Edison’s Inventions LEVELED BOOK • J A Reading A–Z Level J Leveled Book Word Count: 292 Edison’s Connections Inventions Writing Write an acrostic poem about Thomas Edison and his inventions. Use the name Edison for the acrostic. Each letter in his name begins a line of your poem. Science What would you invent? Make a poster showing your invention and how it works. Share your poster with your class.
Written by Rus Buyok
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Photo Credits: Front cover, pages 3, 14 (both): © Bettmann/Getty Images; back cover, page 10 (bottom): Early light bulbs: left: first commercial light bulb, right: electric filament lamp made by Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931) in 1879 (glass & wood)/Science Museum, London, UK/ Bridgeman; title page: ueddeutsche Zeitung Photo/Alamy Stock Photo; page 4: courtesy of Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division [LC-USZ62-41756]; page 5: courtesy of Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division [LC-USZ62-55326]; page 6: Niday Picture Library/Alamy Stock Photo; page 7 (top): courtesy of Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division [LC-USZ62-55344]; page 7 (bottom): © Danita Delimont/Gallo Images/ Getty Images; page 8 (main): © Hulton Archive/Getty Images; page 8 (inset): Lebrecht Music & Arts/Alamy Stock Photo; page 9 (left): © Science & Society Picture Library/SSPL/Getty Images; page 9 (right): © NYPL/Science Source; page 10 (top): © Underwood Archives/Archive Photos/Getty Images; page 11: courtesy of Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division [LC-DIG- ggbain-04851]; page 12: © Topical Press Agency/Hulton Archive/Getty Images; page 13 (main): © PhotoQuest/Archive Photos/Getty Images; page 13 (inset): © Science & Society Picture Library/SSPL/Getty Images; page 15: © CORBIS/ Corbis Historical/Getty Images
Written by Rus Buyok www.readinga-z.com
Focus Question Edison’s Inventions Level J Leveled Book Correlation © Learning A–Z LEVEL J What are Thomas Edison’s Written by Rus Buyok Fountas & Pinnell J inventions, and why are All rights reserved. Reading Recovery 17 DRA 18 they important? www.readinga-z.com Table of Contents Who Was Thomas Edison? ...... 4 Thomas Edison was nicknamed the “Wizard of Menlo Park.” Early Life ...... 5 Menlo Park, New Jersey, was the town where he worked. The Phonograph ...... 8 Who Was Thomas Edison? The Electric Light ...... 9 Thomas Edison was an inventor. The Movies ...... 12 He lived from 1847 to 1931. Other Inventions ...... 14 He invented many things. Amazing Edison ...... 15 We still use some things Glossary ...... 16 he invented today.
Edison’s Inventions • Level J 3 4 A telegraph worker sends a message from the top of a building. Thomas did not do well in public school, so his mother taught him at home. There he learned to use Early Life the telegraph. Thomas did not go to school much, The telegraph was a machine but he loved to read. that sent a message. He quit school when he was twelve. The message came in long He went to work on trains. and short beeps.
Edison’s Inventions • Level J 5 6 Thomas did not hear well. He could not always hear the beeps. He invented a machine that changed the beeps to letters. Thomas was an inventor!
Edison listens to his phonograph.
The Phonograph Thomas invented many things. He invented the phonograph. People could record and play back sound with this machine. They did not think it was real! They thought another person Edison’s telegraph made it easy to send and read messages. It also worked in bad weather when others wouldn’t. was talking.
Edison’s Inventions • Level J 7 8 The Electric Light Thomas invented many things. He invented an electric light. At that time, electric lights cost a lot and were not safe. Other people had tried to make a safe light that many people could buy.
Edison celebrates fifty years Early electric of the light bulb in 1929. lights, such as these, burned out quickly Thomas tried and used a lot of energy. many times, too. Edison’s He did not quit. electric light was He made a safe first used in 1879. electric light. His light did not cost much to make.
Edison’s Inventions • Level J 9 10 Thomas then worked to bring electricity to people. His lights would later be used around the world.
Nikola Tesla invented radio and the A man looks through one of Edison’s early film cameras in 1912. first remote control boat. The Movies Thomas invented many things. He invented a machine that took Edison’s Electricity Most people today do not use the kind of electricity pictures quickly. Edison invented. It costs too much and can be dangerous. Today we use electricity in a way created by another inventor, He also invented a machine that Nikola Tesla. showed the pictures on a screen.
Edison’s Inventions • Level J 11 12 Edison’s Big Inventions The machine quickly showed 1869 Printing telegraph the pictures one after the other. The things in the pictures looked as if they were moving. 1877 Phonograph Thomas had invented movies!
1879 Electric light
1894 Movies
1909 Battery
Other Inventions Thomas invented many more things. He invented batteries that ran cars and other machines.
Edison invented the first machine for He invented phone parts that are playing movies. Sound came through tubes placed in the viewer’s ears. still used today.
Edison’s Inventions • Level J 13 14 Amazing Edison Glossary Thomas invented batteries (n.) objects that give power over one thousand things! to things (p. 14) People still talk about him electric charged with, and the things he invented. (adj.) powered by, or creating electricity (p. 9) inventor (n.) a person who creates or builds something for the first time (p. 4) machine (n.) any device that uses energy to help a person do work (p. 6) phonograph a record player (n.) (p. 8) telegraph a system that delivers (n.) messages using simple electrical signals sent Edison helped invent a machine that took pictures of small things very close up. over wires (p. 6)
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