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Lesson Plan
National Geographic

National Geographic: American Genius: Perseverance

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students investigate the importance of failure to the process of innovation by investigating several items that were invented by accident. They share one "failure to success" story by creating a 3-panel comic strip poster, and then write...
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Lesson Plan
National Women’s History Museum

National Women's History Museum: Hedy Lamarr

For Students 6th - 8th
Hedy Lamarr was an Austrian-American actress and inventor who pioneered the technology that would one day form the basis for today's WiFi, GPS, and Bluetooth.
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Article
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Mit: Inventor of the Week: Helen Murray Free

For Students 3rd - 8th
Biography of Helen Free, detailing her life as a chemist and inventor who developed many products for consumer use, including a convenient at-home glocose level test.
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Lesson Plan
BioEd Online

Bio Ed Online: The Science of Microbes: Milestones in Microbiology

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students read about six important discoveries in microbiology and put them on a timeline. They develop an understanding of how these discoveries connect to the invention of new scientific tools and technology. The lesson and PowerPoint...
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Website
Other

Pioneers, Inc.: Black Scientists and Inventors

For Students 9th - 10th
Find brief descriptions of the inventions of many African-American inventors in many fields in the 19th century.
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Handout
Other

Black Inventor Online Museum: William Purvis

For Students Pre-K - 1st
Read about the African-American inventor, William Purvis, who improved the fountain pen. Included is a list of his other inventions.
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Lesson Plan
Other

African American Inventors Who've Changed Your Life (Pdf) [Pdf]

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Integrated lesson plan focusing on the contributions that African American inventors have made to modern society. Includes rationale, day by day plan, links, and other information.
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eBook
Other

Edison: His Life and Inventions: The Telephone, Motograph, and Microphone

For Students 9th - 10th
This site offers the text of a book by Frank Dyer and Thomas Martin published in 1929 on the inventions of Thomas Edison. This particular page discusses Alexander Graham Bell's development of the telephone and the controversy over Thomas...
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Handout
Other

Lemelson Center's Invention at Play: Surgical Robot Inventor

For Students 9th - 10th
Read a biography of Akhil Madhani, the inventor of the surgical robot, and about his teleoperated surgical instruments.
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Handout
Other

Edison Birthplace Museum: Patents Granted to Thomas Edison

For Students 9th - 10th
Thomas Edison is one of the world's greatest inventors and has been responsible for more inventions than any other inventor. Here is a chronological listing of the over 1,000 patents he was granted during his lifetime.
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Handout
PBS

Pbs: Who Made America? Willis Carrier

For Students 3rd - 8th
Find information about the life and work of Willis Carrier, the inventor of the air conditioner, at this PBS site devoted to the role of technology in society. Site visitors can locate Carrier on a timeline, along with other...
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Website
Rutgers University

Blueprint for Change: The Life and Times of Lewis H. Latimer

For Students 9th - 10th
An extensive look at the inventor, Lewis Latimer, from the Thomas Edison Papers at Rutgers University. Read essays about his life and inventions, the culture in Boston which encouraged his work, and his life outside his inventions. A...
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eBook
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Mit: Inventor's Handbook: Patents

For Students 9th - 10th
This site has everything you would want to know regarding United States patents is included in this handbook for the "Aspiring entrepreneur."
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Lesson Plan
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: What Edison Teaches Us About Success

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
In this interactive activity, students examine Thomas Edison's character traits and how they contributed to his becoming one of the greatest inventors in history. In this interactive activity, students watch videos to gather evidence...
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Handout
National Inventors Hall of Fame

National Inventors Hall of Fame: Eli Whitney: Cotton Gin

For Students 9th - 10th
Read about Eli Whitney's cotton gin and its importance to the cotton industry.
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Article
BBC

Bbc Newsround: 'Most Waterproof Material' Invented at Mit

For Students Pre-K - 1st
Brief article reports on the creation of the most waterproof material in existence.
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Lesson Plan
Utah Education Network

Uen: Bubble, Bubble, Pop

For Teachers K - 1st
Learn how to make bubble gum from scratch using a bubble gum making kit.
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Unit Plan
Discovery Education

Discovery Education: 3 M Young Scientist Lab: Innovation Exploration

For Students 6th - 8th
Advance your way through everyday life by exploring the science all around you. Click on an innovation within each scene and answer each question to proceed to the next.
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Unit Plan
George Eastman Museum

Eastmanhouse: Inventors in Imaging Technologies

For Students 9th - 10th
See how George Eastman, Thomas Edison, and Wilhelm Roentgen impacted American film history and had inventions that were interrelated.
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Website
Great Idea Finder

Fascinating Facts About Alexander Graham Bell

For Students 3rd - 8th
Fascinating facts about Alexander Graham Bell, the Canadian inventor of the telephone. Incorporated into the site include and 'at a glance' summary of his life, a 'milestones' timeline and a brief summary of his life story. In addition,...
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Website
Great Idea Finder

Great Idea Finder: Lewis Howard Latimer

For Students 9th - 10th
An extensive biography of the life of African-American inventor, Lewis Latimer. Find out about his primary claim to fame in the development of an incandescent light bulb, but be sure to read about his many patents, and his importance to...
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Lesson Plan
Ohio State University

Osu History Teaching Institute: Alexander Graham Bell Primary Source Activity

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders will critically examine primary sources to gain a better understanding of Alexander Graham Bell and the impact of his inventions.
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Website
National Inventors Hall of Fame

National Inventors Hall of Fame: Philo Taylor Farnsworth

For Students 9th - 10th
Invent Now Hall of Fame explores the life and career of the "father of television", Philo Taylor Farnsworth. In 1983, he was honored with a postage stamp bearing his picture.
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Website
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: Kid Inventor: The Collapsible Lacrosse Stick

For Students Pre-K - 1st
In this video segment from ZOOM, Lauren explains how she invented a way to make her lacrosse stick fit in her backpack. [1:09]

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