An inventor is someone who creates a new device of some kind to make life easier in some way, shape, or form. Most of the devices that are thought up are usually electrical or mechanical, but there are a ton of simple inventions that are just simple molds of plastic. Think about the tips of your shoelaces. Those plastic pieces are called aglets. How many pairs of laces would you have gone through without them? In many cases an invention is just a small adjustment to a previous invention. Thomas Edison is created with the invention of the light bulb, but the fact is that he just had a better and more practical version than everyone else. This is much like the idea of the Iphone. Was it the first smartphone? No, but it was a much better design than the others. In this section we will look at the people behind the inventions, the inventors.
This collection of worksheets offers short reading passages about the lives and work of famous inventors. Students will learn about particular creations covering five hundred years of scientific and engineering innovation. Each short essay is accompanied by two answer sheets (multiple choice and short answer), as well as a one page "organizer," in which students can note short facts about the inventor. Answer keys are provided for each sheet. Project idea: Have your students pick the invention they feel has been the most beneficial and present it to the class.
