Character Traits

Character traits are the parts of someone’s personality that shape how that person thinks and behaves. Studying the character traits of successful people, and how they developed those traits, can help you think about how you would like to do things in your life.

Thomas Alva Edison was one of the greatest inventors in history. His inventions include the Edison light bulb; motion pictures ("movies"); and the phonograph, a device that led to the record player.

What You’ll Do

In this lesson, you’ll watch videos and read text to understand some of Thomas Edison's character traits. Then, using what you’ve learned, you’ll choose one of Edison’s character traits and write about how it helped him succeed as an inventor.