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Illustration by Tom Garrett; Granamour Weems Collection/Alamy Stock Photo (Frankenstein’s Monster); ugo ambroggio/Alamy Stock Photo (feet); iStockPhoto/Getty Images (flat hand, middle girl); Shutterstock.com (all other images)
Grammar,

Grammar’s Kid Inventions

Five amazing things invented by young people

From the May 2020 Issue
Featured Skill: Commonly Confused Words,
Common Core Standards
  • Anchor Standards
    L.3
  • Grade 6
    L.6.3
  • Grade 7
    L.7.3
  • Grade 8
    L.8.3
TEKS Standards
  • Grades 6, 7, 8
    2b, 10c, 10d (ix)

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Directions

Read the blurbs below. Determine which is the correct bolded word.

Hint

To, Too, or Two?

To is a preposition. It is often used to indicate a direction or destination, as in “I’m going to bed” or “Jen is talking to Ben.”

Too can mean “also,” as in “Ryan was laughing and John was too.” Too can also mean “excessively,” as in “That is too loud.”

Two is a number, as in “Ava has two cats.”

Frankenstein and Hip-Hop

Illustration by Tom Garrett; Granamour Weems Collection/Alamy Stock Photo (Frankenstein’s Monster); ugo ambroggio/Alamy Stock Photo (feet); iStockPhoto/Getty Images (flat hand); Shutterstock.com (all other images)
Did you know the genre of science fiction was invented by a teenager? Yup. In 1816, Mary Shelley, 18, wrote Frankenstein. The novel is considered the first work of sci-fi. It’s awesomely creepy too.

On August 11, 1973, DJ Kool Herc, 18, threw a back-to/too/two-school party for his younger sister in the Bronx in New York City. Little did he know that it would become known as the first hip-hop party ever.

Herc, whose real name is Clive Campbell, had come up with a new way to/too/two play music. He noticed that dancers loved the section of music known as the break, when all instruments stop playing except the drums. Herc found the break in different songs and switched back and forth between them. The dancers went wild—and Herc went down in history as one of the founders of hip-hop.

Illustration by Tom Garrett; iStockPhoto/Getty Images (middle girl); Shutterstock.com (all other images)

Swim Fins

Today, Benjamin Franklin is famous for many things—such as helping to write the U.S. Constitution. But Franklin was also quite the inventor. As an adult, he created bifocal glasses and the rocking chair.

When he was 11, Franklin came up with an early form of swim fins. He cut to/too/two pieces of wood into ovals. Holding one in each hand, he found he was able to swim much faster, just as he’d hoped. He made fins for his feet to/too/two. Today, fins similar to the ones Ben invented are worn by swimmers around the world. Thanks, Ben!

Popsicles and Superman

Illustration by Tom Garrett; Shutterstock.com (all other images)
In the 1930s, two Cleveland teens named Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster invented the character Superman. They later sold Superman to DC Comics for $130.

In the sweltering heat of summer, a Popsicle is to/too/two refreshing to turn down. Did you know this frosty treat was invented by a kid? In 1905, 11-year-old Frank Epperson used a wooden stir stick to combine some powdered drink mix and water in a cup. Epperson left his drink—with the stick still in it—outside overnight. The next morning, the drink was frozen solid. So he ate it, using the stick as a handle.

Epperson named his delightful discovery the “Epsicle,” combining his last name and the word icicle. Years later, his children called it “Pop’s ‘sicle,” and the name we know was born.

This activity was originally published in the May 2020 issue.

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Answer Key (1)
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Activities (1)
Skills Activities
Answer Key (1)
Step-by-Step Lesson Plan

Close Reading, Critical Thinking, Skill Building

1. INTRODUCE AND PRACTICE GRAMMAR SKILL

  • As a class, read Grammar’s HINT (found in the upper right corner of the second page) to introduce or review the commonly confused words addressed in the feature. Then read the annotations, which model the correct usage.
  • Have students practice the grammar skill by completing the activity as a class, in groups, or individually. In the activity, students choose which of the commonly confused words to use at several points within three short boxes of text.

2. REINFORCE SKILL

  • Use the “To, Too, or Two” activity.
  • Have students observe the commonly confused words in context by searching for examples of their use in the magazine or in other reading material.

EDITOR'S TIP

Challenge students to come up with their own “to/too/two” sentences. Have them trade their sentences with a partner. What words do your students confuse? We’d love your suggestions for future grammar activities.

E-mail us at [email protected].

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