What would change in your daily life due to a power outage? Here, learners explore the inventions brought to us by the one and only, Thomas Edison, and imagine a day without them. Scholars take part in a grand conversation and write a paragraph detailing their thoughts. 

Concepts

thomas edison, electricity, light, light bulbs, sound, sound devices, inventions, inventors, innovation, the twentieth century

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Additional Tags

social studies

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Instructional Ideas

• Create a Thomas Edison-themed bulletin board featuring his quotes and the lesson's essential question 
• Go on a walking field trip to identify different types of lighting 
• Create a blog post listing each Edison quote and question from the follow-up activity, direct pupils to answer the question and respond to a peer 

Classroom Considerations

• Depending on the age group you teach and your location, the mention of Hurricane Sandy may not impact the discussion, use another applicable example if needed 

Pros

• Provides a thorough background of Thomas Edison  
• Includes an extension activity as well as additional links for further examination of the topic 

Cons

• None

Common Core

W.5.3.a W.5.4 SL.5.1.a