Charlie Thorne and the Last Equation + Albert Einstein

November 11, 1930 - The US Patent Office awards another patent to Albert Einstein, this one for the refrigerator.  The invention is not immediately put into production, and the patent is acquired by Electrolux.
Born March 14th, 1879, Albert Einstein is considered one of the greatest physicists and thinkers of all time.  In 1921, he received the Nobel Prize in Physics for his discovery of the Law of the Photoelectric Effect.  He developed the Theory of Relativity, which is one of the two pillars of modern physics, and his mass-energy equivalence (E=mc²) is considered the world's most famous equation.  Today, the word 'Einstein' is equated with 'genius.'
Einstein was born in Germany, but moved to Switzerland in his teens.  In 1933, while visiting the United States, Hitler came to power in Germany.  Because Einstein was Jewish, he opted not to return to Europe, and settled in the US, becoming an American citizen in 1940.  Just before World War 2, he wrote a letter to President Roosevelt recommending that the US begin nuclear research, as Germany already had a program underway.  While he was against nuclear weapons, he supported the Allied troops in defeating Hitler.
At age 76, he passed away in Princeton, NJ after refusing a life-saving surgery.  He said, "I have done my share; it is time to go.  I will do it elegantly."  During the autopsy, his brain was preserved in the hope that future neuroscientists would be able to discover what led to his high intelligence.  However, as fellow physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer remarked at his memorial, what truly made him special was, "He was almost wholly without sophistication and wholly without worldliness. ... There was always with him a wonderful purity at once childlike and profoundly stubborn."

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Our spine read for this unit is:

• Charlie Thorne and the Last Equation    
• Charlie Thorne is a genius.  Charlie Thorne is a thief.  Charlie Thorne isn’t old enough to drive.  And now it’s up to her to save the world…  Decades ago, Albert Einstein devised an equation that could benefit all life on earth—or destroy it. Fearing what would happen if the equation fell into the wrong hands, he hid it.  But now, a diabolical group known as the Furies are closing in on its location. In desperation, a team of CIA agents drags Charlie into the hunt, needing her brilliance to find it first—even though this means placing her life in grave danger.  In a breakneck adventure that spans the globe, Charlie must crack a complex code created by Einstein himself, struggle to survive in a world where no one can be trusted, and fight to keep the last equation safe once and for all.

Get the ENTIRE UNIT in Twenty-Three Reads Bundle - for someone who wants a little bit of everything! 

It includes twenty-three unit studies covering a wide range of topics. Each unit has introductory text, which will give the student basic background information about the topic at hand. These studies are directed toward upper grades students, but some have resources for younger students so that the whole family can work together.

• There are photographs and illustrations, and we have also included primary documents when available.
• After this text, there are featured videos, which augment the background information and help make the topic more accessible for more visual students.
• You will also find a short list of reading books, including a featured novel that the unit builds upon.
• There are vocabulary words, places, and people to identify.
• Reading comprehension, critical thinking questions, and writing assignments are included.
• We add fun with hands-on activities and extra videos to watch that will bring the era to life.

Includes:

• Language Arts
• Finding Langston & the Poetry of Langston Hughes
• Geography
• Anne of Green Gables & Canadian Provinces
• Stowaway & Antarctica
• Julie of the Wolves & Alaska
• Blades of Freedom & the Louisiana Purchase
• The Avion My Uncle Flew & France
• History
• Zlata’s Diary & the Slavic Wars
• Freedom Summer & the Summer of 1964
• Treasure Island & Pirates of the Caribbean Sea
• Farenheit 451 & Types of Government
• Red Stars & Russia in World War 2
• The Great Gatsby & the Roaring Twenties
• The Long List of Impossible Things & Post-War Germany
• A Tale of Two Cities & French Revolution
• Witch of Blackbird Pond & Salem Witch Trials
• The World Made New & Early Explorers
• Stitching a Life & Jewish Immigration
• Life Skills
• Teetoncey & Lifesaving Skills
• Freak of the Week & Disabilities Awareness
• Island of the Blue Dolphins & Sailing
• Science
• The Science of Breakable Things & the Scientific Method
• Frankenstein & Human Anatomy
• Charlie Thorne and the Last Equation & Albert Einstein

Product samples:

• Teetoncey & Lifesaving Skills
• Finding Langston & the Poetry of Langston Hughes
• Farenheit 451 & Types of Government