper, and 1 foot of masking tape.

Goal: Your group will create a device using only the paper and tape that will safely catch an egg that is dropped from a height of 3 feet.

SCIENCE CORNER

Ms. Stovall’s 5th Grade Class Gateway Elementary MST SLPS

rhonda Stovall assists student Martez Williams, 10, on identifying action words in sentences using The St. Louis American’s STEM page. Photo by Wiley Price

Teachers, if you are using the St. Louis American’s NIE program and would like to nominate your class for a Classroom Spotlight, please email:kjones@stlamerican.com

CLASSROOM SPOTLIGHT

Issac Newton Invented the Cat Door!

SCIENCE EXPERIMENT

The Mind of An InventorEach day, you are bombarded with advertisements and pressured to buy items that will make your life easier. Have you ever wondered who creates these products? Where did they get their ideas and inspiration? if so, you have the mind of an inventor.

The first step to becoming an inventor is to keep an inventor’s notebook. record your ideas and thoughts. Ask questions like why? What if? A good way to practice your invention skills is to use common items you find at home and school, such as a paper clip, or a plastic cup. What other uses could they serve? it’s fun to try this with your friends and see all the different possibilities. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes; they are the best way to learn. Next, think of items in your community that can be used in different ways. Think of “problems” you have each day—does it take too long to complete your chores? is it difficult to get

ready for school in the mornings? What inventions can you create to help solve these problems?

To learn more about inventors and inventions, check out these books: “Girls Think of Everything: Stories of ingenious inventions by Women,” by Catherine Thimmesh and Melissa Sweet

“The Kid Who invented the Popsicle: And other Surprising Stories about inventions,” by Don L. Wulffson

“Mistakes That Worked,” by Charlotte Jones and John obrien

“Kids inventing! A Handbook for Young inventors,” by Susan Casey

Learning Standards: i can read nonfiction text to find information and ideas that apply to my life (text-to-self connection).

Create an Egg Catcher!

Give these techniques a try as you solve the following math problems. State which technique you used and how it helped you solve the problem.

q My grandma’s age divided by 15 is 6. How old is my grandmother?

w At a bake sale, you sell cookies for 25 cents each. You earn $12.50. How many cookies did you sell?

e Your favorite uncle gives you $50 for your birthday. You want to spend every penny of it! You have your eye on several things: movie passes for $12.50, arcade

passes for $15, theme park passes for $23.75, and a new T-shirt for $18. What items will you buy and come as close

as possible to spending all of the $50? Compare your results with your classmates. Who came the closest to spending all $50?

Learning Standards: i can add, subtract, multiply, and divide to solve a problem. i can use problem solving techniques to solve a word problem.

4’ The “M”s on the “M&M” candies stands for the inventors Mars and Murrie

4’ Fortune cookies were invented in San Francisco

4’ Bulletproof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers, and laser printers were all invented by women

Cont

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Apple to introduce

latest invention on

Oct. 23rd!

By the Numbers

What Is An Inventor?

George Nissen invented the trampoline in 1930

at the age of 16!

Most current patent applications are filed

online at uspto.gov, the website for the U.S.

Patent and Trademark Office.

How the Kindle Fire

and the new IPad Mini will

affect public education.