Ohio History Central
Ohio History Central: James Ritty
Biography of James Ritty, the inventor of the cash register.
Read Works
Read Works: The Go Kart
[Free Registration/Login Required] This fictional passage shares the the story of two boys who work together to build a go-cart. This passage is a stand-alone curricular piece that reinforces essential reading skills and strategies and...
Read Works
Read Works: Great Ideas!
[Free Registration/Login Required] An informational text about some good ideas that became inventions. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.
Read Works
Read Works: Inventions That Changed Our World
[Free Registration/Login Required] An informational text about several different inventions. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.
Read Works
Read Works: Ideas That Pop
[Free Registration/Login Required] An informational text about an invention made by a 10-year-old girl from Texas. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.
Read Works
Read Works: Inventions: Then and Now
[Free Registration/Login Required] Students read about how the telephone, calculator, television, and clock have changed since they were invented. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in comparing and contrasting.
Rutgers University
Guide to Motion Picture Catalogs: The Peephole Kinetoscope
A brief description of the peephole kinetoscope which Thomas Edison unveiled at the Columbian Exhibition in 1893.
Teachnology
Teachnology: Inventors Teaching Theme
A number of worksheets and lessons on inventors and inventing are available here to non-subscribers. There are also many links to other sites with additional materials, including to biographies of well known inventors.
Teachnology
Teachnology: Inventors Teaching Theme
A number of worksheets and lessons on inventors and inventing are available here to non-subscribers. There are also many links to other sites with additional materials, including to biographies of well known inventors.
Smithsonian Institution
National Museum of American History: Things to Do at Home
Families can come together through games designed to make history something fun and integral to family life. Build a sod house like prairie settlers did in the 1800s. Go back in time to visit five families that lived in the same house...
Library of Congress
Loc: Everyday Mysteries: Who Is Credited as Inventing the Telephone?
Find out who is credited for the invention of the telephone in this brief history.
Smithsonian Institution
Lemelson Center: Invention Stories
Six categories of inventions highlight the inventors in those categories and describe their sometimes world-changing inventions. Other inventions are not so critical, but nonetheless fascinating.
Read Works
Read Works: Helping Drivers See Safely
[Free Registration/Login Required] An informational text about the invention of windshield wipers. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.
Other
Business Insider: 20 Everyday Things We Have Because of Nasa
A list of space technologies that have been integrated into common items from invisible braces to memory foam. NASA produces a list like this every year to illustrate the benefits to the program's existence. Click on each item listed to...
Other
Edision Birthplace Museum: Birthplace of Edison
Biographical look at Thomas Edison from the museum of his birthplace. Provides information on his life and his inventions. Also gives a tour of Edison's birthplace.
Science Struck
Science Struck: 32 Easy Isaac Newton Facts for Kids
Provides information about Isaac Newton, his accomplishments, his views on religion, and some interesting facts about him.
Science Struck
Science Struck: A List of Famous Inventors
A long list of famous inventors with some biographical information and descriptions of their inventions.
National Inventors Hall of Fame
National Inventors Hall of Fame: George Eastman
Read a biography of George Eastman and find out how his inventions and innovations revolutionized photography.
Other
Lemelson Center's Invention at Play: Sketch From Bell's Notebook
View a sketch from Bell's notebook from 1876. From a collection Bell's papers at the Library of Congress.
CommonLit
Common Lit: Teenage Inventor Alexis Lewis Thinks That Kids Have the Solutions
A learning module that begins with "Teenage Inventor Alexis Lewis Thinks That Kids Have the Solutions" by Megan Gambino, accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The text can be printed as...
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Mit: Inventor of the Week: Nikola Tesla: The Electro Magnetic Motor
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.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Mit: Invention of the Week: George Eastman
A biography of George Eastman, who revolutionized photography with his innovations in film and photograph development. From the MIT School of Engineering.
CommonLit
Common Lit: Themes: America: What Makes America Unique?
This is a collection of Grade-Leveled texts (3-12) to address the question. "What makes America unique?" Select a grade level and a collection of on grade-level reading passages on the topic comes up. [Free account registration required...
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Mit: Inventor of the Week: James T. Russell
This site provides a biography of James T. Russell, inventor of the compact disk, and the basic ideas behind the technology.