Bright Ideas Emerging from the Dark

Thomas Edison

By: Sarah Lessard

“HOW CAN A COVENTRY HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT

INFORM YOUNGER STUDENTS ABOUT THE

FAMOUS SCIENTIST THOMAS EDISON AND HOW HE HAS GREATLY CHANGED OUR SOCIETY THROUGH HIS MANY INVENTIONS?”

Core Question

Reason for Core Question

Interested in what Thomas Edison invented and how inventions impacted world

I wanted to learn more about the famous scientist, Thomas Edison, and why he was so important in society

Wanted to teach other students and further their knowledge also about how this one scientist left such a great impact on society.

Plan to Complete Capstone Project and Product

Stay on taskTake class time very seriouslyAlways try and get ahead of schedule

Set personal time dates to keep myself on task

Work very hard!!!

Proposal

Research Thomas EdisonMake documentary about Thomas

EdisonIntroduce my topic and core question to

classShow documentary to the class of

studentsAfter film, give students quizGo over answers and ask questions

Why I Choose Proposal

Expand upon my National History Day project

Prove to students importance of what Thomas Edison contributed to society

Learning Stretch

1. Learn how to make a documentary

2. Overcome my fear of speaking in front of large groups

3. Learning about Thomas Edison’s inventions

4. Staying on task/falling behind5. Learn how to teach a class

Intro about Edison Only scientist in the world to

invent 1,093 inventionsHis inventions drastically

changed AmericaHis inventions are still around

today, however in different forms

Hoar, William P. "The man who lit up the world." New American, The. 30 Jun 2003. 33. eLibrary. Proquest CSA. COVENTRY HIGH SCHOOL. 06 Mar 2009. <http://elibrary.bigchalk.com/curriculum>.

Thomas Edison as a Child

Edison was born on February 11, 1847 in Milan Ohio

His parents were Samuel Ogden Edison Jr. and Nancy Matthews Elliott

Edison only attended school from the ages of 7-12He dropped out because he was deaf and found it

difficult to concentrate Was a self taught person

Thomas Edison. American Business Leaders. ABC-CLIO Interactive. 2001. eLibrary. Proquest CSA. COVENTRY HIGH SCHOOL. 18 Mar 2009. <http://elibrary.bigchalk.com/curriculum>.

Edison’s Working Career as a Child

Edison began working at 15 years oldHe roamed the country as a “tramp telegrapher” He worked for the telegraph company Western

UnionHe sent and received messages over the

telegraph Edison also improved the telegraph when he got

older

Thomas Edison. American Business Leaders. ABC-CLIO Interactive. 2001. eLibrary. Proquest CSA. COVENTRY HIGH SCHOOL. 18 Mar 2009. <http://elibrary.bigchalk.com/curriculum>.

Edison’s First Invention

The electric vote recorder in 1869

Unsuccessful because it took too long to tally votes.

It was unsuccessful, but Edison wasn’t discouraged

Thomas Edison. American Business Leaders. ABC-CLIO Interactive. 2001. eLibrary. Proquest CSA. COVENTRY HIGH SCHOOL. 18 Mar 2009. <http://elibrary.bigchalk.com/curriculum>.

Menlo Park

Edison moved to Menlo Park New Jersey in 1876He built his first most famous laboratory, Menlo

ParkHired “muckers” to help him outAt the height of Edison’s career, he invented a new

invention every five days

Adair, Gene. "West Orange." Thomas Alva Edison: Inventing the Electric Age. n.p., Oxford University Press. 1996. n.pag. eLibrary. Proquest CSA. COVENTRY HIGH SCHOOL. 20 Mar 2009. <http://elibrary.bigchalk.com/curriculum>.

The Carbon Transmitter

Edison’s first successful inventionInvented in March of 1878Sound to sound electrical signal transducerAllowed people to speak over intercom

systems, through phones, and on radiosLed to the development of the telephone by

Alexander Graham Bell Thomas Edison. American Business Leaders. ABC-CLIO Interactive. 2001.

eLibrary. Proquest CSA. COVENTRY HIGH SCHOOL. 18 Mar 2009. <http://elibrary.bigchalk.com/curriculum>.

The Phonograph

Invented the phonograph in 1877 Used the concept “phonography”

to produce soundThe indentations produced on par

affined paper produced sound“Mary Had a Little Lamb” were

the first words that Thomas Edison muttered in the phonograph

Most commonly used device for playing music from 1870s to the 1940s

Fantel, Hans. "The first hundred years are the hardest." Opera News. 01 Dec 1999. 10. eLibrary. Proquest CSA. COVENTRY HIGH SCHOOL. 11 Mar 2009. <http://elibrary.bigchalk.com/curriculum>.

The improved Light bulb

Edison did not invent the light bulbImproved it allowing it to burn for

up to 1200 hoursJoseph Swan invented first light

bulb that burned for 150 hoursEdison improved light bulb by

using, lower current electricity and an improved vacuum inside of the globe

New light bulb led to electrical lighting

"Light Bulb History - Invention of the Light Bulb." The Great Idea Finder - Celebrating the Spirit of Innovation. 18 Mar. 2009 <http://www.ideafinder.com/history/inventions/lightbulb.htm>.

Electric Lighting

Improvement of light bulb led to electric lighting system

Powered factories and homesChanged economic and

social growth of AmericaLed to many different social

changes in AmericaStill around today

"Light Bulb History - Invention of the Light Bulb." The Great Idea Finder - Celebrating the Spirit of Innovation. 18 Mar. 2009 <http://www.ideafinder.com/history/inventions/lightbulb.htm>.

West Orange

Built in New Jersey in 1887One of the largest

laboratories in the worldHalf of Thomas Edison’s

inventions were built hereEdison worked on storage

batteries, the first talking doll and motion pictures

Adair, Gene. "West Orange." Thomas Alva Edison: Inventing the Electric Age. n.p., Oxford University Press. 1996. n.pag. eLibrary. Proquest CSA. COVENTRY HIGH SCHOOL. 20 Mar 2009. <http://elibrary.bigchalk.com/curriculum>.

Motion Pictures

Edison started working on motion pictures in 1888

The Kinetograph was a motion picture camera

The Kinetoscope was a peephole motion picture viewer

First ever moving picture was a sneeze

Known as the 10th most important person in the film history.

"Who Made America? | Innovators | Thomas Edison." PBS. 27 Mar. 2009 <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/theymadeamerica/whomade/edison_hi.html>.

Fred Ott’s Sneeze

The First Motion Picture

Came out in 1901 Was a boxing act performed by the Gordon

Sisters Bessie and MinnieThomas Edison’s company even filmed cats

fighting in a ringThomas Edison’s Company invented a

Projectoscope to show films to large audiences

"Thomas edison's inventions -." Google Image Search. 25 Mar. 2009 <http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=thomas%20edison's%20inventions&safe=active&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wi>.

The Gordon Sisters

Death and Influence on America

Americans dimmed their lights for one minute to see that Edison had truly lite up America

Invention of phonograph led to better inventions such as iPod, CD player

Led to improved motion pictures special effects

Mentioned at the OscarsInvention of phonograph led to the Grammy’s

and OscarsElectrical lighting we use everyday"Who Made America? | Innovators | Thomas Edison." PBS. 27 Mar. 2009

<http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/theymadeamerica/whomade/edison_hi.html>.

Times of Presentation

I presented to Mr. Knutton’s ninth grade class

Went on April 9, 2009 during period two

Presented from 9:15-9:40

Pictures of Event

Pictures of Event

Pictures of Event

Pictures of Event

Overview of Product

Students really enjoyed learning about Thomas Edison

They were interested in what he invented and asked many questions

They were very polite and were not rudeMost of them did really well on the quiz so

that means they learned something new and my core question could be answered

Mr. Knutton said that it was very educational to his class

Obstacles

Hard to find new research that didn’t repeat itself

Had to change my proposal and present to a ninth grade class instead of a third grade class

Had to constantly change presentation date

When I made documentary for N.H.D, documentary was hard to make

How to improve Product

Make the quizzes clearer

Not talk as fast in documentary

Have a longer introduction speech about Edison

Learning Stretch Revisited

Catalina Snape showed me how to make a documentary

Taught a classLearned a lot about Thomas Edison’s inventions

Learned how to stay on task

Final Reflection

I learned many different valuable lessons I will have for the rest of my life

Stay focused during classBe organizedHow to cope with stressLearned about Thomas Edison’s

inventions

Answer to Core Question

Yes, a Coventry High School Student can inform younger students about the famous scientist Thomas Edison and prove that he has greatly changed our society through his many inventions.

Thank You

Mr. BrissetteMrs. JohansenMr. MarsellaMs. AvedisianMr. KnuttonMr. Rosenfield

Questions