Interactive
PBS

Pbs: Technology at Home

For Students 3rd - 8th
Travel back in time to find out when everyday items such as a computer, radio, or telephone first appeared in homes. You can also connect to links about the people who invented these items.
Handout
PBS

Who Made America? Alexander Graham Bell

For Students 9th - 10th
From a PBS series, They Made America, comes this biography of Alexander Graham Bell and his invention of the telephone. Read about his development of the telephone and research into the sound.
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.
Lesson Plan
University of Illinois

University of Illinois Extension: Character Education "I Would Invent"

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Excellent resource for empowering students to become better learners. This lesson includes encouraging students to develop an interest in science, to promote critical thinking skills, and to enhance reading and writing skills.
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.
Activity
Smithsonian Institution

National Museum of American History: Things to Do at Home

For Students 9th - 10th
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...
Article
Stanford University

Stanford: Bioengineering Boot Camp Draws Young and 'Fearless' Talent

For Students 9th - 10th
Learn about the cutting edge inventions being brought about by teens at Stanford University's bioengineering boot camp for high school students.
Primary
Rutgers University

Thomas Edison Papers: Latimer's Patents

For Students 9th - 10th
Find a list of patents issued to African-American inventor, Lewis Latimer, to him individually or with another inventor. Clicking on the invention takes you a diagram of the invention as well as its description submitted to the U.S....
Handout
Science Museum, London

Science Museum Online Stuff: Garrett Morgan

For Students 9th - 10th
An excellent article about inventor Garrett Morgan including information about his two life-saving inventions: the Safety Hood, an early gas mask, and the traffic light.
Website
Other

Robert C. Williams Museum of Papermaking: Virtual Tour

For Students 9th - 10th
Take a virtual tour of the Robert C. Williams Museum of Papermaking, and learn about the history of writing in ancient civilizations, the invention of paper, the spread to Europe, the impact it had, how paper is made, the evolution of...
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.
Handout
Other

World Wide Web Consortium: Tim Berners Lee Answers

For Students 3rd - 5th
Doing a report? Want to figure out how the web works? Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor and creator of the World Wide Web, offers answers to some frequently asked questions about himself and his invention.
Website
Other

James Hargreaves

For Students 3rd - 8th
The life and work of James Hargreaves, the inventor of the spinning jenny that revolutionized the English textile industry and brought on the Industrial Revolution.
Website
Other

Green Living Answers: History of Hybrid Vehicles

For Students 9th - 10th
What do you know about the invention and the history of hybrid cars? Here's a look at its beginnings in the early 1900's, modifications made over time, various kinds of hybrids, and finally, the events that lead to the present growth and...
Handout
Wikimedia

Wikipedia: Nikola Tesla

For Students 9th - 10th
An in-depth biography of inventor Nikola Tesla. Discusses his many inventions, his troubles with obsessive-compulsive disorder, and information on his multitude of patents.
Lesson Plan
BioEd Online

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

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers 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...
Handout
Curated OER

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

For Students 9th - 10th
Here is a very detailed biography of Thomas Edison ranging from his boyhood and his work as a telegrapher, moving on to his invention of the phonograph and incandescent light bulb, and finally, a description of his laboratories where he...
Activity
Other

Images Si Inc: Geiger Counter

For Students 9th - 10th
An image of a Geiger Counter and definitions of the types of rays a counter can detect, alpha, beta and gamma. Includes inventor and date of invention. Continue on "Next," page for even more info.
Handout
Microscopy UK

Microscopy Uk: Robert Hooke: Father of Modern Science and an Unsung Hero

For Students 9th - 10th
An excellent biography, including all major periods of Robert Hooke's life, works, inventions, career, and even his battle with Newton.
Website
Smithsonian Institution

Smithsonian Libraries: Industrial Drawings

For Students 9th - 10th
Smithsonian site enlightens users in the field of Industrial Engineering by inviting them to view samples of industrial drawings. Some are working drawings, others are more finished and still, others are printed. They visually document...
Handout
National Women’s History Museum

National Women's History Museum: Anna Wagner Keichline

For Students 9th - 10th
A biographical look at the life of Anna Wagner Keichline - architect, inventor, suffragist, and World War I Special Agent.
Website
Other

Leonardo Da Vinci the Complete Works

For Students 9th - 10th
View over 100 of Leonardo's paintings, drawings, and inventions. You can conduct searches, watch slideshows, or view page by page. Also includes an extensive biography and many features that make finding and bookmarking your favorite...
Handout
National Inventors Hall of Fame

National Inventors Hall of Fame: Thomas Fogarty: Emolectomy Catheter

For Students 9th - 10th
Learn about Thomas Fogarty, inventor of the embolectomy catheter, a "device [that] allows a thin balloon to be inserted into a patient's artery and guided through an occlusion." Read about the invention's impact and the inventor's career.
Handout
National Inventors Hall of Fame

National Inventors Hall of Fame: Wilson Greatbatch: Medical Cardiac Pacemaker

For Students 9th - 10th
Learn about the inventor of the medical cardiac pacemaker, Wilson Greatbatch. This site provides a brief bio on Greatbatch, information on the invention's impact, and a portrait of the inventor.

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