Activity
Other

Centervention: Body Language Activities Using Telephone Game

For Students 2nd - 5th Standards
In this activity, students will play the game of "Telephone" in two different ways. Students will first play "Telephone" with the traditional version of the the game and then only communicate via their body language.
Handout
PBS

Pbs: American Experience: Joseph Henry Lays Groundwork for the Telephone

For Students 9th - 10th
This is the man who most encouraged Bell to invent the telephone. Bell said, "But for Henry, I never would have gone ahead with the telephone." This is a fascinating account both of Bell's invention and of Henry's life. Half a biography,...
Primary
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: Primary Source Set: Primary Source Set: Telephone Invention

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
This collection uses primary sources to explore the invention of the telephone.
Website
University of Virginia

University of Virginia: Alexander Graham Bell's Path to the Telephone

For Students 9th - 10th
A detailed survey of the invention and evolution of the telephone. This scholarly article includes a Master Map that shows Bell's thought processes as he developed the telephone, with each step linked to more in-depth information. The...
Website
National Museum of Science and Industry (UK)

Ingenious: Do We Need the Telephone?

For Students 9th - 10th
The telephone has been a marvelous technological invention. Its successes, failures, and consequences are looked at in this website.
Article
Other

Your Telephone Speaking Voice

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
This is an article that covers many different telephone skills. It covers the proper answering techniques and the correct way to leave a message.
Website
PBS

Pbs: American Experience: The Telephone

For Students 9th - 10th
The home page to the PBS feature film on the invention of the telephone. The People and Events section has biographies and commentary on the invention of the telephone and its subsequent success. Be sure to click on Gallery for pictures...
Lesson Plan
US National Archives

Nara: Teaching With Documents: Telephone and Light Patent Drawings

For Teachers 9th - 10th
A lesson plan about Alexander Graham Bell's patent for the telephone and Thomas Edison's patent for the electric lamp. Contains good background information and historically pertinent documents. It also discusses the role corporations...
Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: "Today's Telephone" by Barbara Radner

For Students 5th - 6th Standards
A learning module that begins with "Today's Telephone" by Barbara Radner, accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The text can be printed as a PDF or assigned online through free teacher...
Handout
PBS

Pbs: American Experience: The Telephone Goes National

For Students 9th - 10th
This site provides information about the birth of the telephone. The site also discusses AT&T, the first long distance phone call, and the people involved.
Handout
Science Struck

Science Struck: Invention of the Telephone: History and Timeline

For Students 4th - 8th
While the invention of the telephone is usually attributed to Alexander Graham Bell, credit must also be given to others who were working on the concept around the same time. Read about the history of the telephone here. Includes a...
Website
Library of Congress

Loc: Everyday Mysteries: Who Is Credited as Inventing the Telephone?

For Students 9th - 10th
Find out who is credited for the invention of the telephone in this brief history.
Primary
Digital Public Library of America

Dpla: The Invention of the Telephone

For Students 9th - 10th
This primary source set uses physical objects, documents, photographs, and drawings to tell the story of the invention of the telephone and its transformative impact on modern-day communication. Includes a teaching guide.
Article
A&E Television

History.com: Was There Really a "Red Telephone" Hotline During the Cold War?

For Students 9th - 10th
During the height of the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union established a direct communications link to allow their leaders to contact one another in the event of a nuclear crisis or other emergency. This Washington-Moscow...
Article
Amby Duncan-Carr

Amby: Telephone Communications

For Students 9th - 10th
Do you need to make a professional phone call? Before you pick up the phone, explore these telephone skills that allow you to communicate like a pro.
Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Today's Telephone [Pdf]

For Teachers 7th Standards
"Today's Telephone" is a one page, nonfiction, reading passage about the history of the telephone from the telegraph to land-lines, to cell phones. It is followed by questions which require students to provide evidence from the story; it...
Handout
Other

History of Telephone Sets: Graham Bell Invents the Telephone

For Students 9th - 10th
A short summary of how Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922) came to invent the telephone.
eBook
Blackdog Media

Classic Reader: Tom Swift and His Photo Telephone by Victor Appleton

For Students 4th - 8th
Classic Reader provides numerous classic works from famous authors. One work is Tom Swift and His Photo Telephone, an adventure multi-chapter book from 1914, written by the ghost writer Victor Appleton. In this book's quest, the main...
Handout
Then Again

Then Again: Web Chron: Alexander Graham Bell Invents the Telephone

For Students 9th - 10th
This site describes how Bell started out by seeking to help the deaf and ended up with a telephone. It gives brief information about his family and how he came to invent the telephone.
Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Today's Telephone [Pdf]

For Teachers 4th
"Today's Telephone" is a one page, nonfiction, reading passage about the history of telephones from the telegraph, to land-lines, to cell phones. It is followed by questions which require students to provide evidence from the story; it...
Handout
Other

Telephone Skills in French

For Students 9th - 10th
This site offers useful telephone phrases in french. It is perfect for students of french or students who are traveling.
eBook
World Wide School

World Wide School: Etext of "A Telephonic Conversation"

For Students 9th - 10th
This site provides the complete etext for Mark Twain's story, "A Telephonic Conversation."
Website
Great Idea Finder

The Great Idea Finder: Invention of the Telephone

For Students 9th - 10th
The Great Idea Finder provides information on the invention of the telephone by Alexander Graham Bell and its history throughout the years. Links to other sites with information are provided.
Unit Plan
National High Magnetic Field Laboratory

Magnet Academy: Bell Telephone 1876

For Students 9th - 10th
Acoustics, variable resistance and allegations of foul play contribute to the exciting story of the invention of the telephone.

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