New School Year is Here!

Welcome to the 2018-2019 school year!  I am very excited for a new school year and all the exciting activities in LipscombLand (that is, my classroom)!

Feel free to browse this site and check out the many things that we do here.  Besides the Invention and Innovation class, there is a club that I sponsor called Trout Club.  This club usually gets underway near the end of the second quarter. 

Feel free to check out my other communication methods:

• Twitter: @Lipscombland
• Remind: @Lipscomb-1

Have a great school year!

A New Semester!

It was sad to see so many great students leave I&I at the end of the second quarter!  However, it's nice to welcome a whole new bunch of students to LipscombLand for the second half of the year.


To my first semester students, I wish you good luck and much fun in Creative Arts.  For my second semester students, I welcome you to the funtastic land of learning that we call LipscombLand.


We start I&I with a unit in which we learn to define and identify technology, inventions, and innovations.  Then we'll learn how inventors solve problems in our next unit.

The Second Quarter

During the second quarter of I&I, students learned about marketing concepts and techniques used by companies to get and keep customers.  They designed and built a product package that incorporated these marketing concepts.


Next, we explored simple machines and then used that knowledge to design and build a device based on a medieval weapon that would launch a marshmallow.  The devices were constructed out of materials such as popsicle sticks, rubber bands, straws, etc.


We also learned what is involved in reverse engineering and why this practice is still done in various industries today.  Students took apart a pen and had to describe the purpose of each part before re-assembling the pen.


Most recently, we learned the "shocking truth about electricity." Students created circuits in class, including a two-button doorbell!


Remember, you can follow me on Twitter (@Lipscombland) and also on Remind (@Lipscomb18).

End of the First Quarter

The end of the first quarter is here.  During this quarter we learned many new things in class.  Students know how to identify what is and is not technology, they have demonstrated how to use systematic methods to solve technological challenges, how companies develop new products, and how companies market products.


In the next quarter, we will learn about simple machines and how they're used in devices, reverse engineering, and electrical circuits to name a few of the upcoming units.


Also, in December, the Trout Club will begin!  In other areas of the blog you'll see information about this in-school club as well as pictures from past clubs.  This activity is part of Trout in the Classroom, which you'll find in many of the schools in our feeder.

Technology and Inventors

In class, we spent the first few weeks learning how to identify technology and about great inventions in history.  We discussed, analyzed, and wrote about "what is the greatest invention and why?"  That's not an easy question to answer, but students have lots of ideas including cell phones, video games, cars, the light bulb, the telephone, and indoor plumbing.

Now we are learning the process for solving problems.  Students are presented with a challenge to design and build a device for a specific purpose and will need to follow a process in order to produce the device.  We started this unit by building a foil boat that is able to hold weight.  Then we tested the boat's capacity using pennies.

To see past and current pictures and to learn more about what we do in class, check out the links on the right side of this webpage.  In addition, follow me on Twitter: @Lipscombland.  I'm also on Remind: @Lipscomb18.

Welcome Back to School!

Welcome Back to School!

I want to welcome all students, parents, and other readers to the new school year.   This is the class website for Mr. Lipscomb's Invention & Innovation classes, the Trout Club, and the Schoolhouse Chicks.

Besides this blog, feel free to follow me on other social media sites:

• Twitter - @LipscombLand
• Remind - @Lipscomb18

I'm looking forward to a great school year!!

Second Semester: A new beginning!

It is the start of the second semester, which means I've said goodbye to one group of students and hello to a new group.  So, it is indeed a new beginning!

After we discuss the rules and procedures of the classroom, our first unit is introduction to technology.  We'll learn about how to identify what is and is not technology.  After that we'll spend some time learning about problem solving.

Thank you for visiting the class website.  Take a few minutes to look around the site, expecially the Activities page, where you'll find many pictures.  Remember, though, you can also follow me on the following sites:

• Twitter - @LipscombLand
• Remind - @Lipscomb17