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The Life of Albert Einstein Mini Unit Study

 

One hundred years ago, a young patent clerk named Albert Einstein published a series of groundbreaking papers in physics that introduced, among other things, a special theory of relativity. The ideas contained in these papers would provide a foundation that Einstein would build on for the next 50 years, eventually becoming a household name that was synonymous for genius.

In this mini unit study, you can: read about the life and achievements of Albert Einstein, look at an exhibit of odd Einstein artifacts for kids, view pictures of his life, watch a video of a famous writer give a dinner salute to Einstein, test your wits to see if you can think like a genius, build a toy that was a favorite of Einstein, and see if you can put together enough information to spot the next Einstein.

Reading

Albert Einstein for Kids:

Overview written for children

Multi-part biography of Albert Einstein w/photos:

Einstein biograpghy

Timeline of key events in Einstein's life:

Timeline

Multimedia

View Einstein pictures:

Photos of Einstein

Watch George Bernard Shaw (a famous Irish playwright) salute Einstein at a dinner party in 1930:

1930 video toast

Assignments and Projects

Test your wits to see if you can think like a genius, too!

Can you think like Einstein?

Build Einstein's favorite toy

Einstein's toy

Who will be the next Einstein? Teachers and parents can use this lesson plan to explore Einstein and the world of famous scientists.

The next Einstein lesson plan

Recommended Resource

Ordinary Genius: The Story of Albert Einstein

This is one of the better biographies on Einstein for young people out there, make sure to pick it up before watching the NOVA special.

"The descriptions of young Albert's difficulties in school, which will enthrall young readers, embody what the author does particularly well throughout this book--depict Einstein as a person both like and unlike others. Without trivializing Einstein's genius, McPherson lets readers feel the great scientist's excitement and frustration with his work.

Explanations of Einstein's scientific discoveries are clearly presented, as is the social context of Germany between the wars and during the Nazi years. Photographs of Einstein, including one of him at age five, are well chosen to leave some new visual memories of the famous face.

McPherson provides readers with a strong impression of an independent mind at work--so strong, in fact, that children may wish they could have met the genius. That's high praise for a biography." (Booklist Review)

Author: Stephanie Sammartino McPherson
Amazon Price $8.95

Read more about the book on Amazon