Important Inventions Teacher Resources

Use this lesson plan to discuss inventions that have changed your class's world and have impacted society. Middle schoolers investigate important inventions of their time and design an invention in a simulated business atmosphere. Modify...

The Industrial Revolution led to technological inventions we still use today. A video presentation explains the important inventions of the Industrial Revolution. Instruction includes a thorough discussion of the advancement of the...

Try out a writing prompt that is great for a warm-up or an in-depth research project! Have kids describe an important invention and trace its development over the years. Use the writing prompt in a language arts class, social studies...

Define the Changes in government rule that lead to some of China's most important inventions. The class explores the rise of the Tang and Song Dynasties, the first female ruler Wu Zhao, and inventions such as gunpowder, porcelain, and...

The printing process was a technological innovation that revolutionized the modern world. Your learners with visual impairments can experience this process by creating a print by using letterpress printing. They use cardboard, glue, and...

Students research inventor Thomas Edison finding his discoveries and the challenges he overcame. They compile a list of Edison's most important inventions and their dates. They explain why they think each invention was important. They...

Students examine the way various inventions have changed their lives. As a class, they create a timeline of the most important inventions during their lifetime and another timeline of how old they were when it was invented. ...

In this writing prompt worksheet, students learn that October 6, 1889 was the day Thomas Edison showed the first motion picture using a Kinetoscope. Students write about whether they think the invention was the most important invention...

Students review a list of important inventions from the last century and a half. They order the top ten inventions with an explanation accompanying their choices and then write a report on a selected invention.

In this inventions worksheet, students fill out a timeline with what they think are the most important inventions in the years between 1900 and 2000.

Middle schoolers explore how science and technology interact. They discuss important inventions, discoveries and technologies. They research a specific technological advance, or invention, and prepare a presentation that includes...

Eighth graders research the impact of particular inventions on various times throughout history. They compile information from the Internet and a database to create a multimedia timeline of important inventions. The program Timeliner is...

Students research important inventions from the last two hundred years. They explore how one invention relates to another and summarize their research in a written report and visual presentation.

In this creative thinking worksheet, students identify and list nine of the best and most important inventions ever created. Then they list nine of the not so good inventions. Finally, students list three of their personal favorites.

Fourth graders research important inventions from the second half of the Industrial Revolution. They summarize their research and then write and publish a newspaper style article.

Students examine cotton production and milling. They compete in a hand-ginning contest to realize how difficult it was to separate the seeds from the fibers of cotton. They discuss why Eli Whitney's cotton gin was an important invention.

Explore the inventions of the past with a project on ancient tools. After reading an article about hunting during the Archaic period, the Late Prehistoric period, and the Historic period, kids fill in a cause-and-effect chart about the...

What will flying look like in the future? The 21st lesson in a 22-part unit on aviation reviews the major aspects of the lesson. Pupils brainstorm ideas of a future flying machine.

Thomas Alva Edison may be one of the most well-known scientists to elementary or middle schoolers. Use his story to show that he invented more than just the light bulb and to inspire youngsters to work hard! You could use this on the...

Have you ever played the game Monopoly? Do you know what it takes to win the game correctly? Scholars research the nature of outlawing monopolies in the United States while controlling trade. They investigate the court case Gibbons v....

Students examine and discuss the inventions and changes created by the Industrial Revolution. They create posters or clay models about inventions, write paragraphs about the advantages and disadvantages of the changes, and develop a...

In this online interactive history worksheet, students respond to 10 short answer and essay questions about the accomplishments of Thomas Edison. Students may check some of their answers on the interactive worksheet.

Students discover the history of Ancient China, specifically the period beginning with the Qin Dynasty and ending with the fall of the Ming Dynasty. They study the building of the Great Wall and the defeat of the Great Khans.

Studnets discover how the Industrial Revolution came to be in the United States. In this technological advancements instructional activity, students research creations by Henry Ford, the Wright Brothers, and Thomas Edison. Students...