Research Thomas Edison's life and write a report outlining your findings. Older students can write a three- to five-page paper while younger students may read a Thomas Edison biography and then write a book report about their reading. The paper can outline Edison's family life and early influences. Students can discover why Edison was interested in science and discuss his major contributions to the field. Students may also focus on Edison's hearing disability and write about how he overcame his disadvantages.
Students can learn the basic concepts behind electricity through a series of experiments. Older children should conduct more advanced experiments while younger children can stay with simpler concepts. Either way, students can track their results and turn in a report outlining their findings and their related thoughts. For a simple electricity experiment, students can make a battery out of a potato. Buy a light-emitting diode from an electronics store. You will also need wire, a few potatoes and a knife and a fork for each potato. Stick a knife and a fork into each potato and wrap the wire around the handle of each utensil. When the students connect the wire to the diode, it will light up.
Students can make a diorama depicting a scene from Thomas Edison's life. First, they should research his life with books or online. Then, they can pick a scene to depict from Edison's life. For example, students can create a scene where Edison was conducting electricity experiments or when he was working to invent the phonograph. Students can learn about the late 1800s and early 1900s, when Edison lived, and have the diorama's surroundings reflect life during that time. For example, the clothes, furnishings and decor should be period-specific.
Thomas Edison didn't let momentary failures defeat him. He conducted thousands of unsuccessful experiments while he worked to invent the lightbulb and other inventions. Additionally, Edison suffered from hearing loss. Students can write a report or a fictional story about how failure and adversity can help them achieve their goals. Have them identify subjects or tasks that they want to have better skills for, and then think about the failures they might encounter on the way to becoming better. Ask students how adversity can make them better people.