Interactive
Curated OER

Thomas Edison

For Students 10th - 12th
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.
Interactive
Curated OER

Thomas Edison

For Students 7th - 12th
In this online interactive history quiz learning exercise, students respond to 25 multiple choice questions about Thomas Edison. Students may submit their answers to be scored.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Necessity Is the Mother of Invention

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders explore the inventions of Thomas Edison. They, in groups, research inventions.
Lesson Planet Article
Curated OER

Calling All Inventors: Celebrate National Inventors Month

For Teachers 5th - 7th
Start off the school year by engaging learners in a creative study of inventors and their inventions.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Thank You... Thomas Edison!

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd
Students investigate the life of Thomas Edison. They research how he made a difference. They understand that accurate data collection is important for math. They create a chart using spreadsheet data.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Venerable Inventors

For Teachers 3rd - 7th
Students discuss important historic inventors and read their biographical information.  In this world history lesson, students describe Alexander Bell, Thomas Edison, and Guglielmo Marconi using vocabulary terms used in their text....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Twain: Icon and Iconoclast

For Teachers 8th - 10th
Students examine work by Mark Twain in the context of pre- and post-Civil War America. In this cross curricular lesson, students gather biographical information about Twain, use a Venn diagram to compare and contrast him with...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Power of One

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Pupils read biographies of individuals who have impacted the world for good. They look for patterns in these people's lives, imagine themselves in different careers and create a profile of a person who leads for social change.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

African-American Inventors

For Teachers 8th - 10th
Students conduct research on a variety of African-American inventors. They choose an invention that they feel has had the greatest impact on the world today and write a short summary of the invention, its impact and the inventor's...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Nebraska Entrepreneur Success Stories

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students explore entrepreneurs of Nebraska. In this business and social studies instructional activity, students research Nebraska entrepreneurs to discover the history of their successful company.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Imaginative Minds

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders study the lives and creations of several significant inventors as well as designing their own invention and submitting it to a mock patent process. They determine the importance of notable inventions and their impact on...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Turn of the Century

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers explore the transformation of America's economy in response to the Industrial Revolution in terms of patterns of agricultural and industrial development relating to climate, natural resource use, markets and trade.
Handout
Curated OER

National Park Service: Thomas Edison National Historical Park: Edison Biography

For Students 9th - 10th
Here is a very detailed biography of Thomas Edison ranging from his boyhood and his work as a telegrapher, moving on to his invention of the phonograph and incandescent light bulb, and finally, a description of his laboratories where he...
Website
Other

Earliest Voices: Thomas Edison

For Students 9th - 10th
This resource offers historic voice recordings of Thomas Edison. There is a recording of animal sounds, and a speech given at an electrical exhibition in 1908. A biography and downloadable images of him are also included.
Handout
Rutgers University

Thomas Edison Papers: Biography of Thomas Edison

For Students 9th - 10th
The first person to make the storage battery practical, with 147 patents, Edison's life is a testimony to invention. This biography, in outline form, is in two parts; go to 1879 site after this.
Website
Rutgers University

Rutgers: The Thomas Edison Papers

For Students 9th - 10th
Links to copies of papers written by Thomas Edison. Also includes biographical information and copies of his patents and companies.
Website
Curated OER

National Park Service: Thomas Edison National Historical Park: Thomas Edison

For Students 9th - 10th
This site includes information about Thomas Edison's inventions and his home and family life. Find a lengthy biography and several sounds from Edison's original phonograph.
Handout
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Harcourt: Biographies: Thomas Edison

For Students 9th - 10th
A good description of the inventions and life of this bright and ambitious man. As inventor of the light bulb, phonograph, movie camera and many others, Edison lived a very inspiring life. In Spanish.
Website
Other

Brockton Historical Society: Thomas Alva Edison

For Students 9th - 10th
Site devoted completely to the achievements of Thomas Edison. Includes a detailed biography, inventions, photo gallery, and quotes.
Website
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Harcourt: Biographies: Lewis Howard Latimer

For Students 9th - 10th
This is an excellent biography of Lewis Howard Latimer. It discusses his joy of learning throughout his entire life, and also includes additional links to help illustrate the topics presented.
Handout
Smithsonian Institution

Smithsonian Education: Spotlight Biography Inventors

For Students 9th - 10th
This site provides information on American inventors Benjamin Franklin, Robert Fulton, Eli Whitney, Thomas Jefferson, Isaac Singer, Wilbur Wright, Thomas Alva Edison, Elias Howe, and Alexander Graham Bell. It offers pictures from and...
Website
The Franklin Institute

The Franklin Institute: Edison's Lightbulb: History of Science and Technology

For Students 3rd - 8th
The Franklin Institute features a biography of Thomas Edison and a complete description of the light bulb as well as an experiment.
Handout
Great Idea Finder

The Great Idea Finder: Inventor Granville Woods Biography

For Students 9th - 10th
A detailed biography of Granville T. Woods, who was known as "the Black Edison" because of his many inventions. He is best known for greatly improving the safety of railroads by his invention of the Multiplex Railway Telegraph.
Website
Other

Earliest Voices: Gallery From the Vincent Voice Library

For Students 9th - 10th
This site addresses the advent of the voice recording. The introduction talks about the country at the time of this invention, the feelings of people on the topic, and early recording itself. Included are voice recordings of such...