YIP Curricula
YIP places a high priority on staying current with evolving standards and best practices in educational models from across the country. All curricula align with 21st century skill development, core educational competencies, and Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). The YIP Curricula includes tools to support educators who teach in-person or virtually, in the classroom or in after school and other out-of-school settings. You are encouraged to adjust our materials to your students’ needs but if you are pressed for time or need inspiration, we have everything here for you.
Are You a Student?
Educators: Register Before You Start
Please let us know that you are using the Young Inventors’ Program:
Why register? By registering your school/organization we will be able to provide support to lead a successful program . You will receive regular program news, access to live webinars, and individual guidance from our team. This also helps us make it possible to offer YIP to you at no cost.
New for 2024-25!
GRADE DIFFERENTIATED YIP Units with ALL NEW content and activities to inspire creativiy and robust invention projects!
In order to facilitate a more efficient process for inventive thinking while creating an invention project, we have designed an all new suite of YIP curricula. First, we have developed specific units for Grades 3-5 and Grades 6-8 to more appropriately engage and challenge students and to more precisely meet content standards. And we have redesigned our After School unit to more directly lead students in developing an invention project. New curricula include extention lessons to intentionally prepare students for invention competitions and are specifically recommended for students who wish to compete in state/regional and national Invention Conventions.
Improved Rube Goldberg Machine Unit
After piloting a new Rube Goldberg Machine (RGM) unit with efforts from an RGM expert and a group of dedicated teachers, we revised our RGM track to better support students in understanding the fundamental concepts of simple machines and chain reactions. These refined lesson plans provide a scaffolded structure guiding students to start with a very small machine and then build upon it to create a robust contraption. The unit includes extention lessons to intentionally prepare students for invention competitions and are specifically recommended for students who wish to compete in state/regional Invention Convention and the Rube Goldberg Machine Contest (RGMC) World Championships.
YIPLit: Literature and Invention Together for Grades K-2
The new YIPLit curriculum will captivate and engage our youngest inventors by using literature as the foundation for invention. The focus on literacy allows educators to use any children's book to dive into the invention process with hands-on activities that foster creativity and critical thinking. The series of lessons guides students to create their own inventions using a more structured approach- perfect for bright young inventors.
While YIP provides a developed curriculum based on a book of our choosing, we encourage educators to innovate and adapt these activities to their favorite books. We hope that this spirit of innovation will spark a passion for STEM education and that YIP educators will share their own YIPLit ideas and plans to create a robust resource library for all to enjoy.
YIPLit (Grades K-2) Lesson Plans and Resources
ALL NEW! YIP
Units for Grades 3-5 and Grades 6-8
YIP's flagship curriculum is designed by and for educators to spark a passion for invention and STEM education. Students are introduced to each step of the invention process as they engage in hands-on activities to explore STEM concepts and develop critical 21st century skills in problem-solving, critical thinking, and collaboration. Throughout the experience, they gain self-confidence and feel empowered by their resiliency to push through challenges. Upon completion of the program, students will have created an original invention to solve a problem of their own choosing.
YIP Grades 3-5 Lesson Plans and Resources
YIP GRADES 6-8 LESSON PLANS AND RESOURCES
ALL NEW! YIP AFTER SCHOOL
YIP After School for Grades K-8
Adapted specifically for the after-school and out-of-school settings such as camps, library programs and other extracurricular activities, YIP After School provides enrichment and exposes students to a meaningful and positive STEM experience in a more condensed and flexible framework that will lead students to develop their own original invention. The curricula relies more heavily on hands-on activities that directly lead to the development of an invention. The culmination of the project may take the form of presentation at a showcase or invention fair event.
YIP After School Plans and Resources
High School YIP for Grades 9-12
The High School YIP curriculum has been totally recreated to challenge and fuel the spark of innovation in our older inventors. Lessons introduce concepts of design, engineering and entrepreneurship by using real world issues as the starting point to dare students to think beyond and imagine a better future. This curriculum blends 21st century skills and social emotional learning as students design novel solutions through careful analysis, creativity, and the scientific method.
YIP HIGH SCHOOL LESSON PLANS AND RESOURCES
ALL NEW! RUBE GOLDBERG MACHINES
YIP Rube Goldberg Machine Units for Grades 3-5 and Grades 6-8
The refined YIP Rube Goldberg Machine curriculum provides an alternative approach to inventing by directing students to design a multi-step contraption. With guidance from Rube Goldberg Machine experts at Zach's Contraptions, this new unit incorpo
rates a more streamlined approach to teaching about simple machines and turning them in to chain reactions. Students are challenged to design a device that is deliberately over-engineered to perform a simple task in a complicated fashion. The Rube Goldberg Machine track guides students away from traditional practices of looking at problems and sends them spinning into the intuitive, chaotic realm of imagination- all while exploring STEM concepts and developing critical 21st century skills in problem-solving, critical thinking, and collaboration. Throughout the experience, they gain self-confidence and feel empowered by their resiliency to push through obstacles.
Students who create Rube Goldberg Machines are eligible to compete in the Northern New England Invention Convention and may be entered into the Rube Goldberg Machine Contest (RGMC) World Championships.
Email: Zach@RubeGoldberg.org for questions or registration.
YIP RUBE GOLDBERG MACHINES for Grades K-3
YIP RUBE GOLDBERG MACHINES FOR GRADES 4-8
2024-2025 Curricula
All YIP curricula are organized into a framework centered on using the steps of the invention process to be led by the educator in-person or virtually for synchronous or asynchronous learning. The culmination of the invention or Rube Goldberg Machine project takes the form of a presentation at a showcase or invention fair event. Resources for educators in all tracks include:
- Lesson Plans with recommendations for virtual learning
- Hands-on and off-screen activities to engage students and apply content in real world contexts
- Resources to complement lesson plans
- Videos to introduce topics and enrich learning
- YIP Inventors’ Journal- NEW versions available for YIPLit, YIP and YIP RGMs. Printed copies provided in YIP Packs, but are also available for download on our Resources Page
