Lesson Plan - 5 Inventions That Changed the World

Engage and Connect

Ask students to respond to this prompt: The famous inventor Thomas Edison once said, “I have not failed 10,000 times—I’ve successfully found 10,000 ways that will not work.” What do you think he meant? Describe a time when you struggled with something. What did you learn from the experience? Have students write responses or record them using a platform like Flipgrid, then discuss as a class.

Preview Vocabulary

Use the online Skill Builder Words to Know to preteach the domain-specific terms anthropologist, delta, patent, and Renaissance. Have students refer to the Skill Builder as they read.

Read the Article

Read the article aloud or have students read it independently or in pairs. As students read, direct them to underline or highlight the main effect of each invention.

Answer Close-Reading Questions

Have students write their responses, or use the Close-Reading Questions to guide a discussion.

• How does a printing press with movable type work? How did it change the world? (Central Ideas)
Johannes Gutenberg’s printing press had individual metal letters that were arranged to spell out a section of text, coated with ink, and then hand cranked onto a sheet of paper to make a copy. The metal letters could be rearranged and reused many times. This saved a lot of time compared with copying a book entirely by hand, which was how most books were made through the early 1400s. The printing press made books less expensive, and more people were able to buy them. This also helped people share knowledge, which led to the Renaissance and even more innovations during that time.

• How did Egyptians make paper? Why did they keep their method secret? (Key Details)
Egyptians discovered that they could make paper from a tall green plant called papyrus that grew along the Nile River. They soaked the reeds, peeled away the outer layers, and then sliced the inner white pith. The slices of pith were laid out overlapping slightly and then a second layer was placed at right angles and pressed together. The Egyptians kept their paper-making method secret to make money by selling papyrus paper to the rest of the world, which they did for thousands of years.

• Summarize the section about the wheel and axle. (Summarizing)
While some people consider the wheel humanity’s greatest invention, it’s the combination of a wheel and axle, or stationary pole, that made it easier to move objects. Anthropologists believe the combination was invented in Mesopotamia around 3500 b.c. Although multiple cultures had similar ideas about the wheel and axle around the same time, experts think the first wagons were invented in Mesopotamia, which was more urban than Europe. Wheeled transport meant that people no longer had to rely on large groups to move items, so they could spread out and transport goods over long distances. This led to more single-family farms and the expansion of trade.

• What evidence supports the idea that Thomas Edison was a determined inventor? (Text Evidence)
Thomas Edison received 1,093 patents for his inventions. His efforts to invent the electric light bulb especially show his determination. Inventors had already figured out the basic idea of electricity but were struggling to find the right filament, or thin piece of material that would glow and produce light. Edison and his team tried more than 3,000 different materials before finding that cotton thread covered in carbon and baked to the right temperature worked.

• How did the invention of the compass affect people and the world? (Cause and Effect)
Before the magnetic compass was invented in China during the 11th century, people had to use the sun, stars, and familiar landmarks to navigate from place to place. Finding their way could be very challenging on dark, cloudy nights. With compasses, sailors could set a particular course to follow and steer their ships to prevent them from getting lost. The invention of the compass eventually encouraged trade between countries because transporting goods over long distances became easier. Today, airplanes and ships use high-tech compasses that help make sure they stay on course to their destinations. 

• Which of the five inventions do you think was most important? Why? Include details to support your choice. (Analyzing Events)
Sample response: I think the invention of the wheel and axle was the most important of the five inventions. It had a huge impact on the way people lived and organized their societies. Once people didn’t need to rely on group labor to transport heavy materials, they were able to spread out and settle on single-family farms.

Research Another Invention

Have students use the Research Toolkit to help them respond to the Skill Spotlight activity at the end of the article. It includes suggested sources and choices for the research path and final products. Guide students to select an invention to research and collect information from multiple sources.

Assess Comprehension

Assign the 10-question Know the News quiz, available in PDF and interactive forms. You can also use Quiz Wizard to assess comprehension of this article and three others from the issue.