Famous Inventors

and Their Inventions

Introduction

You are representing a famous inventor at the World Science Fair in Poplar Bluff, Missouri. The Committee of International Science and Technology is going to decide which invention is the most important invention of all time.

As a group, you need to choose one invention, market your inventor’s original invention and describe how it has changed or stayed the same over the centuries. You must also support why it is the most important invention of all time. If your invention is chosen, you and your inventor will each win $100,000,000!

How are you going to market your inventor and his invention for the 21st century?  

The Task

You will use on-line resources provided to research information about your inventor. (Each group will be assigned to either Alexander Graham Bell, Thomas Alba Edison, Benjamin Franklin, Samuel Morse, or Nikolai Tesla)

Each group will create: A resume for your inventor A brochure or a 16” x 20” poster

A brief oral presentation (5minutes long) supporting your inventor’s invention as the most important invention of all time.

A 3 dimensional model of the inventor’s original invention and a model of its modern version (if applicable).

Process 1.    First you will be assigned to a team of 4 students. 2.    Each group will be assigned an inventor. 3.    Once each student has chosen a role, they may begin

researching their inventor. 4.    As a group, you must decide on the most important

invention of all time. (It must credited to your assigned inventor)

5.    Decide which medium you will use to present your inventor. a.    A computer generated, tri-fold brochure that includes all

information researched by team members. You should also include any pertinent pictures.

b.     16” x 20” poster advertising your inventor and his invention. You must include all researched information in some way. Posters must be colorful and information must be clearly stated.

 

RolesHistorian : Research you author’s place of birth, date of birth and date of death. Describe his family life and education. Describe your inventor’s careers, interests and/or hobbies. How could your inventor’s

careers and interests have led him to his invention? Find at least 3 pieces of information about your author that makes him unique and interesting and explain why. What, from your inventor’s time period, enabled him to successfully complete his invention, or prevented him

from creating what he set out to invent? Engineer Research how your inventor created his invention? What were his original intentions for that invention? If his original intentions were different, what went wrong, or what went better than expected? What materials did your inventor use and why? Was there a similar invention by another inventor? If so, compare your invention with it. Did his invention come

first? Was someone else’s technology used to help his invention along?Technology buff : Research what impact your inventor’s most important invention has made on the world? Show the evolution of your inventor’s most important invention. How is that invention used today? Compare this invention with other related inventions he created? Marketing person : Locate pictures of the original invention and its modern day equivalent. Find these on-line, draw them or find

them ·in magazines. Be sure to make all visuals of the invention appealing to the judges. You must oversee the production of the 3-Dimensional models. All members should help out in some way. You must write up captions (on 4” x 6” index cards) comparing and contrasting the original invention and its

modern day version. To really “WOW” the judges, you can also include a prediction of what future models may look like – the caption

can describe special features that may be available in another 100 years.

Alexander Graham Bell

http://www.pbs.org/transistor/album1/addlbios/bellag.html

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/telephone/peopleevents/mabell.html

http://www.worldalmanacforkids.com/explore/inventions/bell_alexanderg.html

http://education.yahoo.com/reference/encyclopedia/entry?id=4912

http://web.mit.edu/invent/iow/graham_bell.html

http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/bellhtml/agbcap.html

http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/bellhtml/bellinvent.html

http://www.fitzgeraldstudio.com/html/bell/inventor.html

http://www.att.com/attlabs/technology/forfun/alexbell/

 

Thomas Edison 

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/edison/timeline/index.html

http://www.worldalmanacforkids.com/explore/inventions.html

http://education.yahoo.com/reference/encyclopedia/entry?id=14946

http://web.mit.edu/invent/iow/edison.html

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/inventors/page/e/edison.shtml

http://www.si.edu/lemelson/edison/000_story_02.asp

http://www.carmensandiego.com/products/time/edisonc17/edison2.html

Benjamin Franklin

http://www.pbs.org/benfranklin/

http://www.worldalmanacforkids.com/explore/inventions.html

http://education.yahoo.com/reference/encyclopedia/entry?id=17691

http://web.mit.edu/invent/iow/franklin.html

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/inventors/page/f/franklin.shtml

http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/signers/franklin.htm

http://www.imahero.com/../../herohistory/ben_herohistory.htm

Samuel Morse

http://www.worldalmanacforkids.com/explore/inventions.html

http://education.yahoo.com/reference/encyclopedia/entry?id=32464

http://web.mit.edu/invent/iow/morse.html

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/morsecode/

http://www.150.si.edu/150trav/remember/r819.htm

http://www.rod.beavon.clara.net/samuel.htm

Nikolai Tesla

http://www.pbs.org/tesla/ins/index.html

http://www.pbs.org/tesla/ll/ll_early.html

http://www.worldalmanacforkids.com/explore/inventions.html

http://education.yahoo.com/reference/encyclopedia/entry?id=46736

http://web.mit.edu/invent/iow/tesla.html

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/inventors/page/t/tesla.shtml

Conclusion 

You have just learned about one of the most important inventions of all time.

Think about what life would be like without this invention.

Think about the other inventions that were presented. If you would like to learn more about these inventions and/or inventors, use the websites provided. Most of these men started with just a dream or an idea, and took many years to research and tinker with their inventions.

Once you have seen and heard all of the presentations, think about what you consider to be the most important invention of all time? Imagine what you could invent with the resources and technology we have today!!