Thomas Edison and The Light Bulb

In Social Studies the students are learning about various inventors and their contributions to society. The first inventor they are learning about is Thomas Alva Edison. To learn about him, the students researched him on PebbleGo, watched a short video about him on Discovery Education, and created timelines of his life. Using the information that they learned, they created a Bubble Map together which they then used to write a shared research paper. I typed their words to save time since this was a last minute, extra lesson but they told me exactly what to say - I think they enjoyed telling the teacher what to do! I printed their paper out on our poster machine. The students also brainstormed various modern day technologies we would not have without the invention of the light bulb. The students illustrated and labeled nine things that use a light bulb.

 

Inventors: Thomas Edison

Another inventor that we studied in Social Studies was Thomas Edison. After learning about his many inventions and accomplishments, the students discussed how things would be different today if we did not have his inventions. They then brainstormed various modern day inventions that use the light bulb. They drew a light bulb and then wrote some of those modern day inventions around it.

My Robot

In Social Studies we spent several weeks studying various inventors such as Alexander Graham Bell, Thomas Alva Edison, and Garrett Morgan. At the conclusion of our inventor unit, the students had the opportunity to become inventors themselves. With just two boxes covered in foil, a hot glue gun (used by the teacher, of course), and a bunch of junk, the students created their own robots. They turned out really great. The students created a plan, implemented that plan, and then wrote about what their robots could do.

Inventors: Thomas Alva Edison

In Social Studies, we are studying various inventors. One of the inventors we are studying is Thomas Alva Edison. After reading about his various inventions and how they have led to other inventions we use each day, the students created a Bubble Map using Kidspiration software to brainstorm as many inventions that we use today that have a lightbulb. The students then wrote papers about at least one invention we would not have if it had not been for Edison's invention of the lightbulb and typed them in Microsoft Word. They then exported their Bubble Map from Kidspiration and imported it into Word at the bottom of their sentences. It is amazing how much technology students can learn if they are just exposed to it. Their final drafts were printed and displayed in the hallway. They also uploaded their Kidspiration Bubble Maps into their KidBlog.

I Can Be An Inventor, Too!

In Social Studies we have been studying many inventors, past and present. Our focus was on Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Edison. As a part of our study the students were able to make their own robots. As we learned, an important part of inventing is having a patent. To prove that they were the inventors of their robots, the students had to first make a plan and document it in their Inventor's Notebook. They also had to draw a diagram of what they wanted their robot to look like after they chose all of their robot parts. After building their robots, the students wrote papers about them including their name, what problem they could solve, and how. The students were very creative!