Lesson Materials:

Be Inventive - Here's a classroom activity from the Boston Museum of Science that asks students to create their own inventions to solve a problem of their own choosing. Based arounsd Leonardo DaVinci's and the properties of simple machines, the unit asks students to design their own invention.

Moving Along with Simple Machines - Grades 3-5 - Here's a four-week unit on simple machines developed by Georgia's Henry County Public Schools. The unit includes machine-specific activities, as well as connections to social studies, language arts, and other subject areas.

Simple Machines Lesson - A 1995 paper delivered for Texas science educators, this page, nonetheless offers lots of activities and lesson ideas for teaching about simple machines. All text, but useful text!

Web Resources:

Ancient Inventions - Grades 4-8 - This is a collection of inventions from antiquity compiled by students and faculty at Smith College. There are scores of ancient oddities, with photos and descriptions of each. It's a great site to show that people have been inventing things for centuries.

Exploring Leonardo - Grades 4 - 12 - This site is sponsored by the Museum of Science, Boston, Mass. - An excellent site approaching Science through Leonardo DaVinci. Site includes The Inventors Workshop, (showing Leonardo’s inventions), Leonardo’s Perspective, a Biography and a section about his habit of writing from right to left! There are 4 pages with interactive elements and 5 lesson plans including hands on activities. Students can comment and send their ideas electronically to the Museum staff. Four stars from our reviewer!!

How Things Work - Complete Computer Solutions - Grades K-12 - Read a text explanation of how a fountain pen works or how a pneumatic hammer works. This would be a great reference for students of physics or inventions. It would also go well in a unit on inventions for any age, though the reading level is middle school or above.

Edison's Miracle of Light - This companion to an American Experience episode doesn't offer a lot for teachers, but there's a good timeline showing Edison's life and work, as well as a gallery of some of his most important inventions. You'll need to find other resources to tell the full story, though.

Eureka! - Here's a student-created Thinkquest site that profiles inventions and inventors from around the world. Lots of very useful content, though the user interface looks a bit dated.

Inventure Place - The National Inventors Hall of Fame, Akron, Ohio - Grades 5-12 - Read brief biographies of inventors who are in the hall of fame. The site is indexed and searchable. Students could easily use these biographies to start a research project, or you can post them on a bulletin board.

Nikola Tesla, Inventor - Grades 5-12 -  Bogdan R. Kosanovic, University of Pittsburgh - This site features Serbian inventor Nikola Tesla, inventor of a telephone repeater, rotating magnetic field principle, polyphase alternating-current system, induction motor, alternating-current power transmission, Tesla coil transformer, wireless communication, radio, fluorescent lights, and more than 700 other patents. It is a small site, but includes a biography and quotes from the scientist as well as links for student researchers to learn more.

Engineering Achievements of the Twentieth Century - Grades 6-12 - Creating by a professional engineering society, this site provides a short narrative and time line for 20th century engineering achievements in more than a dozen different categories. The site highlights both the accomplishments and the people who made them happen, and it often includes simple explanations of the engineering principles behind those achievements. Great supplement to an invention unit, or as a brainstorming tool for engineering or science competitions.

Forgotten Inventions - Grades 6-12 - There are several "forgotten" sites, but this one from American Experience reminds us of the folks who invented some things that are still in widespread use, such as Levis and oil burners. Here's proof that an invention doesn't need to be a scientific breakthrough to be successful.

Innovative Lives - Grades 6-12 - Inventors didn't just live in the past! This site from Smithsonian introduces several dozen men and women whose inventions - in science, biology, engineering, etc. - have made major contributions to their fields. Students working on inventor projects will find these bios a welcome change from the standard fare.

The Invention Dimension - The Lemelson-MIT Awards Program - Grades 6-12 - Learn about inventors by reading the biographies of the current inventor of the week or browsing through the archives of past weeks' choices. This could be a great resource for student research or a classroom bulletin board (simply print each week's candidate). Bios have links included, so you can click to other places on the Internet to find out more.

The Inventors' Hall of Fame - Grades 4-12- Try this elegantly designed site for information on inventors in a wide range of disciplines. It's a great starting point for students interested in advances in specific fields. Spend some time exploring this one. Teachers will be interested in the background information available on inventions in each field. Parents may want to check out the Invention Camp section.

Kids' Design Network - This site from an Illinois museum offers an elaborate, on-screen facility for students to design "gadgets" to solve specific problems, then submit them for review and assistance from a real-world engineer. There is also information on brainstorming, problem-solving, and lots of the other things that engineers and inventors do. This site could be useful either as an entire project or as an example of how real-world problems get solved.

A Medieval Technology Timeline - Grades 5-12 - There's more here than meets the eye. This site offers a time-line showing the evolution of simple tools and technologies during the middle ages. Those who are persistent will also find more detailed drawings and explanations of the various implements. This is a great site to show how major changes can arise from simple inventions.

Whole Cloth - Grades 6-12 - This site was developed by the Smithsonian as part of this year's History Day competition, which deals with the role of invention in American history. The site traces the way in which advances in the manufacturing of textiles created wholesale changes in American industry and social structures. Among the results: Once women were freed from the need to make clothing by hand, other opportunities became available. Good site for students interested in history day projects, or for use in a history or social studies curriculum.

Become an Inventor - Grades 5-8 - Teachers interested in creating an inventions/inventors unit will find this site useful. It shows students the inquisitive process by which inventions come to be, and gives students a chance to search out problems that need inventive solutions. Lots of links to other inventors give you a way to show how others developed their own inventions.

Who Invented it? When? Chinese Inventions: An Introductory Activity - Social Studies/Science/Inventions: Grades 5+ - Learn about Chinese inventors and deflate erroneous stereotypes about Chinese technology. From the Ask Asia series.

Flights of Inspiration - Grades 4-8 - This site about flight offers information on both the science and history of flight. Created by American and British museums, it offers students a chance to explore both the people who pioneered flight and the aerodynamics they had to master to get airborne. Lots of instructional possibilities here.

Forgotten Inventors - Grades 5-8 - A few inventors become famous. Many are forgotten, though their inventions remain important. Here's a site that chronicles some of the forgotten creative minds that gave us inventions still in common use today. This is a good site for "inventor report" research.

Ingenious Inventions - Grades 8-12 -- Ever wonder who invented a can opener or where Levi’s originated? Look no further, this site chronicles The American Experience through famous inventions and their not-so-famous inventors. Ideal site for American History teachers looking for an interesting approach to understanding history. Plan a "famous inventors day" and have your students come dressed as their favorite inventor (or invention!).

Spotlight on Inventors - Grades 5-12 - The Smithsonian offers this collection of short biographies of famous American inventors. Each biography includes several links to information or exhibits in the Smithsonian collection that illustrate the inventor's life or work. This is a great combination of basic biographical information and interesting visual content.

Technology - 1900 - Grades 4-8 - This kids' page from the PBS American Experience series offers a look at some of the technological revolutions with which people were coping 100 years ago. How did Americans react to the coming of the automobile, the telephone, and the phonograph? Find out here.

The Rube Goldberg Site - Grades 4-8 - This one's mostly for fun. A retrospective on Rube Goldberg's wacky inventions, this site includes examples of how present-day engineering students devise 20-step ways of accomplishing simple tasks. Good "idea site" for students getting used to invention and problem solving.