Curated OER
Reading: The Invention of the Popsicle
In this reading comprehension instructional activity, students read a passage about how Popsicles were invented and patented. Students answer 6 multiple choice questions.
Curated OER
Puppy Poop Pouch
Learners create a device to hold dog poop to help keep trails clean. In this animal care instructional activity, students utilize donated fabric to create a couple hundred pouches to help people clean up after their dog....
Curated OER
Applied Science - Built Environment Pre Lab (Morse Code)
Young scholars study communication. In this telegraph lesson, students examine Morse code and the composition of an elementary telegraph circuit. They listen to a presentation and try to create Morse Code messages on a worksheet. This...
Curated OER
Reflection on the Long Term
Young scholars write about how they should not get discouraged if they don't see results in the short term, because it will pay off in the long term. In this short and long term lesson plan, students discuss quotes and read passages...
Other
Explain That Stuff: Inventors and Inventions
Inventing isn't just about coming up with a great idea; that's the easy part! There's also the matter of turning an idea into a product that sells enough to recoup the cost of putting it on the market. And there's the ever-present...
Other
Edison Birthplace Museum: Patents Granted to Thomas Edison
Thomas Edison is one of the world's greatest inventors and has been responsible for more inventions than any other inventor. Here is a chronological listing of the over 1,000 patents he was granted during his lifetime.
US National Archives
Nara: Teaching With Documents: Telephone and Light Patent Drawings
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...
Rutgers University
Thomas Edison Papers: Latimer's Patents
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....
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Mit: Inventor's Handbook: Patents
This site has everything you would want to know regarding United States patents is included in this handbook for the "Aspiring entrepreneur."
National Inventors Hall of Fame
National Inventors Hall of Fame Inductees
The National Inventors Hall of Fame (NIHF) recognizes the enduring legacies of exceptional U.S. patent holders. Inventors not only create new inventions, but they can create new industries that employ millions of people. Their...
Other
Black Inventor Online Museum: Lewis Latimer
The biography of the fascinating African-American inventor, Lewis Latimer. In addition to finding out about his development of the carbon filament for the incandescent lamp, you can read about his expertise in patent law, his association...
Other
Black Inventor Online Museum: Jan Matzeliger
A very complete biography of African-American inventor, Jan Matzeliger, who developed the shoe-lasting machine. Read about the development of his invention, and see pictures of the machine and the patent drawing.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Mit: Inventor of the Week: James T. Russell
This site provides a biography of James T. Russell, inventor of the compact disk, and the basic ideas behind the technology.
National Inventors Hall of Fame
National Inventors Hall of Fame: Eli Whitney: Cotton Gin
Read about Eli Whitney's cotton gin and its importance to the cotton industry.
Smithsonian Institution
Lemelson Center: Spark!lab: Inventor Profiles: Charlotte Cramer Sachs
Charlotte Cramer Sachs held the patents on many inventions. She invented quick baking products such as Joy muffin mixes, as well as accessories for dogs and musical games. One invention was a precursor to the retractable dog leash. A...
Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Libraries:industrial Drawings at the Smithsonian: Doodles & Drafts
Drawing is a key element in an inventor's skill set. When it comes to the working out of new ideas, inventors turn to pencil and paper. Mixing art and science, this exhibition site showcases a collection of industrial drawings that...
University of Virginia
University of Virginia: Jefferson as an Inventor
This section of a larger site on Thomas Jefferson discusses his involvement in the development of the patent system. Here, read about Jefferson's committment to science and his role as an inventor.
US National Archives
Nara: Teaching With Documents: Glidden's Patent Application for Barbed Wire
This article from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), describes how barbed wire was important for ranchers in the West in the 1800s and how Joseph Glidden improved the original patent for barbed wire.
National Inventors Hall of Fame
National Inventors Hall of Fame: Louis Pasteur
This site provides general information on Louis Pasteur (1822-1895 CE) and his patent number 135,245. The site also describes how he created pasteurization.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Mit: Inventor of the Week: Philo Farnsworth
Crack open a present day television today and it may not be as apparent, but every television designer is aware of the name Philo Farnsworth. Find out about the man behind the first all electric television among the 299 other patents...
Other
Patent Museum: Egg Beater: Willis Johnson 1884
A brief description to the patent filing and an excerpt from the patent request that Willis Johnson filed for his improvements in the egg beater. Included are drawings submitted with the patent request.
Other
Black Inventor Online Museum: William Purvis
Read about the African-American inventor, William Purvis, who improved the fountain pen. Included is a list of his other inventions.
National Inventors Hall of Fame
National Inventors Hall of Fame: Thomas Alva Edison
This site honorsThomas Alva Edison as a historic inventor and focuses attention on his invention of the electric lamp.
Other
Eli Whitney Museum: Eli Whitney
This is the Eli Whitney Museum online. Provides information on the inventor, his product, his factory, and much more. Also provides information on the museum itself. Flashpoint not needed, but recommended.