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Handout
Science Struck

Science Struck: Inventions of the 1800s

For Students 9th - 10th
Many modern items were invented in the 1800s. This resource presents a lengthy chronological list of significant inventions from the 1800s and their inventors.
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Unknown Type
Louisiana Department of Education

Louisiana Doe: Louisiana Believes: Social Studies: Grade 4: Inventions and the Great Plains

For Teachers 4th
Read and study the sources about inventions from the late 1800s. As you read the three sources, think about the effects that the inventions had on the American economy.
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Article
A&E Television

History.com: 6 Key Inventions by Thomas Edison

For Students 9th - 10th
Edison's genius was improving on others' technologies and making them more practical for the general public. Thomas Edison applied for his first patent in 1868, when he was just 21 years old. The famous inventor's first brainchild was...
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Handout
Other

African American Inventors and Their Inventions: Granville T. Woods

For Students 9th - 10th
Here is a thorough biography of inventor Granville T. Woods, who is credited with improving railway safety for bot the trains and trainmen. Find out what concepts in railroad safety are still being used today.
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Handout
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Mit: Inventor of the Week: Granville T. Woods: The Multiplex Telegraph

For Students 9th - 10th
A description of Granville Woods' successful invention, the multiplex telegraph, which greatly improved railroad safety. From the Lemelson-MIT Project.
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Article
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Mit: Inventor of the Week: Anna Keichline

For Students 3rd - 8th
At this site from Massachusetts Institute of Technology you can read about inventors, Anna Keichline and Lillian Gilbreth, who sought to make women's lives easier through their household items.
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Activity
Read Works

Read Works: Steps to Inventing

For Teachers 2nd Standards
[Free Registration/Login Required] An informational text listing the four steps kids can follow to become inventors. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.
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Handout
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Mit: Inventor of the Week: Jan Matzeliger

For Students 9th - 10th
Jan Ernst Matzeliger is remembered for his creation that had a tremendous effect on the shoe industry. He was a Surinamese inventor of the "lasting machine," patented in 1883.
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Website
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Mit: Inventor of the Week: Chester Carlson

For Students 9th - 10th
Massachusetts Institute of Technology provides interesting information on Chester F. Carlson, the inventor of the photocopier. The site provides good background on the history of the photocopier, and a photo of Carlson.
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Article
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Mit: Inventor of the Week: R. Buckminster Fuller

For Students 3rd - 8th
Read about the transcendentalist and inventor, R. Buckminster Fuller, who created the geodesic dome.
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Website
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Mit: Inventor of the Week: Hedy Lamarr

For Students 3rd - 8th
Use this site to learn about Hedy Lamarr (1913-2000 CE), the movie actress who "helped the Allies win World War II" through her involvement in inventing "a classified communication system."
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Handout
Science Struck

Science Struck: What Did Albert Einstein Invent

For Students 6th - 8th
Read about some of the significant inventions of Albert Einstein.
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Activity
Science Struck

Science Struck: Brain Stimulating Invention Ideas for 6th Graders

For Students 5th - 7th
Presents some ideas for inventions that 6th graders could try for a science project.
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Handout
Smithsonian Institution

Lemelson Center: Innovative Lives: Stephanie Kwolek and Kevlar, the Wonder Fiber

For Students 9th - 10th
Smithsonian site features Stephanie Kwolek, the inventor of kevlar. Learn about her famous discovery and the road she took to get there. Contains links to read more about women inventors.
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Interactive
Museum of Science

Museum of Science (Boston): Leonardo's Mysterious Machines

For Students 3rd - 8th
A game that showcases the inventive genius of Leonardo da Vinci, who made drawings of helicopters, planes, and tanks long before these machines ever became modern-era realities. Have fun learning about Leonardo's many ideas while you...
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Website
Smithsonian Institution

Smithsonian Libraries: Innovators Gallery

For Students 9th - 10th
Who invented the tennis racket, Crayola Crayons or Tupperware? Smithsonian site invites users to explore the achievements of a variety of American innovators and inventors.
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Handout
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Harcourt: Biographies: Thomas Edison

For Students 9th - 10th
A good description of the inventions and life of this bright and ambitious man. As inventor of the light bulb, phonograph, movie camera and many others, Edison lived a very inspiring life. In Spanish.
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Handout
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Mit: Inventor of the Week: Nikola Tesla: The Electro Magnetic Motor

For Students 3rd - 8th
Use this site to learn about the inventor of the electro-magnetic motor, Nikola Tesla. Find out why Tesla's experimentation with alternating current was so important to later inventions and use of electricity.
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Handout
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Mit: Inventor of the Week: James T. Russell

For Students 3rd - 8th
This site provides a biography of James T. Russell, inventor of the compact disk, and the basic ideas behind the technology.
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Website
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Mit: Inventor of the Week: Wallace Carothers

For Students 9th - 10th
This site from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology contains information on Wallace Hume Carothers and his invention of nylon.
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Handout
National Inventors Hall of Fame

National Inventors Hall of Fame: George Eastman

For Students 9th - 10th
Read a biography of George Eastman and find out how his inventions and innovations revolutionized photography.
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Handout
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Mit: Inventor of the Week: Jonas Salk

For Students 9th - 10th
Read about Jonas Salk and the development of the polio vaccine. This article from the MIT Invention Dimension includes several links to further information on the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis and the Salk Institute for...
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Website
Curated OER

National Park Service: Thomas Edison National Historical Park: Thomas Edison

For Students 9th - 10th
This site includes information about Thomas Edison's inventions and his home and family life. Find a lengthy biography and several sounds from Edison's original phonograph.
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Lesson Plan
Council for Economic Education

Econ Ed Link: Economic Spotter: Inventors and Entrepreneurs in the Industrial Age

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
The Industrial Age has also been called the Age of Edison. Edison patented more than 1000 inventions and gave rise to three industries: electric utilities, phonograph and record companies, and the film industry. This instructional...

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