Francis Bacon
Bacon Academy · Grade 1 · Module D

Imagineering

Curiosity — "Invent with a purpose, learn to draw"

Thought Question to Ponder

"If you could invent one animal that doesn't exist yet, what job would it do in nature?"

Posted Week 1 · left open · answered aloud by students on Week 6, Day 5
Standing Teacher Practice — Fact vs. Guess

An invention can be pretend, but a good one still follows real rules already learned — it needs to eat, move, and survive somehow. A feature added "because it looks cool" gets the same gentle question as any other guess: "Does that actually help it do its job, or is that just decoration?" This directly echoes Bacon's own preference for usefulness over ornament.

How the day is structured →
  • Morning Circle — theme check-in
  • Outdoor Inspiration Walk (was Outdoor Observation/Colony Watch) — real animals studied for what job they do in nature
  • Movement / Free Play
  • Invention Studio (was Sketch/Storytelling Practice) — drawing an invented animal, grounded in real function
  • Story / Read-Aloud
  • Lunch + unstructured outdoor time
  • Rest / quiet time
  • Second Block — project/synthesis time
  • Closing Circle — share out
The Six Weeks
Week 1Imagination Needs a Job

invention starts from usefulness, not just wild ideas.

Day 1
  • Morning Circle: introduce the Big Question, no discussion yet. Outdoor: find a real animal, identify its "job" in nature (bees pollinate, worms aerate soil). Invention Studio: skip drawing — oral brainstorm on jobs that might not have an animal doing them yet. Story: a read-aloud about an inventor or "helper" animal. Second Block: sort ideas into "this job already exists in nature" vs. "nobody does this yet, that we know of." Closing: share one job idea.
Day 2
  • Outdoor: find another real animal, identify its job. Invention Studio: begin sketching an invented animal to fill one of yesterday's open jobs. Story: nonfiction on animal adaptations serving specific jobs. Second Block: dictate what job their animal does. Closing: share.
Day 3
  • Outdoor: notice how a real animal's body helps it do its job (a woodpecker's beak). Invention Studio: add a body feature to the invented animal that helps it do its job. Story: read-aloud on form-follows-function. Second Block: fact vs. guess — does the feature actually help, or is it just for looks? Closing: share.
Day 4
  • Outdoor: observe camouflage or protection in real animals. Invention Studio: add a protection feature. Story: read-aloud. Second Block: dictate why their animal needs that protection. Closing: share.
Day 5
  • Outdoor: free walk, gather more inspiration. Invention Studio: refine the drawing. Story: recap. Second Block: share draft inventions with the class. Closing: revisit Big Question — still marinating.
Week 2Where Would It Live?

an invented animal needs a habitat suited to it, not an arbitrary one.

Day 1
  • Introduce: every invented animal needs a place suited to it. Outdoor: closely observe a real habitat (pond, meadow, forest edge). Invention Studio: decide where their animal would live and why. Story: habitat-themed nonfiction. Second Block: dictate the habitat reasoning. Closing: share.
Day 2
  • Outdoor: compare two different habitats. Invention Studio: adjust features to fit the chosen habitat (gills if underwater, etc.). Story: read-aloud. Second Block: fact vs. guess — does the feature actually work there? Closing: share.
Day 3
  • Outdoor: notice what an animal eats in its habitat (light food-chain intro). Invention Studio: decide what the invented animal eats and how it gets food. Story: a food-chain picture book. Second Block: dictate the feeding plan. Closing: share.
Day 4
  • Outdoor: notice how animals interact in the same habitat (predator/prey, cooperation). Invention Studio: decide who else lives near their animal — friend or threat. Story: read-aloud. Second Block: dictate the relationship. Closing: share.
Day 5
  • Outdoor: free habitat walk. Invention Studio: draft a full habitat scene around the invented animal. Story: recap. Second Block: share habitat scenes. Closing: marinating nudge.
Week 3Drawing It to Life

deepen drawing craft — proportion, texture, purposeful color — applied to the invented subject.

Day 1
  • Introduce proportion basics. Invention Studio: redraw the animal with attention to proportion. Story: an art-technique picture book. Second Block: kind peer feedback — one thing noticed. Closing: share.
Day 2
  • Introduce adding texture (scales, fur, feathers). Invention Studio: add texture details. Story: read-aloud. Second Block: dictate texture choices and why. Closing: share.
Day 3
  • Introduce purposeful color (camouflage or warning colors, not just favorites). Invention Studio: color the animal with purpose. Story: nonfiction on color in nature. Second Block: fact vs. guess — does the color choice make sense for habitat and job? Closing: share.
Day 4
  • Introduce simple background/scene drawing. Invention Studio: add a habitat background. Story: read-aloud. Second Block: share progress. Closing: share.
Day 5
  • Invention Studio: full polish pass — proportion, texture, color, and background together. Story: recap. Second Block: mini gallery walk. Closing: revisit Big Question, evidence building.
Week 4Giving It a Story

connect back to Module B's storytelling skill — narrate the invented animal doing its job.

Day 1
  • Invention Studio: none new — focus shifts to story. Story: a read-aloud modeling a simple animal-adventure story. Second Block: dictate a one-sentence story starter about the invented animal at work. Closing: share.
Day 2
  • Second Block: build the story's middle — what problem does the animal solve using its job? Story: read-aloud. Closing: share.
Day 3
  • Second Block: build the ending — how does solving the job help others? Story: read-aloud. Closing: share.
Day 4
  • Second Block: rehearse telling the full story with the drawing as a visual aid. Story: read-aloud. Closing: share.
Day 5
  • Second Block: polish the story; prep to present drawing and story together. Story: recap. Closing: marinating nudge.
Week 5Peer Review as Scientists

apply Fact vs. Guess to their own invention, from peers — light-touch peer review.

Day 1
  • Introduce: real inventors and scientists show ideas to others to check them — not mean, just how ideas get stronger. Second Block: pairs share invention + story; partner asks "does this make sense for its job and habitat?" Story: read-aloud on scientists checking each other's work. Closing: share what a partner noticed.
Day 2
  • Second Block: revise one thing based on partner feedback. Story: read-aloud. Closing: share.
Day 3
  • Second Block: small-group review circles (3-4), same process. Story: nonfiction. Closing: share.
Day 4
  • Second Block: final revision pass from all feedback gathered. Story: recap. Closing: share.
Day 5
  • Second Block: full-class gallery walk of every invention with its story attached. Story: recap the module. Closing: marinating nudge.
Week 6Big Question Week

finalize and present the full invention — drawing, job, habitat, and story together.

Day 5 (Fri) — Big Question Share-Out
  • Morning Circle: reintroduce the Big Question one final time.
  • Second Block: Share-Out — each child presents their invented animal, its job, its habitat, and its story.
  • Closing Circle: celebrate the module; preview Module E (Storytelling).
In Development — this module's day-shape and pacing are being refined with an experienced early-elementary educator before being finalized.
← Communities Grade 1 Home Storytelling →