The Renaissance Inventors
Teacher Resources

The Renaissance Inventors: With History Projects for Kids

In The Renaissance Inventors: With History Projects for Kids, readers 10 through 15 explore the period of European history from the fourteenth to seventeenth centuries while focusing on the biographies of five inventors from that time and the creations they brought to the world. The lives of Leonardo da Vinci, Galileo Galilei, Leon Battista Alberti, Johannes Gutenberg, and Gerardus Mercator are brought to life as kids discover the challenges these men faced and the discoveries they made using their critical and creative thinking skills combined with their passion for science and engineering.
Clear

Related Books

Reviews

Dig Magazine 
The Renaissance Inventors is one in the new series “The Renaissance for Kids.” Each chapter is devoted to an inventor: Gutenberg, Alberti, da Vinci, and Mercator. Sidebars, well chosen illustrations and photos, along with a variety of boxes (Fast Facts, Wonder Why?, Words of Wonder, Connect, History’s Mysteries, and more) combine with 10 hands-on projects to make this an unforgettable read! Other titles are: “Artists,” “Explorers,” and “Thinkers”! Have fun with all four!

Praise for other title in the series: The Renaissance Artists

Booklist Starred Review
“. . .This appealing package will attract browsers and be a boon to student researchers and their teachers.”

Kirkus Reviews
“The tone is conversational and provokes curiosity over fact mastery and passive consumption. A conscientious examination of the subject that encourages critical thinking, application, and broad perspective.”

Praise for Amazing Leonardo Inventions You Can Build Yourself

 The New York Times Book Review
“Anderson regales us with tales of Leonardo's brilliant, often mischievous nature, and the nearly unfathomable range of his inventions.”

 

Teacher Resources

Classroom Guide Icon

Classroom Guides

For educators! Download a packet of essential questions, mentor texts, and Common Core State Standards to use in classrooms and libraries.

Classroom Guide
Collection Icon

Collections

Looking for more? Take a look at related books in these collections!

Free Printables Icon

Free Printables

Download a free activity from this book!

Try Styrofoam Printing Download a free activity from this book!

Detailed Book Description

Why was the Renaissance such an important period of time in Western history? Who were the innovators who thought of the inventions we still use today?

In The Renaissance Inventors: With History Projects for Kids, readers 10 through 15 explore the period of European history from the fourteenth to seventeenth centuries while focusing on the biographies of five inventors from that time and the creations they brought to the world. The lives of Leonardo da Vinci, Galileo Galilei, Leon Battista Alberti, Johannes Gutenberg, and Gerardus Mercator are brought to life as kids discover the challenges these men faced and the discoveries they made using their critical and creative thinking skills combined with their passion for science and engineering.

With 10 hands-on projects that use the engineering design process, kids create their own versions of many amazing inventions from the Renaissance right at home. Fun facts, primary source illustrations, and links to online resources spark an interest in the Renaissance. Even without a time machine, learners can “experience” the Renaissance!

The Renaissance Inventors is one of a set of four books in the Renaissance for Kids series. Other titles in the series are The Renaissance Explorers, The Renaissance Artists, and The Renaissance Thinkers.

Try these STEAM projects from the world of the Renaissance!

  • Build an anemometer
  • Make a cipher wheel
  • Engineer a parachute
Available In:
Hardcover, $22.95
9781619306837
Paperback, $14.95
9781619306851
Includes: Table of Contents | Timeline | Maps | Glossary | Resources | Index
Specs: 8 x 10 size | 4-color interior | 112 pages
Content Focus: Language Arts | World History

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction
Invention During the Renaissance

Chapter 1
Johannes Gutenberg The Written Word for Everyone

Chapter 2
Leon Battista Alberti Writing, Painting, Architecture, and Science

Chapter 3
Leonardo da Vinci A Renaissance Man with Ideas on Everything

Chapter 4
Gerardus Mercator Mapping the World

Chapter 5
Galileo Galilei Astronomy, Math, and all the Tools We Need

Glossary
Resources
Index