Thomas Edison: A Brilliant Inventor

Informational, Inspiring, Historical, Revolutionary, Determined

Thomas Edison: A Brilliant Inventor
by the Editors of Time For Kids with Lisa DeMauro

Published by HarperCollins Publisher Inc. Copyright 2005

Written by the team from Time For Kids, this expository text explores the great American inventor, Thomas Edison.  The book is divided into chapters based on different parts of Edison's life.  It begins with a brief narrative introduction about the first time Edison flipped the switch for all to see that he had created a lightbulb that actually worked.  It then follows Edison's life chronologically, focusing on when he became interested in electricity and how he was determined and persistent in all of his attempts.  The text is enhanced with numerous photographs, captions, and sidebars keep readers engaged and help guide their reading and understanding of the format. 

Reading Level: Lexile Framework 680L, Grade 4

Suggested Delivery: Independent Read

Description: Non-fiction, Historical

Electronic Resources:
Thomas Edison Video
This is a link to a video on the History Channel website that discusses Edison's experiences as the inventor of the lightbulb and how this impacted the rest of society.

Thomas Edison
This is a link to a website that offers an additional biography to supplement the text and a gallery of photographs.

Electricity Games for Kids
This is a link to a site that students and teachers can explore.  It offers interactive games and activities for students to become more familiar with circuits, lightbulbs, and electricity.  The site also contains sample lesson plans, experiments, and teaching ideas that can be incorporated into the science curriculum.

Key Vocabulary: Carpenter, Discourage, Filament, Literature, Morse Code, Patent, Phonograph, Telegraph

Teaching Suggestions:

1. Use this text in science to enhance a unit on electricity and the creation of circuits. 
2. Use this text in social studies to explore great American inventors, their past, and their contributions. 
3. Use this text in reading and language arts as a model expository piece of writing to demonstrate the structure and format of this kind of text.  Teach students how to guide their reading and effectively use the text by looking at the table of contents, chapter titles, bold headings, sidebars, photographs, and captions.  It can also be used to model how biographies are structured and the kinds of details and information that should be included. 

Comprehension Strategies
Pre-Reading- Have students complete a KWL chart about Thomas Edison.  The K and W sections of the chart will help activate students' prior knowledge and also set a purpose for reading.

During Reading- Have students use a graphic organizer such as a time line or sequence chart to help them visualize the events in Thomas Edison's life and actively engage with the text. 

Post-Reading- Have students complete the L section of the KWL chart.  They can then create a timeline illustrating key events in Edison's life.

Writing Activity: Have students pretend they are newspaper reporters from the 19th century.  Have them write about one of Edison's new inventions.  They should discuss what it is, what it does, and how it will impact society.  They should also write about Edison's process of creating the invention:

• How long did it take?
• What was the trial and error process like?
• How did he figure out what made it eventually work? 

DeMauro, L. (2005). Thomas Edison: a brilliant inventor. New York: HarperCollins.