CID Course, GuideBook1-1, Topic 1 System/Subsystems

TRIZ Textbooks: CID Course for Children, 1-1G1
Topic 1. What Does This or That Consists of? (System is a whole, consisting of parts)
Fairy Tales School: Course of Creative Imagination Development (CID), 1st Grade, 1st Semester, Methodical Guide-Book
Natalia V. Rubina, 1999 [published in Russian] English translation by Irina Dolina, May 23, 2000 Technical Editing by Toru Nakagawa, July 12, 2000
Posted in this "TRIZ Home Page in Japan" in English on Jan.30, 2001 under the permission of the Author. (C) N.V. Rubina, I. Dolina, and T. Nakagawa 2001

Workbook of this chapter

Lesson 1

Lesson 2

TOPIC 1: WHAT DOES THIS OR THAT CONSISTS OF?
(System is a whole, consisting of parts)

Workbook

Lesson 1.

1. Warming-up.

In "Card Index to CID classes for the first grade" you will find a detailed list of finger games, games for developing of perception, memory, child's emotional sphere.
"Card Index to CID classes for the first grade" contains the tasks, where one has to match the incompatible.

2. As a homework check-up it might be useful to remember the characters of the Workbook, we were introduced to at the previous lesson.
3. Introduction to a lesson. A riddle, "yes-no" game, a magic trick and others - anything that will interest the kids, involve them into a new topic.

In Flower city the creature has appeared with the following mysterious description:
on a brick two pieces of cloth is hanging, there are knives to scare and to take food placed in it, behind them one may see a pink leaf, at the end there is a black shining button. Everything may have a meaning if you want to. There is a cross-beam, placed on four hairy columns, with a small barrel and a broom with an engine. All is covered by a rug. What is this strange creature?

..........................(a dog)

This "mysterious description" is a result of common work with the kids at one of the classes with a topic "what does this or that consist of?"

To solve this riddle and learn how to devise ones like that you will helped by Little One, who can see in the saddest picture the cheerful sun, who can draw a familiar object in such a way that nobody will recognize it, who can mix the colors to get the color of happiness and sorrow.

Remember what his name is. (Color Tube/ Tyubic)

4. Main topic.

Disassemble the pen on your table. You have got a few parts. Each of them separately can not write letters in a word. If you assemble the parts again, you will be able to write or draw anything.

The kids must realize that any system consists of the parts and has new characteristics. These tasks will help them to understand that.
1. Show the system, with which you can write. What parts do they consist of?
2. Contest: who will name more parts of any system, or who will name more systems, that are in your class-room.
Many kinds of exercises like that can be devised.

A SYSTEM is a whole, containing parts. A system may perform such a work that can not be performed by its separate part.

- Write or draw three systems:
- And now try to give an example of subsystem.
- The air.
- Prove that it is a system.
- It has much dust.
- Right. The air is a mixture of gases.
- A coin.
- It is made of iron, its particles.
- The water.
- Why then is it being cleaned?
- Let's remember: everything that surrounds us are systems
- What about the fire?
- It is hot and smoky. It has heat and smoke.

5. Psychotechnical games have come to CID classes from psychological training, that allow to conduct in a very short period of time a diagnosis and a correction of a kid. Of course, for conducting this serious work we need a consultation with a school psychologist. But what is more important is the fact that the atmosphere at the CID classes should be friendly, that the kids should feel independent and relaxed, should not be afraid of probing and making mistakes.
This game gives the kids a possibility to realize that all the systems, even the most complicated like a human being, consist of the parts. It is especially important to the kids with a kinetic perception as a leading trend; so to say they need to touch things they are studying to understand them better.

We have agreed that everything in the world, consisting of parts, we call a system. We have found out that everything around us are systems. All these dolls - Barby and Ken are also the systems.

     And now there is a task for you. Would you stand up, girls. Imagine your Barby. Which subsystem of this doll do you like best? Ready?
     Now, boys, would you stand up. Imagine your Ken. Which subsystem of Ken do you like best? Ready?
     Try to show the part of the doll you have in your mind with the gestures. You are not allowed to name it out loud. Do not hurry and do not prompt. It is interesting who can express oneself with a language of gestures.

6. Exercises on developing speech skills or producing a creative product.

In this part of the lesson the kids have an opportunity to use their new knowledge, to learn how to invent and to make something new. In this methodical guide and in the "Workbook on CID classes" there are following tasks. You may diversify the lessons, including in them the exercises on origami or any tasks involving the work with natural materials. (It can be ikebana, decoration, needlework, making toys etc.) Keep trying, and what is the most important, you and the kids should realize which CID mechanism in particular helps you to create something new.

Parts of a system are called Subsystems.

Think about a system. What subsystems does it consist of?

Write the subsystems' name	Draw what do they remind you of.
.	.
.	.
.	.

Now cover the left part of the table. You have got a kind of a riddle for mysterious description. Now present your riddle.

The form of doing this exercise may be different. The kids can present their riddles to the whole class or to some of the students. The best riddles are worth noting specially.

Now it's time to present a riddle of an artist. Insert the names of the subsystem, which the artist has made up.

.
a brick

.
two cloths

.
knives

.
a pink leaf

.
a button

.
a cross-beam

.
four columns

.
a small barrel

.
a broom with an engine

.
a rug

7. Summing up.

It is very important in the end of the lesson to mark out once more the main notions, that the kids must remember for using in their further work.

In the riddled compiled by the kids it is necessary to mark out the parts that help to understand what is the thing we are talking about.

Workbook

Lesson 2.

1. Warming -up (Card Index for the first grade)

2. Homework check-up.

Choose on your desk three systems, which have similar parts or subsystems.

3. Introduction to a lesson.

"Yes-no" game.
An Interview with the brothers:
- Are you brothers ?
- Yes.
- Were you born on the same day?
- Yes.
- Are you twins?
- No!
- Why?
(Triplets)

4. Major topic

Emil was asked to write or to draw parts of a cat:

--A system

subsystems

Make two more sketches of your favorite animals (look at the "Workbook on CID for the first class)

This graphical sketch of a system and a subsystem helps the children with a dominating visual perception to imagine an object and its parts, the children with a kinetic orientation, using the sketch, also can better perceive and remember it, the kids with a dominating audio-representative system should be asked to retell how they fill in.

Do you know, why Emil always copes well with the tasks like that? He is helped by his friend the Sorcerer Deli-Davai^*1 (Share and Give). Deli-Davai can disconnect and connect everything.

^*1 (Translation Note:) 'Deli' and 'Davai' in Russian (spelled in Enlgish alphabets) mean 'Share' and 'Give', respectively.

Once Deli-Davai helped to fill in a sketch and Emil began to retell such a funny story that the Magician did not notice that he had mixed up the parts of different animals.

Draw the fantastic animal that Deli-Davai managed to make.

Pay attention to how a kid has coped with this work.
- Simple connection of the parts of the different animals;
- Parts of the different animals are supplemented and changed;
- On the bases of a familiar animal a fantastic animal appeared;
- to complete the elements of the super-system, in which a kid imagine this fantastic animal;.
This projective method may give much interesting information about a kid.

Do you want right now in your exercise to see a portrait of Deli-Davai? Draw a button and a brush on the left and draw on the right what will become if you will connect them.

"DELI-DAVAI":

Deli-Davai and Colabo play in a word-game. Replying to the questions of the Sorcerer, do not forget that the words, like all the systems consist of parts.

- What is there in a sea, in a lake, in a swamp, in a ocean that is not found in a river?²
- A small flock was flying, how many birds were there and what birds were in it?³
- Is there a letter "L" in a brush?⁴
Footnote²
Answer: The letter "O". ^*2
^*2(Translation Note:) These four Russian words (spelled in English alphabets) are 'morye' (sea), 'ozero' (lake), 'boloto' (swamp), and 'okean' (ocean), and have the vowel 'o' in common, whereas the Russian word 'reka' (river) does not have it. In this sense, the answer for the above riddle in English happens to be the letter 'a'.
Footnote³
Answer: The seven owls.^*3
^*3(Translation Note:) A small (flock) in Russian sounds like seven owls, because 'sovsem' (small) sounds like 'sova' (owl) and 'sem' (seven); thus this small flock were "seven owls flock".
Footnote⁴
Answer: For example, the brush is covered with lacquer. ^*4
^*4(Translation Note:) The Russian word 'kistochka' (brush) does not contain the letter "L" by itself. But if the brush is lacquered, the Russian word 'lockerovanaya kistochka' (lacquered brush) contains the letter "L".

5. Psychotechnical and developing games.

This game gives the kids an opportunity to feel themselves one of those systems, which they disassemble. The second part of the game is supposed to set a problem that can be solved by combining the efforts of three or four kids. The kids learn to work in a group. After this game you may hold a discussion or give them an opportunity to express their feelings, thoughts, conclusions in a drawing.

Think about an animal. Show by the gestures, without sounds and words, any recognizable part of this animal.

Split into groups of 3-4 people. Choose any animal of those you have shown them. Show all together how this animal moves and eats. The rest of the kids guess what animal it is.

6. Exercises on developing of speech skills or producing of a creative product.

Tell about the fantastic animal you have thought of. If it consists of a cat and a dog, what will it eat for lunch: cats like mice, and the mice like cheese. What is the way out?

It is more interesting to do this exercise in groups. The teacher has to direct the kids' narration, asking questions.

7. Summing up the topic, check up whether the kids understand how to apply the knowledge that everything in the world consists of the parts.