Summary
The crew steps back to celebrate Benjamin Franklin himself — printer, scientist, inventor, postmaster, and diplomat all in one remarkable life. James, who has worked in Franklin's shop the whole series, reflects on how curiosity and hard work in many fields made one man so useful to a new nation.
Viewer safety
No violent content; historical debate and political tension.
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Teaching resources
Discussion questions
Discussion
Franklin signed every one of the new nation's founding documents and was famous worldwide as a scientist. Few people have ever been good at so many different things at once.
- How many different jobs and roles did Benjamin Franklin have? Which surprises you most?
- How did his curiosity and inventiveness help the American cause?
- What can we learn from someone who kept learning and trying new things his whole life?
- If you could be excellent at three very different things, what would you choose, and why?
Quick work-a-long
Vocabulary: inventor, scientist, diplomat, printer, curiosity.
Try it: Make a “role web” for Benjamin Franklin: write his name in the center and branch out to at least four roles he played. Beside one role, add a sentence on how it helped the new country.