New Jersey Historical Commission and New Jersey Council for the Humanities
Thomas Edison: The Wizard of Menlo Park
What would change in your daily life due to a power outage? Here, learners explore the inventions brought to us by the one and only, Thomas Edison, and imagine a day without them. Scholars take part in a grand conversation and write a...
DocsTeach
Patent Analysis: Thomas Edison's Lightbulb
Watch lightbulbs go off in learners' heads as they look at a patent for Thomas Edison's most famous invention. After examining the light bulb patent, young historians speculate on how the invention changed life in the 1880s and its...
DiscoverE
Make a Light Bulb
Could you reinvent the light bulb? Scholars tap into their inner Thomas Edisons to build a light bulb prototype out of a jar and some wires. They see how long the filament wire glows in the jar (batteries not included) to measure their...
History Alive!
Thomas Edison: Inventor, Lecturer and Prankster
It's no small wonder that a lightbulb has come to represent a bright idea. The light bulb, the bright idea of Thomas Edison, was just one of his over 1,000 inventions. A teacher's guide introduces young audiences to works of the man who...
Read Works
Read Works: Famous Inventors Thomas Edison
[Free Registration/Login Required] This short biographical piece shares information about Thomas Edison, the inventor of the phonograph, light bulb, motion picture camera, and more. This passage is a stand-alone curricular piece that...
Read Works
Read Works: Electricity & Energy the Light Bulb
[Free Registration/Login Required] An informational text about the invention and use of the light bulb. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.
Read Works
Read Works: Edison Tried and Tried Again
[Free Registration/Login Required] This biographical passage shares information about Thomas Edison, inventor of the light bulb. This passage is a stand-alone curricular piece that reinforces essential reading skills and strategies and...