MODULE

Inventors
at Work
“I will not follow
where the path may
lead, but I will go
where there is no
path, and I will leave
a trail.”
—Muriel Strode

10
 Essential Question

What kinds of
circumstances
push people
to create new
inventions?

Video

11
 Big Idea
Words

Words About Inventors

The words in the chart will help you talk and write about the selections in this module.
Which words about inventors have you seen before? Which words are new to you?

Add to the Vocabulary Network on page 13 by writing synonyms, antonyms, and

related words and phrases for each word about inventors.

After you read each selection in this module, come back to the Vocabulary Network
and keep building it. Add more boxes if you need to.

WORD MEANING CONTEXT SENTENCE

transcend If you transcend a boundary, Astronauts must transcend

(verb) you go above or beyond it. limitations and challenges.

excel To excel at something is to be Keep practicing and you will

(verb) very good at it. excel.

illustrious An illustrious person is The illustrious inventor was

(adjective) famous for his or her known around the world.
achievements.

revere If you revere someone, you I revere people whose

(verb) think very highly of that inventions improve the
person. world.

12
transcend
excel

Words About
Inventors

illustrious

revere

13
Knowledge
Map

Solve
Problems

Reasons to
Invent

Achieve
Fame and Fortune

14
 Make
Life Easier

Entertain
People

15
 my Notes

Short
Read

Government
Must Fund Inventors
1

E very year, our government collects trillions of dollars in taxes.

Most of the funds pay for programs that keep citizens safe and healthy.
Other amounts fund programs such as public education. Some of the money
goes to run the government itself. It’s expensive to keep our country running!

2 Sadly, just a small percentage goes to fund innovation and invention. In recent
years, the government has spent only a small percentage of the federal
budget on scientific and medical research. This is not right! The federal
government must spend more money to support inventors and their work.

3 Invention is crucial for the economic and social well-being of our country.
Funding inventors improves people’s lives, creates jobs, and helps our nation
excel as a leader in science and technology.

Inventors Need Government Support

4 It’s often the case that only the government has the huge funds needed to
support truly great innovation. To build a faster computer or transcend the
barriers of space travel, inventors need enormous sums of money. The
government spent about $20 billion on the Apollo space program, which took
astronauts to the moon. The project likely could not have succeeded without
government help.

5 Government support of invention has frequently led to more

innovation. A simple example is memory foam. This “space age”
material first helped protect astronauts from collisions.
Consequently, many people today now sleep on mattresses
made of this squishy, comfortable material. It’s even used to add
cushion in shoes! Other innovations include devices that help the
deaf hear, probes that help doctors look inside arteries, and
scratch-resistant eyeglasses.

16
 myNotes

Inventors Change Our

Lives for the Better
6 Government support of innovation
has always benefited society.
Specifically, government funds
have contributed to inventions such as cell phones, electric
cars, and the Internet.

7 It’s the government’s job to improve the lives of its citizens. Inventors
do this all the time. Think about the contributions of inventors like the
illustrious Thomas Edison. Who can doubt that his light bulb made life
easier? Think of computer giants like Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, whom
many revere for how they changed the world. The government should
be doing all it can to help new inventors follow in their footsteps.

Even Failures Help Inventors Learn

8 Now, some people might feel that invention is too risky a business for the
government to be involved in. Yes, most inventors do fail—at first. But failure
is a central part of the process. It is how great ideas become great products.

9 In 1967, for example, an Apollo spacecraft caught fire on the launch pad.
Three astronauts died. Inventors learned from this terrible accident. They
made improvements to the spacecraft. The improvements helped astronauts
land on the moon.

Let’s Be World Leaders!

10 Innovation in technology and science helps our country maintain its place as
a world leader. Each year, thousands of students travel here from other
lands. They come to study at our schools and universities.

11 Inventors improve the lives of everyone. Inventors help make our country
strong and prosperous. Our government must continue to invest in inventors
and their innovations.

17
 my Notes
Notice &
Note
Contrasts and
Contradictions

Prepare to Read
GENRE STUDY Narrative nonfiction gives factual information
and tells true events in a way that reads like a story.

• Narrative nonfiction presents events in sequential, or

chronological, order. Ordering events this way helps readers
understand what happened and when.
• Texts about events that happened in the past include real
people and may include quotations from them, or details
about their thoughts and feelings.
• Narrative nonfiction can include visuals, such as illustrations,
maps, and diagrams.

SET A PURPOSE Think about the title and

genre of this text. What do you know about these CRITICAL
inventors and their work? What do you want to VOCABULARY
learn? Write your ideas below. locomotives

chugged

gadgets

phonograph

sputtered

flop

incandescent
Meet the Author and Illustrator:
cylinder
Suzanne Slade and
Jennifer Black Reinhardt patents

18
 myNotes

by Suzanne Slade

illustrated by Jennifer Black Reinhardt

19
 myNotes

1 Not so long ago the world was a little slower. A little

simpler. And a whole lot quieter.
2 No airplanes roaring overhead. No cars rumbling down roads.
No phones ringing in pockets.
3 Then things began to change because of two curious boys,
Thomas and Henry.
4 And one secret.
5 Young Thomas got into trouble. A lot.
6 It always started with an “experiment.” He just had to
see how things worked.
7 Thomas was curious about chemistry. He mixed up colorful
potions in his basement, but explosions shook
the house night and day.

20
 myNotes

8 Thomas was curious about locomotives. He got a

job as a newsboy, selling papers on a train, but one of
his experiments set the baggage car on fire.
9 Most of all, Thomas was curious about electricity,
invisible energy that flowed and stopped, sizzled and
popped. He tied wires to his cats’ tails and rubbed
their fur. Sparks flew that day!

locomotives Locomotives are the engines that make a

train go forward.

21
 myNotes

10 Henry was born sixteen years after Thomas. He got in a heap of

trouble, too. He was always doing experiments instead of his chores
because he just had to see how things worked.
11 Henry was curious about windup toys. He took his sister’s toys
apart, but couldn’t always get them back together.
12 Henry was curious about the rushing river. He built a dam and
waterwheel to catch its energy, but flooded the neighbor’s field instead.
13 Most of all, Henry was curious about engines—machines that
chugged and purred, hiccupped and whirred. He built a steam engine
from a ten-gallon can, tin blades, and a pipe, but it exploded and set
the school fence on fire!

chugged If a machine chugged along, it moved slowly and noisily.

22
 myNotes

14 As Thomas grew older he

dreamed of creating his own
inventions, electric gadgets to make
life easier. He designed an electric
pen so people could rest their weary
hands. His sharp pen cut a stencil
that made copies. In just one day
people could print a pile of copies
that would’ve taken weeks to write
by hand.

gadgets Gadgets are small, specialized

machines or electronic devices.

23
 myNotes
15 As Henry grew older he dreamed of creating his own inventions, too:
powerful engines to make life easier. When he was twelve he spied
something amazing: an engine-powered buggy. He’d never seen a vehicle
that wasn’t pulled by a horse.
16 Henry sprinted up to the buggy, his mind filled with questions. What
powered the engine? How fast did it go? What could it do?
17 The driver boasted the vehicle ran on coal and steam and went about
twelve miles an hour. Its engine powered farm equipment and huge saws.

24
 myNotes
18 The mighty machine got Henry’s mind spinning. An engine didn’t
eat or rest like a horse. It could carry people, mail, and news. Fast!
19 From then on, Henry thought about one thing: making his own
vehicle. A car hardworking families could afford. Then folks could go
to town anytime, not just the weekly Saturday trip. They could visit
faraway places they’d only heard about.
20 But Henry couldn’t even repair his broken watch! How would he
ever build a car?
21 Then he heard about Thomas’s electric pen.
22 What’s his secret? Henry wondered. How did he make such a
marvelous machine?

25
 myNotes

23 Later, Thomas created an invention that recorded and played

back sounds. When Thomas talked into his new phonograph: “Mary
had a little lamb,” it talked right back: “Mary had a little lamb.” His
phonograph could also play music.

phonograph A phonograph is a machine that plays recorded music or sound.

26
 myNotes

24 Henry was still dreaming about cars. Everywhere he went, his

pockets rattled with metal parts. When he was seventeen he took a job
at a machine shop to learn more about engines and machinery. Then,
two years later, a farmer hired Henry to operate a new steam engine.
25 Soon Henry began tinkering on a steam engine of his own. He
strapped the homemade engine to an old mowing machine. His
contraption sputtered along for forty feet, then collapsed.
26 Henry’s design was a flop!
27 But everyone was buzzing about Thomas’s talking phonograph.
28 What’s his secret? Henry wondered.

sputtered If something sputtered, it worked in a rough

or uneven way and made popping noises.
flop Something that is a flop is a complete failure.

27
 myNotes
29 Meanwhile, Thomas was working on an electric light so people could
read past dark. After changing his design many times, he created an
incandescent light bulb that burned all night!
30 Henry was determined to make his vehicle work, so he took a job at a
company that made engines. One day he repaired a fancy engine from
England. It had a four-stroke cylinder that burned gas to create power.
Fascinated, he built a model of the engine to see how it worked.
31 After that, Henry spent long nights, and Saturdays, working on his car.
Friends and coworkers helped, too. When he finally rolled his creation out of
his workshop, it had two cylinders for double the power, a three-gallon tank
for gas, and four bicycle tires for wheels.
32 Henry’s Quadricycle could go up to twenty miles per hour—but it cost a
fortune to make. Most people thought his rattling gas buggy was a joke.

incandescent Something that is incandescent gives off a lot of light.

cylinder A cylinder has circular ends and straight sides. In an engine, a cylinder takes
in gas to make other parts move.

28
 myNotes
33 “Get a horse!” people shouted at Henry.
34 But the whole country was crazy about Thomas’s electric light.
35 Henry scratched his head. What’s his secret?
36 Still, Henry believed in his dream. Although he knew that other
people were working on gas cars, he was determined to make the best.
One that was easy to drive. Big enough for families. And most
important—a car everyone could afford.
37 While Henry was working on his design, Thomas earned patents
for over one hundred new inventions.
38 Henry couldn’t stand it any longer.
39 He had to find out Thomas’s secret!

patents Patents are legal documents. If you get a patent for

an invention, no one else is allowed to make or sell it.

29
 myNotes

40 So Henry hopped a train in Detroit and chugged six hundred

miles to New York City. That’s where important businessmen,
including Thomas, were gathering for a meeting.
41 Henry did some fast talking and got invited to a big dinner with
Thomas as the guest of honor.
42 During dinner, everyone kept talking to Thomas.
43 Henry peered down the large table at the famous inventor.
44 He waited. And waited. And waited.

30
 myNotes

45 Finally Henry gathered his courage. He moved right next

to Thomas and told him he was building a gas car.
46 “Is it a four-cycle engine?” Thomas asked.
47 Henry lit up brighter than any light bulb. He grabbed a
menu and started sketching his engine.
48 Thomas fired off question after question.
49 Henry happily answered each one.
50 And that’s when it happened.
51 Blue eyes sparkling, Thomas leaned in close to Henry.
52 He banged his fist on the table. “Keep at it!” he shouted.

31
 myNotes
53 Henry smiled.
54 Keep at it?
55 Henry laughed.
56 He’d known Thomas’s secret all along!

57 Thomas Edison and Henry Ford are two of the most important men in
American history. Thomas Edison was an American inventor and businessman
who is best known for developing the long-lasting light bulb. Many earlier
inventors had made attempts to devise a light bulb for widespread use, but their
versions failed to last long enough, were too expensive to produce, or used too
much electrical current. After several experiments, Edison succeeded, in 1879, in
creating a bulb that lasted 13.5 hours. This was the first commercial
incandescent bulb. Henry Ford was an industrialist who founded the Ford Motor
Company. Like Edison, his efforts were not focused on inventing something, but
on improving it so that it could be manufactured for the public. Ford developed
and manufactured the first automobile that many middle-class Americans could
actually afford. Edison and Ford were also good friends who often gave each
other business advice and even vacationed together. Edison was the person who
gave Ford the confidence to build his own gas-powered car.

32
 Respond
to the Text

Collaborative Discussion
Look back at what you wrote on page 18. Tell a partner two things you by Suzanne Slade

learned during reading. Then work with a group to discuss the questions illustrated by Jennifer Black Reinhardt

below. Find details in The Inventor’s Secret to support your thoughts. In

your discussion, respond to others by asking questions and making
comments that build on their ideas.

1 Reread pages 20–25. What words and actions in the text show how
Thomas and Henry are alike?
Listening Tip
Listen carefully to the
responses of others.
What questions do
you have about their
ideas?
2 How does the author reveal Henry’s feelings about Thomas?

Speaking Tip
Ask questions to
encourage a speaker
3 Explain what the author means in this sentence on page 32: “He’d
to tell more about the
known Thomas’s secret all along!”
topic. Add comments
of your own to build
upon the speaker’s
ideas.

33
Cite Text
Evidence
Write a Personal Account
PROMPT

In The Inventor’s Secret, you read how Henry learns from Thomas that the “secret” to
success is simply not giving up.

Imagine that your class is creating a collection of personal stories about their paths to
success. Think about a time when you had to “keep at it” in order to succeed. Write a
two-paragraph personal account telling about a challenge you faced and what it took
to overcome that challenge. Use evidence from The Inventor’s Secret in your personal
account. Don’t forget to use some of the Critical Vocabulary words in your writing.

PLAN

Make notes about the central ideas and important details related to
overcoming a challenge. Then use a two-column chart to compare and
contrast a challenge you faced with one that is faced by someone in the text.

34
 WRITE

Now write your personal account about a challenge you faced.

by Suzanne Slade

Make sure your personal account illustrated by Jennifer Black Reinhardt

introduces the challenge that you faced.

describes how the challenge was overcome.

compares and contrasts with the text.

uses sensory details to describe the experience.

provides a conclusion.

35
 my Notes
Notice &
Note
Contrasts and
Contradictions

Prepare to Read
GENRE STUDY Magazine articles give information about a
topic, person, or event.

• Magazine articles often tell events in sequential—or

chronological—order to help readers understand what
happened and when.
• Magazine articles usually include visuals, such as photographs
with captions.
• Magazine articles may include words that are specific to the
topic or idea being discussed.

SET A PURPOSE Think about the title and genre of this text.
What do you know about wind power? What do you want to learn?
Write your ideas below.
CRITICAL
VOCABULARY

irrigate

inspector

photographed

prestigious

auditorium

impoverished

Build Background:
Alternative Power

36
 myNotes

Winds of
Hope
by Katy Duffield
37
 myNotes

1 Parched red dust swirled on the

wind as William Kamkwamba (kam-KWAHM-
bah) stooped between rows of chimanga, or
maize, near his family’s mud-brick thatched
home in Malawi, Africa. As the searing sun
scorched his back, the fourteen-year-old
wrapped his hand around a withered stalk.
Instead of being plump and green, the maize was
dry and brittle. It had grown barely knee-high. William Kamkwamba
The maize should have been up to his father’s
chest by that time, but the rains had not come to nourish it.
2 The drought of 2001 dragged on and on. For many months, William’s
family had only enough maize for one meal each day. And then, for just a
small handful at night; and finally, for only four mouthfuls. As they grew
thinner and thinner, William feared they all would die of starvation.
3 The following spring, William and his father knew that all they could
do was begin again. They planted a new maize crop. This time, the rains
came. The maize grew—ankle-high, knee-high, chest-high.

38
 myNotes

4 William hoped that life could now return to normal. He’d worked hard
to pass the exams to enter high school. When the term began, however,
William’s father explained that, because of the drought, there was no
money to pay his school fees. It appeared that William’s education would
end at eighth grade.
5 Though he could not attend school, William still wanted to learn. He
was curious about many things. He took apart radios, trying to discover
how they made music. One day, turning a bicycle upside down and
cranking the pedals by hand, he figured out that the dynamo that generated
electricity for the headlight could be wired to power a radio instead.
6 Some days, William visited the village library. It had only three shelves,
but William found books that interested him—science books about how
things worked. One day, while looking for a dictionary on the bottom shelf,
he found a book he hadn’t seen before pushed behind the others. It was an
American school textbook called Using Energy. On the book’s cover was a
picture of a row of windmills, tall steel towers with blades spinning like
giant fans.

39
 myNotes

7 From this book William learned that wind—something of which Malawi

had plenty—could produce electricity. William was delighted! Only two
percent of the houses in Malawi have electricity. If William could build a
windmill, his family could have lights in their home. And a windmill could
be used to pump water to irrigate the family’s maize fields. If another
drought came, the windmill could provide the water for life.
8 William could picture in his mind the windmill he wanted to build, but
collecting the parts and tools he needed would take months. In a junkyard
across from the high school, William dug through piles of twisted metal,
rusted cars, and worn-out tractors, searching for anything that might help
him construct his machine. He took a ring of ball bearings from an old
peanut grinder and the cooling fan from a tractor engine. Cracking open a
shock absorber, he removed the steel piston inside. He made four-foot-long
blades from plastic pipe, which he melted over a fire, flattened out, and
stiffened with bamboo poles.
9 Earning some money loading logs into a truck, he paid a welder to attach
the piston to the pedal sprocket of an old bicycle frame. This would be the
axle of the windmill. When the wind blew, the rotating blades would turn the
bicycle wheel, like someone pedaling, and spin a small dynamo. Although he
had no money for a dynamo, a friend came to the rescue and bought one
from a man in the road, right off his bike.
10 When he had collected all the parts, William took them out of the corner
of his bedroom, laid them outside in the shade of an acacia tree, and began
putting them together. Since he did not have a drill to make bolt holes, he
shoved a nail through a maize cob, heated it in the fire, then pushed its point
through the plastic blades. He bolted the blades to the tractor fan, using
washers he’d made from bottle caps. Next he pushed the fan onto the piston
welded to the bicycle frame. With the help of his two best friends, William
built a 16-foot-tall tower from trunks of blue gum trees and hoisted the
ninety-pound windmill to the top.
11 Shoppers, farmers, and traders could see William’s tower from the local
market. They came in a long line to find out what the boy was up to.

irrigate To irrigate crops is to supply them with water through a system of pipes,
sprinklers, or streams.

40
 myNotes

12 William knew this was his moment—his

moment to show everyone he wasn’t crazy, to
find out if his experiment would work. He
connected two wires from the dynamo to a light
socket he’d made from a reed and that held a
small bulb. As the wind whipped around him, he
removed the bent spoke he’d jammed into the
wheel to lock it. Then he held his breath . . .
13 The blades began to turn, slowly at first, then
faster and faster. The light bulb flickered, then
flashed to life. The crowd cheered from below.
14 A month later William found enough wire to
reach from the windmill into his house. His
family crowded around to marvel as the small William’s cousin climbs one of the
windmills on the Kamkwamba farm.
bulb lit up in William’s room. Reading Explaining
Physics by its light, he stayed up long after others
had gone to bed.

William’s parents stand outside

their home. William’s windmill towers
in the background.

41
 myNotes

15 In 2006, a school inspector saw the windmill and informed his

head office. William’s machine now powered four lights and two radios
in his house. He’d added a storage battery with homemade switches and
a circuit breaker. He also recharged village cell phones.
16 Soon William was being interviewed on the radio and photographed
for the newspapers. The story of the boy with only an eighth grade
education who’d built “electric wind” spread across the Internet.
17 In 2007, the nineteen-year-old who had not attended school for five
years was flown to Tanzania to speak at the prestigious TED conference,
featuring innovators from around the world in Technology, Education,
and Design. Nervously struggling with his English, William received a
rousing ovation from the auditorium of inventors and scientists when he
modestly described what he had done.
18 William attendedd Dartmouth College g in the United States, where
he studied environmental
menntal science and engineering. He
graduated in 2014. Will
William
liam is dedicated to bringing
wind- and solar-powered
wereed electricity and water
pumps to impoverished hed
d villages in rural Africa.

inspector An inspector
tor reviews or examines something
carefully.
photographed If someone
meoone or something was
photographed, its photo
oto was
w recorded on film or as a
computer file.
prestigious Something
ing prestigious is impressive
and important.
auditorium An auditorium um is a large room where an
toriu
audience gathers for a pre
esentation or performance.
presentation
impoverished To be impoverished
poverished is to be poor.
e imp

42
 Respond
to the Text

Collaborative Discussion
Winds of
Look back at what you wrote on page 36. Tell a partner two things you
learned from the text. Then work with a group to discuss the questions
Hope
by Katy Duffield

below. Support your answers with details from Winds of Hope. Before
your discussion begins, choose a leader who will make sure everyone in
the group has a chance to share ideas.

1 Reread page 38. What details in the text show how the drought
affected William and his family?
Listening Tip
Listen carefully to
others in your group.
Wait until your group
leader calls on you to
add your ideas.
2 Review pages 40–41. What does William do to find the parts he
needs to build a windmill? What kinds of problem-solving skills
does he demonstrate while he’s working?
Speaking Tip
Look at other group
members as you
speak. Speak loudly
enough for everyone
to hear you. When
3 What details in the text show how William feels about helping
you’re finished, ask if
others?
anyone has questions
for you.

43
Cite Text
Evidence
Write a News Article
PROMPT

In Winds of Hope, you read how William becomes known around the world after local
newspapers write about his windmill. Reporters must prepare for conducting
interviews so that they are able to record the most important facts and details related
to the article.

Imagine that you are a reporter and your newspaper has sent you to interview William.
Write a news article about William and his windmill. Begin by writing interview
questions. Using the 5 Ws and H (who, what, when, where, why, and how) will help you
create questions that include the most important information. Then use information
from the text to answer your questions as you think William would answer. Don’t forget
to use some of the Critical Vocabulary words in your writing.

PLAN

Use the 5 Ws and H to prepare interview questions that focus on the central
ideas and important details from the text. Then use the text to answer the
questions as William would answer them.

44
 WRITE

Now write your news article about William and his windmill from
Winds of Hope. Winds of
Hope
by Katy Duffield

Make sure your news article

introduces William and his invention.

asks and answers questions using the 5Ws and H.

develops the topic with facts and other examples from the text.

uses informative words and language that show understanding.

ends with a concluding statement.

45
 my Notes
Notice &
Note
Contrasts and
Contradictions

Prepare to Read
GENRE STUDY Informational texts give facts and examples
about a topic.

• Authors of informational texts may organize their ideas using

headings and subheadings, by grouping main ideas and key
details, or by explaining causes and effects.
• Science texts also include words that are specific to the topic.
• Informational texts often include visuals, such as charts,
diagrams, graphs, timelines, and maps.

SET A PURPOSE Think about the title and genre

e
of this text. What do you know about wheelchair
sports and how they affect the lives of people who are
re
not able to walk? What do you want to learn? Write
your ideas below.

CRITICAL
VOCABULARY

maneuver

specialized

elite

objective

traditional

Build Background:
Sports for the Physically Challenged

46
 myNotes

Wheelchair
Sports:
Hang Glider to
Wheeler-Dealer
by Simon Shapiro
art by Theo Krynauw and Warwick Goldswain

47
 myNotes

In her new wheelchair, Marilyn Hamilton excelled at

tennis, winning the U.S. Open Women’s Wheelchair
Championship twice, both in singles and doubles.
(Eventually she did get her yellow wheelchair.)

B efore you jump off a

1
3 Still, Hamilton was determined to
live a full and active life, and ready to try
mountain, there are a new things. Regular tennis was out, but
few things you have to do. a friend got her started on wheelchair
Usually, Marilyn Hamilton did them all, tennis. It was frustratingly difficult, and
and had a great time soaring in she’d come home from the courts at the
California’s Sierra mountain range under end of the day with badly blistered
her hang glider. But one day in 1978, she hands. She hated her wheelchair! Its
forgot to clip her harness to the glider. steel frame made it heavy (close to 27
She was lucky not to be killed, but the kilograms, or 60 pounds) and hard to
crash broke her back. At the age of 29, maneuver. And it was ugly. Being
Hamilton’s life changed forever—but the imprisoned in that wheelchair was the
lives of millions of others would also be exact opposite of being able to fly in a
changed by that simple mistake. hang glider. One day, that difference
2 Hamilton was never able to walk gave her an idea.
again. After a stay in the hospital and
three weeks of therapy, she was given maneuver To maneuver something is to move it.
a wheelchair and encouraged to get on
with her life. She was eager to do that
but worried about the things she would
never be able to do again, like running,
biking, squash and racquetball,
hiking, and hang gliding.

48
 myNotes

4 Hamilton talked to two friends who

made hang gliders. She persuaded them
Wheelchair Sports
to build her a new wheelchair using hang- Wheelchair sports can be very
glider technology. An aluminum frame competitive and very demanding.
made it strong, but light; it was half the Elite wheelchair athletes have an
weight of her regular chair, and she could awesome level of fitness, skill, and
really move in it. It even looked good. In upper body strength. Wheelchair
fact, the only thing that stopped it from basketball is very similar to stand-up
being absolutely perfect was that it was basketball. Rules are adapted for
blue; she would have preferred yellow. wheelchairs. For example, only two
5 Hamilton and her friends knew they pushes are allowed before a player
were on to something. Hamilton couldn’t must dribble the ball. Wheelchair
be the only one out there looking for a rugby was developed by a group of
lighter, speedier chair. They formed a Canadian athletes whose reduced
company to make and sell “Quickie” arm and hand functions didn’t allow
wheelchairs and specialized in meeting them to compete equally in basketball.
the needs of athletes. The company The objective is to carry the ball over
was hugely successful. the opponents’ goal line.

specialized If a company specialized in elite Elite members of a group are those who
something, it provided a specific type of product. are the best or most skilled.
objective An objective is a goal.

49
 myNotes

Center
of mass

A regular wheelchair tips over fairly easily. The

vertical dotted black line shows that the center
of mass is directly over the tipping point.

Why They’re Better is why no one built a light wheelchair for

athletes sooner. It seems this invention
6 The reasons why a lightweight had to wait for Marilyn Hamilton: not only
wheelchair is better for athletes than a did she understand the need, she also had
traditional wheelchair are pretty easy to the connection to hang-gliding technology
understand. In fact, Sir Isaac Newton that turned a dream into a reality.
figured out the exact math formulas to 8 The lightness of the Quickie was the
explain this stuff back in 1687, but here biggest innovation. But Hamilton and her
are the basics: friends didn’t stop there. They worked
• to move something heavy, you have hard to figure out what else an athlete
to push harder; would need. In the end, the Quickie was
• given the same push, something made more stable by giving it a lower
light will go faster than something center of mass and a wider wheelbase
heavy; and than a traditional wheelchair. An object
• it’s easier to slow down a lighter will tip over when the center of mass is
object than a heavier one. directly over the point of tipping. The
diagram above shows that with a
7 So, it’s obvious that a lighter
lower center of mass and a
wheelchair will let an athlete move
wider wheelbase, the sports
faster, stop faster, and change direction
wheelchair must be
easily. The only thing that isn’t obvious
pushed to a much greater
angle before it tips.
traditional Something that is traditional has been
made or done in a certain way for a very long time.

50
 myNotes

Center
of mass

The wide wheelbase on a sports wheelchair

makes it very stable and hard to tip over.

9 With a wheelchair, the center of mass

is made lower by setting the seat lower.
The Quickie also lets athletes adjust the
height themselves. The wheelbase is made
wider by using negative cambered wheels.
This means that the wheels aren’t vertical.
Instead, they’re angled so that the tops
of the wheels are closer together than
the bottoms.
10 Another advantage of the negative
cambered wheels is that the athlete can
reach the wheel more easily. The top part
of the wheel is close to the athlete’s body,
so the hands push almost in line with the
athlete’s shoulders and not out to the side.
This lets you push harder. The diagram Lever Fulcrum Effort Output Force
shows how this works. The shoulder is the
fulcrum, and the muscles in the upper arm Comparing a regular wheelchair and a
provide the effort. The output force is cambered wheel: the cambered wheel on the
delivered through the hand. The left keeps the hand closer to the body. It forms
a more efficient lever, delivering a harder push.
farther away your hand is from
your shoulder when you push, the
less output force you have.

51
 myNotes

Tipping Points and

Center of Mass
If you want to feel how the center of
mass/tipping point principle works, grab
a can of vegetables from the kitchen
cupboard. Now mark the middle of the
label with a dot. The center of mass is in
the middle of the can, right behind that
mark. With the mark facing you, hold the
can on its edge just where it’s balanced
but about to tip over. Notice where the
dot is? Right above the edge of the can.
Now do the same thing with a shorter
can, like the kind tuna comes in. There’s
no doubt which is more stable.

Guttmann’s Great Idea to play catch with patients in bed, using

a heavy medicine ball. (They needed to
11 Dr. Ludwig Guttmann was a build up enough arm strength to lift
German brain surgeon who fled themselves into a wheelchair.) Then the
to England before the Second games really began. Activity wasn’t
World War. During the war, he optional; it was prescribed medicine.
was in charge of Stoke Patients had archery and darts, pool
Mandeville Hospital, a place and table tennis. They invented
that treated soldiers with wheelchair polo and wheelchair
spinal cord injuries. basketball. Amazingly, patients were
Before Guttmann, these soon being discharged from the hospital
patients were left to lie to go home and live active lives.
in bed, doing nothing. 13 In 1948, Guttmann held the first
They would get painful annual wheelchair competition at the
bedsores, bladder and hospital. In 1952, Dutch competitors
kidney infections, and made these games international. Eight
would often die after years later, they were held parallel to
several miserable months. the Olympics. The Paralympics are now
No one expected them to held immediately following the
become active again. Olympics, in the same cities. In 1960,
12 Guttmann refused to accept this. He Guttmann watched 300 athletes enter
believed he could use sports as a way to Rome’s Olympic stadium for the first
get patients active and out of bed. He Paralympics Games. That number’s now
got a sergeant assigned to the hospital increased to over four thousand athletes.

52
 Wheelchair
Respond Sports:
Hang Glider to
to the Text Wheeler-Dealer
by Simon Shapiro
art by Theo Krynauw and Warwick Goldswain

Collaborative Discussion
Look back at what you wrote on page 46. Tell a partner two things you
learned from the text. Then work with a group to discuss the questions
below. Use details and examples from Wheelchair Sports: Hang Glider to
Wheeler-Dealer to support your answers. Help keep your group’s
conversation focused on just one question at a time.

1 Reread pages 48–49. What led Marilyn Hamilton to invent a new

kind of wheelchair?
Listening Tip
Listen carefully to
what each person has
to say. Try to add new
thoughts or facts
about the same
2 Review page 52. In what way was Dr. Guttmann’s idea for helping
question.
his patients different from what had been done in the past?

Speaking Tip
Keep the
conversation on track
by speaking only
3 What special features make sports wheelchairs better for athletes
about the topic your
than traditional wheelchairs?
group is discussing at
the moment.

53
Cite Text
Evidence
Write an Encyclopedia Entry
PROMPT

In Wheelchair Sports: Hang Glider to Wheeler-Dealer, you read how Marilyn Hamilton’s
own injury inspired her to design a new kind of wheelchair for athletes.

Imagine that you and your class are creating an encyclopedia of inventors. Write an
entry that tells about Hamilton and her important invention. Begin your entry with a
topic sentence that introduces your readers to the central idea and makes them want
to know more. Use your understanding of the facts and details in the text to tell
readers about Hamilton’s life before she was injured, to describe her injury, to explain
her invention, and to show how her invention has helped others. Don’t forget to use
some of the Critical Vocabulary words in your writing.

PLAN

Make notes about the central ideas and important details about Hamilton’s
life and her invention.

54
 Wheelchair
Sports:
Hang Glider to
Wheeler-Dealer
WRITE by Simon Shapiro
art by Theo Krynauw and Warwick Goldswain

Now write your encyclopedia entry about Marilyn Hamilton’s life and her
invention.

Make sure your encyclopedia entry

introduces the topic with a topic sentence.

includes headings and other formatting.

includes facts and details about Hamilton’s life and her invention.

uses informative words about Hamilton’s invention.

provides a concluding statement.

55
 my Notes

Notice &
Note
Again and Again

Prepare to Read
GENRE STUDY Fantasies are imaginative stories that contain
characters and events that are not real.

• The plot of a fantasy story usually includes a conflict, or a

problem, and its resolution, or how it is solved.
• Fantasy stories often include sensory details and figurative
language to develop the setting and the characters.
• Fantasy stories may include illustrations that describe the
characters and setting or give clues about the plot.

SET A PURPOSE Think about the title and genre of this text. As
you read, pay attention to details in the text and illustrations that
describe Captain Arsenio’s inventions. What do you
think Captain Arsenio wants to do? Write your CRITICAL
VOCABULARY
ideas below.
passionate

impulse

contribution

distinguished

eccentric

circumstances

evidently

acceleration
Meet the Author/Illustrator:
Pablo Bernasconi prototype

conceived

56
 myNotes

INVENT IONS AND (MIS)ADVENT URES IN FLIGH T

BY PABLO BERNASCONI

57
 myNotes

THE RESULT OF LOOKING UP

1 Flight, one of the most ancient wishes ever known, has inspired
hundreds of fantastic creations. From Icarus to the Wright brothers,
history has seen thousands of adventurers who have felt the dangerous
urge to soar with the birds. This passionate impulse has resulted in
many failures.
2 Scientists, philosophers, doctors, and even crazy people all have
been pioneers of aviation, and each has made a different contribution
—sometimes right, sometimes wrong—to the pursuit of flight. This is
the story of one such man.

passionate To have a passionate feeling is to have strong emotions about it.

impulse An impulse is the desire to do something.
contribution A person who helps to make something has made a contribution to that work.

58
 myNotes

THE END AND THE BEGINNING

3 Manuel J. Arsenio was a careless cheese master, blacksmith, scuba
diver, and ship captain. Though he was given the easiest of missions in
each of these careers, he still couldn’t complete any of them
successfully. This problem may be the reason he left those jobs behind
to enter the distinguished pages of aviation history.
4 One day in 1782, Captain Arsenio decided to build the first in a
long series of eccentric projects that would change his life. And
although he had little knowledge of physics or mechanics and had
access only to useless materials, he demonstrated great patience and
determination throughout the course of his flight experiments.

5 “ My days of sailing and scuba-diving are over; I retire with grace to begin a new stage in
my life that will undoubtedly go down in history. I’m going to achieve what has been
humanity’s desire for centuries: I will build a flying machine.”
—Captain Arsenio, May 1, 1782

THE DISCOVERY
6 How do we know about Captain Arsenio? His diary was found by
chance just one year ago, under circumstances to be discussed later. In
its ninety pages full of doodles, notes, and technical writings, Arsenio
developed eighteen different designs for a flying machine, each one
original, foolish, and fantastic. Here we explore three of the eighteen
most influential projects that have contributed to modern aviation.
7 Captain Arsenio’s diary is the oldest and most precious aviation
manuscript ever known, second only to Leonardo da Vinci’s. Fortunately,
the text is still legible and Arsenio’s notes, diagrams, and ideas take us
back in time to reveal the hidden mystery of the inventor’s thoughts.

8 “Why can birds fly and we humans cannot? What cruel destiny stops all people from seeing
the world from above, tasting the clouds, and undoing long distances by air?”
—Captain Arsenio, June 7, 1783

distinguished A distinguished group is known and respected for its excellence.

eccentric Someone who is eccentric is odd.
circumstances The way an event happened or the causes of it are its
circumstances.

59
 myNotes

PROJECT NUMBER 1: MOTOCANARY

9 The Motocanary was an ingenious experiment that demanded a lot of
work. Evidently, it was harder for Captain Arsenio to find enough birds
and tie them together with a rope than it was to achieve flight. Although
the discovery was revolutionary, it took two days to get the captain
down from the tree in which he was stuck.

10 “Carts are dragged along by horses, sleighs by dogs, and plows by bulls.
I think that if I concentrate enough birds together, the sustaining force will help
me win the clouds. It cannot fail!”
—Captain Arsenio, February 18, 1784

evidently If something happened evidently, it happened for an obvious reason.

60
myNotes

61
 myNotes

FLIGHT DIARY

2 I start running, and the

birds accept the challenge.
The glory is mine, mine!

1 The selection
process is
demanding and
exhausting.
I accept only
those who
have wings.
3 My feet leave the
ground and I have
control of the height.
My bones feel the
change. I’m almost
another bird.

Phase 1: 14 hrs Phase 2: 10 min Phase 3: 4.5 sec

NOTE: As improbable as it appears, this diary shows us that the

Motocanary did fly for a few feet before crashing into a tree. Maybe the
failure is due to Captain Arsenio’s misplaced trust in the unreliable canaries.

62
 myNotes

6 The Motocanary needs improvement:

a) I must choose more obedient birds.
b) I must test the design in a field, without
any trees.
c) I must always carry a ladder with me.

flight without motor

19 ft

tree landing
12 ft

4 It seems that,
without warning, some
5 The change of direction
of the engines have
causes the rope to break.
changed directions.
(Note to self: Next time, use
They are not going
iron cables instead of woolen
where I want them
rope.) I’m headed dangerously
to go!
close to that tree.
3 ft
canaries rebel

0 ft
Phase 4: 2 sec Phase 5: 1 sec Phase 6: total elapsed time: 2 days,
14 hrs, 10 min, 7.5 sec

63
 myNotes

PROJECT NUMBER 2: FLYING RUNNER

11 Good cardiovascular health would become a determining factor in
Captain Arsenio’s second ambition. The acceleration of the runner
would allow—according to his plans—the wings to beat up and down
in imitation of a bird’s flight and lift the machine off the ground.
The direction control is unknown.

12 “I can leave the ground by the effort of an energetic run, transferred to the little wings
and multiplied thirty times by the transfer pulleys.
Running + wings = access to heaven. It cannot fail!”
—Captain Arsenio, March 23, 1785

acceleration Acceleration is the act of moving faster.

64
myNotes

65
 myNotes

FLIGHT DIARY
4 All systems go, the
balance is controlled
—the prototype is
a success . . . up until
this point.

2 I start the acceleration,

and the wings seem to be in
working order. But I’m not
elevating yet.

1 Countdown to zero. 3 The machine

I’m preparing for the big run. starts to rise at
I’ve got faith. maximum speed.
I’m starting to get
very tired.

prototype A prototype
is a rough model created
to test something before
creating it in its final form.

Phase 1: at rest Phase 2: 21 min Phase 3: 47 sec Phase 4: 1 min

NOTE: The reader may notice that there are significant differences between what is
written and what actually happened. This may be due to Captain Arsenio’s unflagging
optimism (or the many bumps on the head that he suffered from his experiments).

66
 myNotes

maximum height
26 ft

moment of fall
15 ft

6 There seems to be
a small problem.

10 ft
5 I hear some
strange noises. 7 Yes, there’s a tiny problem, but I
They come from have it under control. I will land now.
the pulleys.

3 ft
danger moment

8 I need to call
a doctor.

0 ft
Phase 5: 2 sec Phase 6: 17 sec Phase 7: 30 sec Phase 8: total elapsed time:
23 min, 36 sec

67
 myNotes

PROJECT NUMBER 3: CORKSCREWP TERUS

13 No one knows what was going through Captain Arsenio’s mind
when he conceived of this contraption. What we do know is that he
placed so much emphasis on getting off the ground that he forgot a
substantial part of the matter: how to keep himself in the air.
Obvious results.

14 “All past propelling mechanisms were wrong. I need to find a way to beat gravity, despite
my generous weight. The compression of two metal springs should do the trick;
I anticipate a big leap. But I will put little wings on my back, just in case. It cannot fail!”
—Captain Arsenio, November 15, 1785

conceived If you thought of the idea to create something, you conceived it.

68
myNotes

69
 myNotes

FLIGHT DIARY

3 Oh!!!! The acceleration is

violent, and I’ve conquered gravity
without any problems.

1 Everything is ready 2 I start the

for takeoff. The jump countdown: 10, 9, 8, 7, 6,
is possible. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.

Phase 1: at rest Phase 2: 10 sec Phase 3: 3.5 sec

NOTE: This document is the only one of its kind; there is no other recorded data of a person
surviving such a fall, either before or since.

70
 maximum height unknown myNotes

4 I’ve already passed 5 Now it is time

through the clouds; I start for the wings.
the controlled descent.
maximum measured height
208 ft

99 ft

6 Descent is completely
under control, although the
wings do not respond as
I had expected.

50 ft

7 The doctor is not

at home. I will call the
veterinarian. 3 ft
panic point

0 ft
Phase 4: 1 min Phase 5: 1 sec Phase 6: 7.25 sec Phase 7: total elapsed time:
1 min, 21.75 sec

71
 myNotes

GOODBYE FROM BELOW

15 As it happens with almost all legends, multiple versions contradict one
another, proof disappears, and word of mouth constructs stories that
differ greatly from the reality. No one knows for certain exactly what
happened to Captain Arsenio and his flying machines; all that is left is
his diary—ninety pages of consecutive failures—and one big question:
Did he eventually succeed?
16 Some say that Arsenio’s book was buried near Cairo, Egypt—7,508
miles away from where he lived in Patagonia, Argentina. Others
disagree and tell us it was in a chest at the bottom of the sea, buried
under a pile of rusty metal junk. But most people insist with
determination that Captain Arsenio’s diary was found on the surface
of the moon on July 20, 1969.

17 “Many years have passed since that first Motocanary.

Although I have failed many times, I have learned so much. And today, for the first time,
I am sure that this new machine I have developed is going to work.
I deserve a piece of heaven, and I am going for it!”
—Captain Arsenio, December 6, 1789

72
 Respond INVENT IONS AND (MIS)ADVENT URES IN FLIGH T

to the Text

Collaborative Discussion
Look back at what you wrote on page 56. Tell a partner two things you
BY PABLO BERNASCONI

learned during reading. Then work with a group to discuss the questions
below. Support your answers with details from Captain Arsenio. Connect
your ideas to what other group members say.

1 Reread pages 58–59. How has the narrator come to know so much
about Captain Arsenio? What does the author seem to think of him?

Listening Tip
Listen carefully to the
speakers, noting how
2 What details might make readers think Captain Arsenio was a real they use text evidence
person? What details show that he was not? to support their
thoughts.

3 Review page 72. What hint does the narrator give that Captain
Speaking Tip
Arsenio may have succeeded in his efforts to fly? Restate a speaker’s
idea, and then share
information that
builds on that idea.

73
Cite Text
Evidence
Write a Blog Post
PROMPT

In Captain Arsenio, you read the story of a man who created inventions that he
believed would allow him to fly.

Imagine that you witnessed one of Captain Arsenio’s attempts to fly. Write an account
of it for a web site blog called “Strange Things I’ve Seen” in which you tell about what
you saw that day. Start by introducing Captain Arsenio with a topic sentence that tells
who he is and what he does. Use details from the text to tell about the experiment you
witnessed. Then write a conclusion that explains how the experiment ended up.
Include descriptive words and phrases to help your readers picture your experience.
Don’t forget to use some of the Critical Vocabulary words in your writing.

PLAN

Make notes about Captain Arsenio’s actions and other events that took place
during his attempt to fly, including how it ended.

74
 INVENT IONS AND (MIS)ADVENT URES IN FLIGH T

WRITE

Now write your blog post about Captain Arsenio’s attempt to fly.

Make sure your blog post

BY PABLO BERNASCONI

includes a topic sentence that explains the situation.

uses detailed evidence from the text.

describes events in an order that makes sense.

uses descriptive words.

includes a conclusion.

75
Performance
Task

Essential Question

What kinds of circumstances push

people to create new inventions?

Write a Personal Narrative

PROMPT Think about how each inventor in this module used curiosity and
determination to solve a problem.

Imagine that your class is putting together a collection of personal narratives called
Class Inventors at Work. Write a personal narrative about a time when you found a
creative way to solve a problem. Use the inventors in the texts as inspiration.

I will write about the time when I .

Make sure your personal narrative

establishes that you are the narrator.

draws inspiration from the selections in Inventors at Work.

has an introduction that presents the setting and the problem.

explains steps toward your solution in a clear sequence.

uses concrete words and sensory details.

has a conclusion that shows how the problem was solved.

76
 PLAN Map your ideas.

Think about the problem you solved. What steps did you take? What challenges did
you have to overcome? Look back at your notes and revisit the texts to help you
brainstorm ideas for your narrative.

Use the story map below to plan your narrative. Identify your problem and the
obstacles you faced. List in order the steps you took and how you overcame each
obstacle. Then explain your solution and why it worked. Use Critical Vocabulary Words
where appropriate.

My Topic:

Problem Setting

Events/Steps

Solution

77
Performance
Task

DRAFT Write your narrative.

Write an introduction that clearly states your problem. Get readers interested in
learning how you solved it!

Write body paragraphs that explain how you used creativity to solve your problem.
Tell the steps in order and use a new paragraph for each one.

Write a satisfying conclusion that explains your solution.

78
 REVISE AND EDIT Review your draft.

Now it’s time to review your draft and make changes to improve it. Read your narrative
to a partner. Ask your partner for suggestions to make it clearer and more interesting.
Use these questions to help you evaluate and improve your narrative.

PURPOSE/ LANGUAGE/
ORGANIZATION EVIDENCE CONVENTIONS
FOCUS VOCABULARY

Does my Are the steps or Did I include Did I use Have I spelled all
narrative show events told in a examples and concrete words words correctly?
how I used clear sequence? inspiration from and sensory
creativity to solve the texts I’ve read details? Have I used
a problem? Does the about inventors? commas and
conclusion Did I use other
Does every explain the transition words punctuation
paragraph tell solution to the to connect my marks correctly?
about how the problem? ideas?
problem was
solved?

PUBLISH Share your work.

Create a Finished Copy. Make a final copy of your personal narrative. You can include
a photo or drawing of your solution. Consider these options for sharing your narrative:
1 Bind your narrative together with those of your classmates to create a Class
Inventors at Work collection.

2 Hold an inventors’ conference at which you and other students read aloud your
narratives and respond to questions from the audience.

3 Create an audio recording of your narrative. Read with expression to keep your
listeners engaged. Make the recording available on a school website or media
blog for others to listen and respond to.

79