Student Resources
Brainstorming | Choosing a Topic | ResearchResearch
The following resources may assist you as you work on your ExploraVision entry.
Your School Library
School libraries provide rich science-related resources both in print and online. Your school librarian can help you find the resources that best meet your needs. Start there.
The Internet
There are thousands of websites related to invention and technology. Google or Yahoo! will return long lists of websites but many will contain unreliable information. Your school librarian can help you narrow your searches to produce better results. In addition, your school library probably subscribes to powerful online databases that you will not find on the open Internet. Many large companies have websites with information about their products. Even product instruction guides can contain helpful descriptions of technology. Many universities and invention-oriented groups also have online presences with all kinds of useful information.
The Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation can be a terrific resource. The center is affiliated with the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. The website gives you access to educational materials and online articles — plus a list of contacts at the museum, exhibit information and more.
Funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation, the Invention and Design Homepage has teacher resources on teaching invention and innovation.
Books
Grades K–2
How Does it Work? By David Glover. DK Publishing. 2001
A collection of hands-on science experiments that teach children how different things work illustrated with crisp color photographs set on white space.
Imaginative Inventions: the Who, What, Where, When, and Why of Roller Skates, Potato Chips, Marbles, Pie and More! By Charise Mericle Harper. Little Brown. 2001
A whimsical look at how 14 inventions were created. Told in rhyme with a little creative license and illustrated with bright artwork with thematic borders. Included are interesting facts about each invention.
Let's Try it Out in the Air. By Seymour Simon. Aladdin Paperbacks. 2003
Let's Try it Out in the Water. By Seymour Simon. Aladdin Paperbacks. 2003
A pair of books that present simple activities and experiments that demonstrate the properties of air by observing the presence of air and the pressure it exerts and buoyancy by observing why some things sink and others float in water.
Grades 3–5
About Time: a First Look at Time and Clocks. By Bruce Koscielnicak. Houghton Mifflin. 2004
This is an entertainingly quick history of the concept of time, calendars and clocks. An explanation of daytime vs. nighttime and seasons is provided, time keeping methods from sundials to atomic clocks are introduced, and the Gregorian calendar is explained. Detailed watercolor illustrations on every page enhance the text.
The Kid Who Named Pluto and the Stories of Other Extraordinary Young People in Science. By Marc McCutcheon. Chronicle. 2004
Presented in this small book are short biographies of nine children and young adults who made an impact on the world with their discoveries and talents. Featured are Robert Goddard, Venetia Burney, Isaac Asimov, Philo Taylor Farnsworth, Mary Anning, Sarah Flannery, Truman Henry Safford, Emily Rosa and Louis Braille. Photos and whimsical illustrations enhance the text.
Genius: a Photobiography of Albert Einstein. By Marfe F. Delano. National Geographic. 2005
Presents a biography of Albert Einstein in words and photographs and examines the life of the physicist whose theories revolutionized the way science views the space-time continuum. The book integrates Einstein's political, cultural and social interests with his scientific beliefs.
Hooray for Inventors! By Marcia Williams. Candlewick. 2005
Greater and lesser-known inventors and inventions from the earliest times to the present are included in this cartoon-style informational book. Though the text is brief, facts and details abound in both text and illustrations. Inventions include the printing press, the ballpoint pen, Lego® bricks, hula hoops and many more. The author even has a section featuring women inventors, as well as some of her favorite inventions.
So, You Want to be an Inventor? By Judith St. George. Philomel. 2002
Lively text and humorous watercolor illustrations by this Caldecott award-winning team offer readers brief introductions to some of the most famous and lesser-known inventors throughout history. Over 40 inventors are featured including Thomas Edison, Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Henry Ford, Eli Whitney and Hedy Lamarr.
Grades 6–8
Girls Think of Everything: Stories of Ingenious Inventions by Women. By Catherine Thimmesh. Houghton Mifflin. 2000
A collective biography of women and girls who changed the world with their inventions, presenting unique and creative ideas that came about from necessity or that were simply a product of ingenuity and hard work: inventions such as correction fluid, space helmets and disposable diapers. The book encourages young women to start inventing things on their own and offers a list of organizations with postal and Internet addresses to help them get started.
It Came from Outer Space: Everyday Products and Ideas from the Space Program. By Marjolijn Bijlefeld. Greenwood Press. 2003
Examines 67 products and devices invented or improved by technology first developed for the space program. Entries, arranged in alphabetical order, range from the airplane de-icer to baby food, burn treatments, Doppler Radar, heart pumps, laptop computers, pool filters, space pens and virtual reality. Illustrated. A fascinating look at the impact of the space program on everyday life.
Hurricane Hunters: Riders on the Storm. By Chris L. Demarest. McElderry. 2006
Describes a mission by a Mississippi-based flight crew as it flies into the eye of a hurricane to drop instruments that track the storm's course and wind speed. Full-color illustrations show the details of the prop-driven WC-130 Hercules aircraft and the work of the crew, as well as the lands before and after the devastation.
Sea Clocks: the Story of Longitude. By Louise Borden. McElderry. 2003
A well-written narrative on the struggles and achievement of John Harrison, the British clockmaker, who solved the "biggest scientific problem of the 18th century." He determined how longitude could be determined on a moving ship, but it took 40 years for him to receive recognition. The fine pen-and-ink detailed drawings lend information and visual pleasure to this excellent title. An afterword explains the fate of significant people and Harrison's clocks, while another page lists related facts of interest.
Grades 9–12
A Short History of Nearly Everything. By Bill Bruson. Broadway Books. 2003
Nature and science writer Bill Bryson examines some of the mysteries of science and attempts to understand not only what scientists know but how they know it. Covers the creation of the universe, the size of the Earth, the origins of life and other topics.
Mutants, Clones, and Killer Corn: Unlocking the Secrets of Biotechnology. By Samantha and Todd Seiple. Lerner 2005
Traces the field of biotechnology from its origins in selective livestock breeding to its future possibilities such as growing human organs for transplants.
Science Firsts: From the Creation of Science to the Science of Creation. By Robert E. Alder. Wiley and Sons. 2002
Tells the stories of 35 landmark scientific discoveries, each representing a "first" in its field, covering a period that ranges from 585 B.C., with the first accurate prediction of an eclipse, to the cloning of a sheep in 1996.
The Discoveries: Great Breakthroughs in 20th Century Science. By Alan Lightman. Pantheon. 2005
Relates the stories of 22 of the most significant scientific discoveries of the twentieth century, from Max Planck's discovery of the quantum in 1900 to Paul Berg's discovery of recombinant DNA in 1972, and includes reprints of the original papers announcing the findings.
Videos
Connections. New York: Ambrose Video Publishing, 1994.
Microelectronics: The Quiet Revolution. Blacksburg, VA: Virginia Polytechnic Institute, 1987.
The Trigger Effect. New York: Time Life Multimedia, 1979.
Working With Light. Blacksburg, VA: Virginia Polytechnic Institute, 1987.
Periodicals
American Heritage of Invention and Technology
Smithsonian
Popular Mechanics
Popular Science
Scientific American
Scientific American Explorations
Science