Process

Photograph: Detail of Thomas A. Edison with his tin foil phonograph

Task #1

To begin our Thomas Edison investigation, the class will be broken up into groups of four. To make this easier, I have already selected your groups and will read them off for you. When I am finished reading off the list of groups, I want you to silently stand up, push in your chairs and walk over to your other group members.

After you are situated with your group, each member of the group will have to choose a special role to play in the group for our Thomas Edison investigation. The following chart lists the four roles that you may choose from. The chart also lists the descriptions of what each role is and the responsibilities you will have if you pick that role. Read the following roles carefully.

Roles

Role Responsibilities

 

1.   Life Learner

 

If you are the Life Learner, it is your job to investigate the life of Thomas Edison. You must research Edison ’s childhood, education and family.

 

2.   Invention Investigator

 

If you are the Invention Investigator, it is your job to research the inventions that were created by Thomas Edison. 

 

3.   Contribution Collector 

 

 

If you are the Contribution Collector, it is your job to find the contributions that Thomas Edison gave to the world. You will describe what he has done to make the world a better place. You will also explain why Thomas Edison was an important scientist.

 

4.    Fact Finder 

 

 

If you are the Fact Finder, it is your job to record interesting facts about Thomas Edison. Look for nicknames, inventions, and other facts that you think would be interesting to other people.

 

When your group has finished reading the above roles and their responsibilities, every member in your group must pick a role that they wish to have for the Edison exploration . There are four roles in total and since there are four members in your group, each member must have a different role. If your group members want the same role, flip a coin to see who gets the role. 

REMEMBER, MEMBERS IN YOUR GROUP CANNOT HAVE THE SAME ROLE!!!!

Now that each member in your group has a different role, we are almost ready to begin your exploration of Thomas Edison! Below, you will see that there are four attachments. These attachments are data sheets so that you can record your research. There are different attachments for each role in the group. Each group member will click on their role attachment and print out the data sheets. Click on your role and print your data sheets now. 

Life Learner Data Sheets

Invention Investigator Data Sheets

Contribution Collector Data Sheets

Fact Finder Data Sheets

When your group has printed their data sheets, you are ready to begin your research! Below are links and lists of books that are related to your role in the group. Look for your role heading and research the links and books found under it. Your data sheets will tell you about the information that you need to find. Read the directions of your data sheet carefully.

Life Learner Links and Books

Website Links

http://invention.smithsonian.org/centerpieces/edison/

http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/bledison_timeline.htm

 

http://www.americaslibrary.gov/cgi-bin/page.cgi/aa/edison

 

http://www.thomasedison.com/biog.htm

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Edison

 

http://library.thinkquest.org/C004471/tep/en/biographies/thomas_edison.html

 

http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/edhtml/edbio.html

 

http://www.nps.gov/archive/edis/home_family/fam_album.htm

 

http://www.thomasedison.com/biog.htm

 

http://www.acmi.net.au/AIC/EDISON_BIO.html

 

http://www.biography.com/search/article.do?id=9284349

 

Books

 

Carlson, L. (2006). Thomas Edison for kids. Independent Publishing Group.

DeMauro, L. (2005). Thomas Edison: time for kids series. Harper Collins Children’s Group.

Sullivan, G. (2002). Thomas Edison. Scholastic Inc.

Frith, M. (2005). Who was Thomas Alva Edison?. Penguin Young Readers Group.

Guthridge, S. (1986). Thomas A. Edison. Aladdin Paperbacks.

Cousins, M. (1997). The story of Thomas Alva Edison. Random House Inc.

Mara, W. (2004). Thomas Alva Edison. Children’s Press.

Schaefer, L. (2002). Thomas Edison. Capstone Press.

Zemlicka, S. (2004). Thomas Edison. Lerner Publishing Group.

Gomez, R. (2003). Thomas Edison. ABDO Publishing Company.

Fitterer, C. (2003). Thomas Edison. Child’s World Inc.

Linder, G. (2006). Thomas Edison. Capstone Press.

 

 

 

Invention Investigator Links and Books

 

Website Links

 

http://invention.smithsonian.org/centerpieces/edison/

 

http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/bledison.htm

 

http://www.americaslibrary.gov/cgi-bin/page.cgi/aa/edison

 

http://www.thomasedison.com/Inventions.htm

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Edison

 

http://library.thinkquest.org/C004471/tep/en/biographies/thomas_edison.html

 

http://www.acmi.net.au/AIC/EDISON_BIO.html

 

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

 

http://www.kidcyber.com.au/topics/edison.htm

 

http://edison.rutgers.edu/inventions.htm

 

Books

 

Hedstrom, D. (1998). From telegraphs to light bulbs with Thomas Edison. Multnomah Publishers Inc.

Ford, C. (2002) Thomas Edison: inventor. Enslow Publishers Inc.

Egan, L. (1987). Thomas A. Edison: the great American inventor. Barron’s Educational Series Inc.

Welvaert, S. (2006). Thomas Edison and the light bulb. Capstone Press.

Davidson, M. (1990). Story of Thomas Alva Edison: the wizard of Menlo Park. Scholastic Inc.

Mitchell, B. (1991). Wizard of sound: a story about Thomas Edison. Lerner Publishing Group.

Sproule, A. (2000). Thomas A. Edison: the world’s greatest inventor. Thomson Gale.

Parker, S. (1995). Thomas Edison and electricity. Chelsea House Publishers.

 

 

 

Contribution Collector Links and Books 

Website Links

http://invention.smithsonian.org/centerpieces/edison/

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Edison

 

http://library.thinkquest.org/C004471/tep/en/biographies/thomas_edison.html

 

http://www.sparknotes.com/biography/edison/section10.rhtml

 

http://www.kidcyber.com.au/topics/edison.htm

 

http://www.invent.org/hall_of_fame/50.html

 

http://www.biography.com/search/article.do?id=9284349

 

Books

 

Schaefer, L. (2002). Thomas Edison. Capstone Press.

Zemlicka, S. (2004). Thomas Edison. Lerner Publishing Group.

Gomez, R. (2003). Thomas Edison. ABDO Publishing Company.

Fitterer, C. (2003). Thomas Edison. Child’s World Inc.

Linder, G. (2006). Thomas Edison. Capstone Press.

Adler, D. (1999). Picture book of Thomas Alva Edison. Holiday House Inc.

Goldsmith, H. (2002). Thomas Edison to the rescue!. Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing.

Parker, S. (1995). Thomas Edison and electricity. Chelsea House Publishers.

Delano , M. (2006). Inventing the future: a photobiography of Thomas Alva Edison. National Geographic Society.

Sproule, A. (2000). Thomas A. Edison: the world’s greatest inventor. Thomson Gale.

 

 

 

Fact Finder Links and Books

Website Links

http://invention.smithsonian.org/centerpieces/edison/ 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Edison

http://library.thinkquest.org/C004471/tep/en/biographies/thomas_edison.html

http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/specials/articles/0,6709,1075413,00.html

 

http://www.technofileonline.com/texts/thankedison.htm

 

http://sln.fi.edu/franklin/inventor/edison.html

 

http://www.kidcyber.com.au/topics/edison.htm

 

http://www.acmi.net.au/AIC/EDISON_BIO.html

 

http://www.biography.com/search/article.do?id=9284349

 

Books

 

Parker, S. (1995). Thomas Edison and electricity. Chelsea House Publishers.

Dooling, M. (2005). Young Thomas Edison. Holiday House Inc.

Raatma, L. (2006). Thomas Edison. Compass Point Books.

Delano , M. (2006). Inventing the future: a photobiography of Thomas Alva Edison. National Geographic Society.

Frost, L. (1996). Thomas A. Edison album. Amereon Limited.

Price-Groff, C. (2003). Thomas Alva Edison. Scholastic Library Publishing.

Goldsmith, H. (2002). Thomas Edison to the rescue!. Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing.

Sproule, A. (2000). Thomas A. Edison: the world’s greatest inventor. Thomson Gale.

 

Ready?????? RESEARCH!!!!!!!!! 

 

 

 

Task #2

After your group has finished researching and recording the information on each data sheets, your group will get together and begin to share the information. 

 

Take a few minutes to discuss what each of you has learned about Thomas Edison. Remember, each of you had different roles, which means you learned different things than your other group members. Share your findings with your group!

 

Once your group has finished sharing all of its information, your group needs to collect all of that separate data on one sheet. Below is a link to the chart that your group will use to record all of your group’s research findings. Click the link and print out one chart. Your group only needs one chart.

 

Data Chart 

 

After your group has printed the chart, read the directions carefully. This is a four column chart. The first column is titled “ Edison ’s Life.” The second column is “ Edison ’s Inventions.” The third column is “ Edison ’s contributions: Why was he an important scientist?” The final column is “Interesting Edison Facts." 

 

To fill in the chart, your group will use the information that was just collected. For example, to fill in the “Edison's Life" column, you will use the information on the Life Learner's data sheets. Look through the information on the data sheets and as a group decide what information on them is important. Place important information on the chart. 

 

As a group you need to decide what that important information is. Try to put information on the chart that helps you to understand Thomas Edison a little bit better. Make sure that your chart is completely filled in with information about Thomas Edison. For this chart, you do not have to use complete sentences. Fill it in with key words that will help you remember the information because you will need to know that information later in the web quest.

 

Your group may begin to fill in the chart at this time. Good Luck!!!!!!

 

Task #3

After your group has collected all of the information onto the one chart, your group will now begin a web quest project. Each group will create a large data disk of all the information that was found. I will give each group a large circle that was cut from poster board. This large circle will be your data disk. Observe the large circle.

 

After observing the circle, you will see that the circle is broken up into four equal parts and a smaller circle is drawn in the middle of the four parts. On each of the four parts of the circle, there is a title. This title will tell you what you need to write in that part of the data disk. For example, one part of the circle asks you to describe why Thomas Edison was such an important scientist. What contributions did he give to the world? In this part of the circle, you will record information about Thomas Edison’s contributions to the world and why he was such a famous scientist. In order to do this you must use the important information on the chart that your group just completed. See the picture below to help you understand what the data disk is.

 

                             

 

 

You will do the same for the other parts of the data disk. For information about Edison's life, Edison's inventions and Edison’s interesting facts, you will use the information from the four columned chart that you completed earlier.

The small circle that is in the middle of the four parts is where you will write Edison ’s name. By writing Edison's na me in the small circle, you will let me know that your data disk is about Thomas Edison.

 

Since this is a project, make sure that the information you record on the data disks is neat and in complete sentences. Also, do not forget to use detail in your information. Do not just write a brief one sentence answer. Try to explain the information that you are writing.

 

After your group has finished filling in the proper information on the data disk, your group will flip the large data disk over. On the back you will notice that it looks similar to the data disk that you just filled in.

 

 

This side of the data disk will be full of pictures about Thomas Edison. If you look at the picture above, you will see that the first part of the data disk says “Pictures of Edison ’s Life.” In this section, you will draw and print pictures off the internet that connect with the information that you wrote about Edison ’s life on the front of the data disk. You may want pictures of Edison's family and the schools that Edison went to. Look at the information that you wrote so that you can find the right pictures.

 

You will do this for each part of the data disk. You will draw pictures and use the same websites above to print off pictures for each part of the data disk. Again, remember to look at the information that you wrote on the front of the data disk so that you have an idea of the pictures that you want to use.

 

Also, for the pictures that you draw and print off the internet, you must have a one sentence caption that will describe what the picture is.

 

Make sure that your group covers the back of the data disk with pictures. Try to make sure that all of the white space on the disk is covered up.

 

Look at the rubric on the EVALUATION page to learn more about what is needed for the data disk. The rubric will tell you what you need to put on the data disk to get full points.

 

After all of the groups have finished their data disk projects, each group will present their data disk to the class. Each group will describe the information and the pictures that they have placed on the data disk. After each group has presented, the class will discuss what they have learned about Thomas Edison from the data disks. For example, one group may have had an interesting fact about Edison that your group did not know about. Listen for information that your peers provide to learn more about Edison .