The Boo-Boos That Changed the World: A True Story About an Accidental Invention (Really) Lesson Activity

Posted on August 13, 2018 by Maureen Schlosser

The Boo-Boos that Changed the World Summary

When you cut yourself, what’s the first thing you do? Reach for a Band-Aid, right? Before the 1920s, Band-Aids did not exist. Josephine Knight was accident prone and needed to save her cuts from infection. Her husband, Earle Dickson, wanted to help. He applied his background knowledge with cotton to solve the problem. The Boo-Boos That Changed the World delivers an interesting narrative about Band-Aids. Children will enjoy the comical way the author pretends to end the story when there is more to tell. The cartoonish illustrations add to the story of this great invention known worldwide.

The Boo-Boos that Changed the World Lesson Activity

AASL Standards Framework for Learners: Curate/Think IV.A.2 Learners act on an information need by identifying possible sources of information.

Read The Boo-Boos That Changed the World: A True Story About an Accidental Invention (Really) by Barry Wittenstein.
View old Band-Aid commercials and images by searching the online resources located at the end of the book.
Tell learners that you need their help finding information about other great inventions that solved a problem. Where would they find this information? What word(s) would they use in their search?
Model how to use the online catalog. Demonstrate how to identify available books and record the call number and title. Explain that you can help them find their books with that information. Tell learners to summarize the books they read.
Model how to use the library databases to find articles about inventions. Demonstrate how to read through the article and summarize what the article tells the reader.
Ask learners to curate their favorite resources about one invention by creating a flyer for patrons. Explain that you will give the flyers to learners who ask about the invention.