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Website
Smithsonian Institution

Lemelson Center: Thomas Edison's Inventive Life

For Students 9th - 10th
This site is a complete resource for learning about Edison's life, his inventions, and electricity. If you like experimenting, there are instructions included for how to make your own light bulb. Good photos.
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Graphic
Library of Congress

Loc: Map Collections 1500 2002

For Students 9th - 10th
This collection provides maps dating back to 1500 up to the present. The collection includes: cities, towns, discovery and exploration, conservation and environment, military battles, cultural landscapes, transportation, communication,...
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Lesson Plan
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: Thomas Edison: Inventor and Entrepreneur

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Through a video and primary source activities, students will learn about Edison's remarkable business of innovation and some of his 1,093 patented devices.
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Handout
Vassar College

Vassar College: 1896: Populist Party Platform

For Students 9th - 10th
This 1896, Website of Political Cartoons page presents the People's (Populist) Party platform of 1896. The platform discusses the finances, railroads and telegraphs, the public lands, the referendum, the territories, public salaries,...
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Activity
PBS

Pbs: American Experience: Rescue at Sea

For Students 9th - 10th
Companion website to the PBS documentary on the collision of two ships in 1909 and the reliance on the newly invented telegraph for rescue.
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Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Today's Telephone [Pdf]

For Teachers 4th
"Today's Telephone" is a one page, nonfiction, reading passage about the history of telephones from the telegraph, to land-lines, to cell phones. It is followed by questions which require students to provide evidence from the story; it...
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Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Today's Telephone [Pdf]

For Teachers 7th Standards
"Today's Telephone" is a one page, nonfiction, reading passage about the history of the telephone from the telegraph to land-lines, to cell phones. It is followed by questions which require students to provide evidence from the story; it...
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Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: The Civil War: The Nation Moves Toward War

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Examine the causes of the Civil War using primary source documents. This lesson plan gives background on the Civil War, includes a timeline, and a bibliography for further reading. Primary source documents include music, newspapers,...
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Handout
National High Magnetic Field Laboratory

Magnet Academy: Timeline of Electricity and Magnetism: 1830 1839

For Students 9th - 10th
The first telegraphs are constructed and Michael Faraday produces much of his brilliant and enduring research into electricity and magnetism, inventing the first primitive transformer and generator.
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Article
OpenStax

Open Stax: Catherine Schmidt Jones: Message Drums

For Teachers Pre-K - 1st
How did various cultures communicate before the invention of the telephone, email or telegraph? Discover the use of message drums in this lesson plan.
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Unit Plan
National High Magnetic Field Laboratory

Magnet Academy: Carl Friedrich Gauss

For Students 9th - 10th
Although he is best known as one of the greatest mathematicians of all time, Carl Friedrich Gauss was also a pioneer in the study of magnetism and electricity. To facilitate an extensive survey of terrestrial magnetism, he invented an...
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Handout
Wikimedia

Wikipedia: Guillermo Marconi

For Students 9th - 10th
This site chronicles the father of wireless communication. Examines his life and how his accomplishments affected both society and warfare.
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Handout
Other

Bhra: Granville Woods

For Students 9th - 10th
Read this homage to Granville Woods, whose inventions and improvements to the railway system not only made railroad travel safer, but also made the New York City railway system a possibility.
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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
National High Magnetic Field Laboratory

Magnet Academy: Timeline of Electricity and Magnetism: 1850 1869

For Students 9th - 10th
The Industrial Revolution is in full force, Gramme invents his dynamo and James Clerk Maxwell formulates his series of equations on electrodynamics.
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Handout
Science Struck

Science Struck: Invention of the Telephone: History and Timeline

For Students 4th - 8th
While the invention of the telephone is usually attributed to Alexander Graham Bell, credit must also be given to others who were working on the concept around the same time. Read about the history of the telephone here. Includes a...
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Handout
Black Past

Black Past: Woods, Granville T.

For Students 9th - 10th
A fascinating encyclopedia article about Granville Woods, a black inventor,often referred to as the "black Edison."
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Handout
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Harcourt: Biographies: Samuel F. B. Morse

For Students 3rd - 8th
An account of Samuel Morse's life and career, with links to related information. Uses popups for photos.
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Handout
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Harcourt: Biographies: Samuel F. B. Morse

For Students 3rd - 8th
An account of Samuel Morse's life and career, with links to related information.
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Website
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Harcourt: Biographies: Granville T. Woods

For Students 9th - 10th
A fascinating biography of Granville T. Woods. It tells of his impact on railroad transportation, and how some of his inventions are still used today. Links with additional information are also available.
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Handout
Civil War Home

Home of the American Civil War: Transportation and Commerce in the Civil War

For Students 9th - 10th
From "The Civil War Day by Day" by E.B. Long comes this informative article about the different types of transportation that were used in the Civil War and why each had its importance.
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Website
World War 1

Worldwar1.com: Trenches on the Web: Timeline: Index

For Students 9th - 10th
A timeline of events that influenced the eventual outbreak of World War I. Many of the events have links to articles or more in-depth timelines.
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Lesson Plan
National Endowment for the Humanities

Neh: Edsit Ement: Was There an Industrial Revolution?

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
This lesson plan from EDSITEment discusses the actual factors leading to the Industrial Revolution in the post-civil war era. Contains many links to primary source materials.
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Website
Digital History

Digital History: Resistance to Technological Innovation

For Students 9th - 10th
Hinderances to technological advances included poor education and hostility to innovation and experimentation. See how this opposition was overcome by the many smalltime tinkerers and inventors who ignited people's interest in technology.

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