Background
Television came into being based on the inventions and discoveries of many men and scientists. The 'first' generation of television sets were not entirely electronic. The display (TV screen) had a small motor with a spinning disc and a neon lamp, which worked together to give a blurry reddish-orange light about the size of a credit card. Students will learn about the early days of television and construct a TV timeline, a good way to display information and events chronologically. They will also choose an inventor involved in the development of TV and research his or her life and accomplishments.
Objectives
The student understands broad
categories of time in years, decades and centuries.
The student knows significant people and their contributions in the field of
communication and technology (e.g. television) and the impact of these devices
on society.
The student uses technology tools to enhance learning, increase productivity,
and promote creativity.
Activities
1. The teacher should preview these web sites and book mark links that are grade appropriate; then use for student research: TV History- the First Seventy-five Years, History of Television, and The History of TV- Inventors.
2. After researching resources and
taking notes on each decade,
have students list 8-10 main events in television history by decade, for
example:
1927 Philo T. Farnsworth, the
Inventor of Modern TV/
1928
British Scanning Disc Television
1935 What Did the Early TV Look Like?
1946 TV
after World War II
1959 The Swivel Screen
1960 The Philco Continental
1974 The Zenith Console
1980 The Magnavox Tabletop
1990 Sony of Japan
2000 What's New?
*Tip: students can visit various timelines to examine their construction: Yahooligans- Timelines. There is also a software program called Timeline that can be utilized.
3. After collecting 8-10 main events of TV, students will use computer program to draw the main bar for the time line.
4. Students will then draw a perpendicular line from the main bar. Add a label to this line to represent the first item on the time line.
5. Students continue to make lines and labels for all main events of TV history.
6. Find appropriate clip art; students can use computer application software, CD-ROM software, or free graphics from the Internet.
7. Resize labels and graphics if needed.
8. Add a title.
9. Proofread and publish.
Materials
Computer with Internet access; software program that students can use to draw boxes, line and type information; trade books and magazines, book- Brought to You in Living Color: 75 Years of Great Moments in Television and Radio from NBC by NBC. John Wiley & Sons; ISBN: 0471090166; 1st edition March 2002; CD-ROM encyclopedia or Encylopedia.com, TV Program Table
Evaluation
Student's timelines will be evaluated using a Timeline Rubric. Teacher can design his or her own rubric at Rubistar
Homework
*Make sure students have a copy of
the local TV listings for this homework.
Ask students to choose a block of time from the TV Guide or other listings of TV
programs that kids normally watch (6:00-7:00 PM weeknight, 9:00 - 10:00 AM
Saturday). After reading the programming, ask student to make a list of all the
programs broadcast during that time block. Have students complete the TV
Program Table and construct a graph to compare the number of programs in
each genre (type): comedy, drama, cartoon, movie, variety, musical.... In class,
have a discussion about the graphs, ask: Do time slots that kids watch offer
more kid-oriented TV programs, such as cartoons? Which are the TV channels that
offer the most popular shows for kids?
Extension Activity: The Inventors of Television
Guest Speaker
Invite a parent or grandparent to class to talk about the early days of television. Have students ask questions about the size of the television box, the size of the screen, black and white versus color, and early TV shows and stars.
Fieldtrip
Students can take a virtual fieldtrip to Media History Connections Site. At this rich site, students can visit broadcast museums and learn about TV pioneers and general broadcast history. There is also a TV nostalgia tour.