UNEXPECTED

DISCOVERIES
Lucky invention?

1- What do you know about the invention

of objects that you use everyday?

2- Look at this sculpture made of paper

clips. What skills or qualities do you think
an inventor and the artist who made it
might have in common?
 What do you know about safety glass?
1. What’s the use of it?

2. what makes it safer than

ordinary glass?
 

3. What other applications to 

safety glass can you think of?
How was safety glass invented?
1. What do the safety glass and the sándwich have in common?

Watch the video and check your guess

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rojSImGBjkw
Match the words in bold to their definitions

A) He was pursuing(1) one of his amazing projects when a momentous(2) accident

happened.

B) Benedictus inquiring(3) mind spotted that something unexpected had happened.

C) Immersed in more of his many activities while keeping up with(4) current affairs he
still hadn’t forgotten about his accident.

D) He came up with(4) the idea of a plastic sandwich.

1. _________ v. to be able to understand or deal with something that is happening or changing very fast

2. _________ v. to suggest or think of an idea or plan
3. _________ v. try to do it or achieve it, usually over a long period of time
4. _________ adj. very important because of effects on future events
5. _________ adj. always wanting to learn new things
Match the words in bold to their definitions

A) He was pursuing(1) one of his amazing projects when a momentous(2) accident

happened.

B) Benedictus inquiring(3) mind spotted that something unexpected had happened.

C) Immersed in more of his many activities while keeping up with(4) current affairs he
still hadn’t forgotten about his accident.

D) He came up with(4) the idea of a plastic sandwich.

1. To keep up with v. to be able to understand or deal with something that is happening or changing very fast

2. To come up with v. to suggest or think of an idea or plan
3. To pursue v. try to do it or achieve it, usually over a long period of time
4. Momentous adj. very important because of effects on future events
5. Iquiring adj. always wanting to learn new things
 Pursue keep up with inquiring
come up with momentous

1. As a child, Janice had a lively __________________ mind. He always bombarded

his parents with all kinds of questions.
2. Whether or not to move overseas was a _______________ decision for the family.
3. Julia decided to _______________ a career in television.
4. Leo _______________ a great idea for the ad campaign.
5. I read the papers to __________________ what's happening in the outside world.
 Pursue keep up with inquiring
come up with momentous

1. As a child, Janice had a lively inquiring mind. He always bombarded his parents with
all kinds of questions.
2. Whether or not to move overseas was a momentous decision for the family.
3. Julia decided to pursue a career in television.
4. Leo came up with a great idea for the ad campaign.
5. I read the papers to keep up with what's happening in the outside world.
Who are the subjects of these sentences?

Edouard Benedictus invented the safety glass.

The safety glass was invented by Edouard Benedictus.

Is there any difference in meaning between the two sentences above?

What verbal tenses are being used?

 Passive voice

Subject To be Past participle

The safety glass was invented by Edouard
Benedictus
Let’s practice passive voice:
https://www.english-grammar.at/online_exercises/passive-voice/pa016.htm
Guessing game

1. Write down 2 inventions on a piece of paper (they could be a vehicle, gadget, house
appliance, tool etc)
2. Take turns to describe the inventions to the whole group using the passive voices for
them to guess what it is

It was invented/designed by ... (a person) in... (a country)

It can be found...
It is used to...
It is made of...
 What do you know about divergent thinking?

http://www.creativeeducationfoundation.org/creative-problem-solving/divergent-thinking/
rose
sub

dad

ton

notes

plane

ten
What is your interpretation of this passage? Does it relate
with critical thinking?

“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.”

Robert Frost
1. Do you use maps? When do you use them?
2. What do you think a “happy map” is?
Watch the video and check your guesses

https://www.ted.com/talks/daniele_quercia_happy_maps#t-38873
Think critically
Read the exerpts from Quercia’s talk. Chose the best inference from the statement in bold.

1. “In this single journey, there was no thought of enjoying the road, no pleasure in connecting with nature, no
possibility of looking people in the eyes. And why? Because I was saving a minute out of my commute.”

a) The commute was not very pleasant, so a shorter commute was better.
b) Saving the minute was not as important as he thought.
c) He was surprised that he had saved only one minute.

2. “After that experience, I changed. I changed my research from traditional data-mining to

understanding how people experience the city.”

a) Quercia’s data-mining approach was not a good way to find out about people’s emotions.
b) He felt that his earlier work was very old-fashioned and he wanted to do something new.
c) He didn’t want to work with maps anymore. He wanted to build more games.
Think critically
Read the exerpts from Quercia’s talk. Chose the best inference from the statement in bold.

1. “In this single journey, there was no thought of enjoying the road, no pleasure in connecting with nature, no
possibility of looking people in the eyes. And why? Because I was saving a minute out of my commute.”

a) The commute was not very pleasant, so a shorter commute was better.
b) Saving the minute was not as important as he thought.
c) He was surprised that he had saved only one minute.

2. “After that experience, I changed. I changed my research from traditional data-mining to

understanding how people experience the city.”

a) Quercia’s data-mining approach was not a good way to find out about people’s emotions.
b) He felt that his earlier work was very old-fashioned and he wanted to do something new.
c) He didn’t want to work with maps anymore. He wanted to build more games.
Work with a partner
Quercia quotes Albert Einstein, “Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will
take you everywhere.” Discuss the questions.

1. What do you think that Einstein’s quote means?

2. How does this idea apply Quercia’s happy maps? What didlogic do for him
and his work? What did imagination do?

3. How could Einsten’s ideas apply to Edouard Benedictus’s work on the

safety glass? What did logic doi for him and what did imagination do?
Project
• Make a map of your commute or another route that you
often take.
• Try out a different route, one that is more beautiful,
peaceful or exciting.
• Take some pictures of this new route.
• Prepare a presentation describing the scene and things
you see along the way.
• Compare it to your usual route.