A Biography of American Inventors - New Project!!!

Dear Students,


The age of invention in America was an incredible time in our nation’s history. From around 1870 to about 1910, some of the most important inventions in history were created. These inventions were not just important for their time, but important for our future. Each invention helped the United States grow in a variety of ways. Communication and transportation became faster and easier, industry boomed, and American cities began to grow. In understanding these inventions we must first look at the people who made them.
It is your job to create a biographical poster board that highlights the inventors and the inventions that helped America grow. Here are the requirements:

1) You must create a poster board that displays the accomplishments of three inventors. You will report on three inventors chosen from the list below.

- Thomas Edison
- Henry Ford
- Alexander Graham Bell
- The Wright Brothers

2) You must write a brief biography of each inventor that includes:
- Name of inventor
- Invention
- Year of invention
- How the invention was created
- How did this invention help America grow?
- One photograph

3) This project may be done in groups or individually.

4) Extra credit will be offered to any student who adds an additional inventor who is not listed above who invented something that helped America to grow.

The Age of Invention

For the last few days we have begun talking about the "age of invention". This was a time in American history when many of our most important inventions were created. We have spoken so far about Thomas Edison (the lightbulb, phonograph) and the Wright brothers (airplane). Tomorrow we will look at the accomplishments of Henry Ford and the automobile. I'd like you to think about our essential question and try to answer it. "How have these inventions helped America to grow?" Are their any other inventions that you believe are as important? Let me know your thoughts.