Lessons

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  Inventions 1: Edison and the Light Bulb

  K-2  |  Hands-On
  This lesson is the first of a two-part series on technology and inventions
• 

  Inventions 2: The Impact

  K-2  |  Hands-On
  In this lesson students focus on the process of inventing, particularly on what short- and long-term issues inventors must consider before developing an invention.
• 

  Build a Better Pencil

  K-2  |  Hands-On
  This investigation uses a pencil to introduce the idea of planning and evaluating designs.
• 

  Technology: Past, Present, and Future

  3-5  
  In this lesson, students examine a number of technological innovations that have occurred since the beginning of humanity.
• 

  Thomas Edison for Kids

  6-8  |  Audio
  By studying the inventions and reading the biography of Thomas Edison, students will develop a broader view of technology and how it is both like science and unlike science.
• 

  Leonardo's Machines

  6-8  
  This lesson will highlight some of Leonardo's futuristic inventions, introducing the elements of machines.
• 

  Inventors and Innovators

  6-8  
  In this lesson, students explore the scientific enterprise and the contributions of diverse people.
• 

  Temple Grandin

  6-8  |  Video
  This is a lesson about being different and thinking differently. It focuses on the work of Temple Grandin, an animal behavior scientist who has autism, a brain condition of unknown cause that people are born with, and that makes them behave differently than other people.
• 

  Inventions of Necessity: Synthetic Rubber

  9-12  
  In this lesson, students explore the relationship between societal needs and technological development by examining the history and making of synthetic rubber.
• 

  The Little Transistor that Could

  6-8  
  In this lesson, students explore the nature of technology through the history of the transistor.

Tools

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  Invention at Play

  K-5  |  Interactive
  This site challenges you to explore, question, invent, and collaborate to make your own discoveries.
• 

  Tesla: Inside the Lab

  6-12  |  Interactive
  This resource explores the brilliant inventions of Nikola Tesla which include the radio and the remote control.
• 

  Technology at Home

  3-12  |  Interactive
  This site lets you go back through the twentieth century to find out when everyday items such as computers, TVs, and CD players first appeared in homes.
• 

  Tech Topics: Electricity

  6-12  |  Interactive
  This site provides an introduction to electricity as well as a discussion about how electricity is converted into heat energy, light energy, and motion energy.

Science Updates

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  Wheelchairs

  6-12  |  Audio
  In this Science Update, hear how exchanging technology with some of the world's poorest countries is helping to build better wheelchairs.
• 

  Rebuilt Language

  6-12  |  Audio
  In this Science Update, learn about how a recent movie spent money reconstructing a dead language.
• 

  Fab@home

  6-12  |  Audio
  This Science Update explains how fabricators, devices like inkjet printers, can generate 3-D objects.

Collections

• 

  National Engineers Week

  K-12  
  This collection of resources will encourage the budding engineers and interest those who aren't sure why engineering is relevant to their lives.