Article
A&E Television

History.com: 5 Iconic Mashup Inventions That Have Stood the Test of Time

For Students 9th - 10th
The clock radio, multi-tool pocket knife, and smartphone are all examples of mashup inventions: the combination of two or more ideas in a different configuration to create something new and productive, says Bernie Carlson, a history...
Website
University of Groningen

American History: Outlines: Inventions and Resource Development

For Students 9th - 10th
Outline of the burgeoning inventions and discoveries that characterized a second industrial revolution in the U.S. during the later half of the 19th Century.
Handout
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Mit: Inventor of the Week: Robert Moog

For Students 3rd - 8th
Robert Moog fused his love music and electronics when he invented the synthesizer. This website includes background information on the creation of the synthesizer and provides several links.
Handout
Science Struck

Science Struck: 41 Smart Inventions of the 1920s

For Students 3rd - 8th
Provides descriptions of many well-known innovations that were invented in the 1920s.
Handout
Science Struck

Science Struck: 8 Albert Einstein Inventions That Impacted the World

For Students 9th - 10th
Describes the refrigerator invented by Einstein and many of his discoveries in physics.
Handout
Science Struck

Science Struck: Famous Scientists and Their Inventions

For Students 9th - 10th
A long list of scientists and their world-changing inventions.
eBook
OpenStax

Open Stax: Industrialization and Big Business, 1870 1900: Inventors of the Age

For Students 11th - 12th
In the Industrial Revolution, new products and inventions spurred the growth of big business. Learn about some of these inventions and the people who created them, for example, Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Edison.
Handout
Smithsonian Institution

Lemelson Center: Percy Spencer: Microwave Inventor

For Students 9th - 10th
Read about the moment Percy Spencer discovered how microwaves heated objects. This discovery led to the invention of the microwave oven.
Handout
Other

American Artifacts: The Imaginative Inventor

For Students 9th - 10th
Just for fun. A website with a list of strange inventions by would-be entrepreneurs. Click on any to see a picture and description of the device.
Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: Teenage Inventor Alexis Lewis Thinks That Kids Have the Solutions

For Students 7th - 8th
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...
Website
Vassar College

1896: Inventions

For Students 9th - 10th
A brief recounting of the influx of inventions in the late 19th century that flooded the market. Of particular interest is the description of the use of hot air balloons.
Website
Smithsonian Institution

Lemelson Center: Invention Process

For Students 9th - 10th
Through a number of articles, stories and research we learn about the invention process, including communicating your ideas, staying resilient when things go wrong.
Handout
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Mit: Invention of the Week: Alexander Graham Bell

For Students 3rd - 8th
This site provides a biographical sketch of Alexander Graham Bell and his inventions. Find out about Bell's patents in addition to the telephone.
Unit Plan
Have Fun With History

Have Fun With History: Science and Invention

For Students 9th - 10th
Module with links to resources and videos on science, inventions and technology of the 19th and 20th Centuries that changed the course of American history.
Article
University of Houston

University of Houston: Engines of Our Ingenuity: No. 326: Colonial Women Inventors

For Students 9th - 10th
Provides information on two Colonial women inventors. This is a transcript of an accompanying radio broadcast.
Interactive
PBS

Pbs Kids: How to Be an Inventor

For Students K - 1st
Part of the Real Stories series from "Martha Speaks," this read-along story teaches young children how easy it is to be an inventor.
eBook
PBS

Pbs Kids: Martha Speaks: Super Inventions

For Students K - 1st
In this interactive story, learn how animal abilities have inspired inventions over the years.
Article
Text Project

Text Project: Fyi for Kids: Young Inventors: Chester Greenwood [Pdf]

For Students 1st - 3rd
This magazine article explains how Chester Greenwood invented ear warmers when he was 15 years old.
Handout
Other

United States Patent and Trademark Office: The Cycle of Invention

For Students 9th - 10th
Read about the cycle of invention where one invention inspires someone to create another one.
Unit Plan
TED Talks

Ted: Ted Ed: How Super Glue Was Invented: Moments of Vision 8

For Students 9th - 10th
Today, super glue is a nearly indispensable household item - but its incredibly sticky nature almost caused it to be abandoned in the development phase - twice. Jessica Oreck shares the wartime origins of this sticky substance. [1:53]
Interactive
Other

Up to Ten: The History of Inventions

For Students 3rd - 5th
Place the inventions on the interactive timeline in chronological order to advance to the next level.
Website
PBS

Pbs: They Made America

For Students 9th - 10th
Companion site to the four-part series on looking at America through inventors. Focuses on inventors from the early days of the country to modern day. From Robert Fulton and Samuel Colt, to Ted Turner and Russell Simmons, this site...
Website
Great Idea Finder

The Great Idea Finder: Qwerty Keyboard Invention

For Students 9th - 10th
Where did the idea of the QWERTY keyboard come from? Read about typewriter inventor, Christopher Sholes, and how he came up with his idea of a new keyboard design way back in 1875. Additional links to related sites, fascinating facts,...
Website
PBS

Pbs Teachers: Inventions

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Investigate past and present inventions, and use the tape player as an example to explore issues inventors must deal with, including patents, theft and technological obsolescence. Use the scientific method to choose, design and develop...

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