Create Your Own Story
Inventors and scientists have been celebrated as heroes and representatives of the American dream in the US since the days of Benjamin Franklin. But not every innovator has been given equal treatment, and opportunities were not available to all. In this final activity, create your own story about an American innovator and inform the public about important contributions they might not have known about.
Directions
- Choose one of the images from the carousel to use in response to the following question: What should the American public know about the inventor that they might not already know?
- Read the summaries next to the images or look up additional information if you are interested.
- Write a short summary in response to the question above.
As you write your article, keep the following in mind:
- Length: 2-3 paragraphs
- Include basic facts (who, what, where, when, why, how)
- Tie your piece back to a specific idea from one of the images provided in the carousel below.
- Decide which news format you would like to use, newspaper or website.
- Give your article a title and add a headline (a good headline catches the reader’s attention in some way).
- "Benjamin Banneker: Surveyor-Inventor-Astronomer," mural by Maxime Seelbinder, at the Recorder of Deeds building, built in 1943. 515 D St., NW, Washington, D.C. Benjamin Banneker
- Thomas Edison in 1925. Thomas Edison
- George Washington Carver at the Tuskegee Institute. George Washington Carver
- Interior view of chemistry laboratory/classroom with students at the Tuskegee Institute, Tuskegee, Alabama. George Washington Carver stands second from right, facing front (framed by doorway). Carver’s lab at Tuskegee
- Katherine Johnson at work, 1962. Katherine Johnson
