Transcript Famous Inventors and Their Inventions

Famous Inventors and
Their Inventions



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?


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).





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.

Historian :

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.










http://www.pbs.org/transistor/album1/addlbios
/bellag.html
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/telephone/peo
pleevents/mabell.html
http://www.worldalmanacforkids.com/explore/i
nventions/bell_alexanderg.html
http://education.yahoo.com/reference/encyclope
dia/entry?id=4912
http://web.mit.edu/invent/iow/graham_bell.htm
l
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/bellhtml/agbcap
.html
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/bellhtml/bellinv
ent.html
http://www.fitzgeraldstudio.com/html/bell/inve
ntor.html
http://www.att.com/attlabs/technology/forfun/a
lexbell/







http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/
edison/timeline/index.html
http://www.worldalmanacforkids.c
om/explore/inventions.html
http://education.yahoo.com/refere
nce/encyclopedia/entry?id=14946
http://web.mit.edu/invent/iow/ed
ison.html
http://www.enchantedlearning.co
m/inventors/page/e/edison.shtml
http://www.si.edu/lemelson/ediso
n/000_story_02.asp
http://www.carmensandiego.com/
products/time/edisonc17/edison2.
html







http://www.pbs.org/benfranklin/
http://www.worldalmanacforkids.c
om/explore/inventions.html
http://education.yahoo.com/referen
ce/encyclopedia/entry?id=17691
http://web.mit.edu/invent/iow/fra
nklin.html
http://www.enchantedlearning.com
/inventors/page/f/franklin.shtml
http://www.ushistory.org/declarati
on/signers/franklin.htm
http://www.imahero.com/../../her
ohistory/ben_herohistory.htm






http://www.worldalmanacforkids
.com/explore/inventions.html
http://education.yahoo.com/refer
ence/encyclopedia/entry?id=3246
4
http://web.mit.edu/invent/iow/
morse.html
http://www.enchantedlearning.co
m/morsecode/
http://www.150.si.edu/150trav/r
emember/r819.htm
http://www.rod.beavon.clara.net
/samuel.htm






http://www.pbs.org/tesla/ins/in
dex.html
http://www.pbs.org/tesla/ll/ll_ea
rly.html
http://www.worldalmanacforkids.
com/explore/inventions.html
http://education.yahoo.com/refer
ence/encyclopedia/entry?id=46736
http://web.mit.edu/invent/iow/t
esla.html
http://www.enchantedlearning.co
m/inventors/page/t/tesla.shtml




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!!