Results Page: 81

Inventions 1: Edison and the Light Bulb

This lesson is the first of a two-part series on technology and inventions. Students are introduced to the world of technology and inventions and how its ongoing development continues to affect all aspects of living—in both good and potentially bad ways.

In Inventions 1: Edison and the Light Bulb, students learn how inventions are created to solve problems or improve the way things are done. The improvement of the incandescent light bulb by Thomas Edison is used as an example.

Found in: 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, February, Kindergarten, Science, Technology, Visual Arts

Inventions 2: The Impact

This lesson is the second of a two-part series on technology and inventions. Students are introduced to the world of inventions and how their ongoing development continues to affect all aspects of living—in both good and potentially bad ways.

Found in: 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, February, Kindergarten, Science, Social Studies

Inventors and Innovators

The study of science as an intellectual and social endeavor—the application of human intelligence in figuring out how the world works—should have a prominent place in any curriculum that has science literacy as one of its aims.

This investigation focuses on inventions because it allows students to explore some of the more practical applications of the scientific enterprise. Even at points in American history when women and minorities were excluded from the formal scientific enterprise, ordinary people from all walks of life contributed to science and technology as inventors of products that we use everyday. This is important because children in early adolescence need to see science-related careers as a real option for themselves.

Found in: 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, February, Language Arts, Science, Technology

Tesla: Inside the Lab

Students will be fascinated to learn about the brilliant inventions of Nikola Tesla. To begin the exploration of these inventions, students can click on either the AC Motor, Tesla Coil, Radio, Remote Control, or improved lighting icons to get general information about these technological advances. These icons will bring up a “pop-up box” of general information on the top, right-hand side of the screen; each “pop-up box” has a “Learn More” icon at the bottom that students can click on to get more in-depth information. Underneath the five picture icons, there are two more icons on the bottom of this site where the students can take a virtual tour of Tesla’s Niagara power system and/or master the fundamentals of electricity!

Found in: 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, February, Holidays, Language Arts, Science, Technology, Visual Arts

Thomas Edison for Kids

By studying the inventions and reading the biography of Thomas Edison, students will develop a broader view of technology and how it is both like science and unlike science. This is important because students typically do not distinguish between an engineering model of experimentation, where the goal is to produce a desirable outcome, and the scientific model of experimentation, where the goal is to understand the relation between cause and effect.

Found in: 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, February, History, Language Arts, Science, Social Studies