1. “The Boy Who Invented TV”
Skills and Strategies

2. How does technology lead to creative ideas?
Essential Question
How does technology lead to creative ideas?

3. Table Challenge…
With the members of your table, make a list of the top ten most important inventions of all time.

4. “Most Important Inventions”

5. Discuss…
Breakthroughs in technology and new inventions can lead to creative ideas. What breakthroughs have led to creative ideas?

6. “Fantasy Becomes Fact”
Reread paragraph 1 on page 65. What is Arthur C. Clarke most famous for?

7. “Fantasy Becomes Fact”
Reread paragraph 3 on page 65. Flag details that support the main idea: Even as a child, Arthur was passionate about science.

8. “Fantasy Becomes Fact”
Reread paragraph 1 on page 66. What breakthrough in communication systems did Arthur imagine?

9. “Fantasy Meets Fact”
Reread paragraph 2 on page 66. Why didn’t Arthur make any money from his communications system idea?

10. “Fantasy Meets Fact”
Reread paragraph 1 on page 67. Flag the inventions that Arthur predicted in his book 2001: A Space Odyssey.

11. Ask and Answer Questions
To help their understanding, good readers ask themselves questions before, during, and after they read.
This is an especially important reading strategy to use when reading nonfiction text!

12. Ask and Answer Questions
Before reading: Ask questions about what the text might be about.
During reading: Stop and ask questions to make sure you understand what you have read.
After reading: Ask questions to identify the main idea of the selection.

13. Collaborate…
Reread “Predicting the Future” on page 66. What is one good question that a reader might ask while reading this section?

14. Sequence
Sequence, or time order, is one way an author organizes and presents information.
Signal words and phrases such as years later, as a child, or in 1968 are clues that help the reader understand the sequence.

15. Collaborate…
Reread “Science at an Early Age” on page 65. Create a list of the events that occur in this section. Be sure to write them in the correct sequence. Then, flag any signal words or phrases that helped you.

16. Biography
A biography is the true story of a person’s life written by another person.
The author of a biography writes in the third person, using pronouns such as he or she.

17. Collaborate…
“Fantasy Becomes Fact” is a biography because it tells facts about a real person. List five facts you learned about Arthur C. Clarke from this biography.

18. Vocabulary Strategy: Greek Roots
Many words in English have roots that come from ancient Greek.
Knowing Greek roots can help you figure out the meaning of some unfamiliar words.

19. Collaborate…
Use what you know about Greek roots to figure out the meanings of the following words:
biography, p. 64
astronomy, p. 65
phone, p. 66

20. “The Birth of Television”

21. “The Boy Who Invented TV”
Skim page 69. How was life in 1906 different from life today? List at least three ways.

22. “The Boy Who Invented TV”
Reread paragraphs 4 and 5 on page 70. What two machines fascinated Philo as he grew up?

23. “The Boy Who Invented TV”
Complete the graphic organizer. Review page 70. What events were important in leading Philo to become the inventor of television?

24. “The Boy Who Invented TV”
Do you think Philo felt different from other children? Use details on page 71 to support your answer.

25. “The Boy Who Invented TV”
Complete the graphic organizer. Review page 72. What important events happened to Philo when he turned eleven?

26. “The Boy Who Invented TV”
Reread paragraph 4 on page 74. What was Philo’s least favorite thing to do? What did he do about it?

27. “The Boy Who Invented TV”
Complete the graphic organizer. Review page 74. What events on this page show Philo’s progress toward inventing TV?

28. “The Boy Who Invented TV”
Complete the graphic organizer. What important event happens on page 77 that brought Philo closer to inventing TV?

29. “The Boy Who Invented TV”
Reread paragraph 2 on page 77. Philo’s idea for creating television is complicated. How was his idea different from the ideas of other scientists?

30. “The Boy Who Invented TV”
Reread paragraphs 3 and 4 on page 78. How was Philo different when he was sharing his knowledge of science?

31. “The Boy Who Invented TV”
Reread paragraph 8 on page 78. What roadblock occurs that hinders Philo’s dream of inventing television?

32. “The Boy Who Invented TV”
Review page 80. Why is Philo care so much about inventing television? What is motivating him?

33. “The Boy Who Invented TV”
Reread paragraph 2 on page 77. Philo’s idea for creating television is complicated. How was his idea different from the ideas of other scientists?

34. “The Boy Who Invented TV”
Complete the graphic organizer. What events on pages 80 and 81 moved Philo closer to inventing television?

35. “The Boy Who Invented TV”
Reread paragraphs 4 and 5 on page 82. What was the first image on Philo’s television? Who was the first person to be televised?

36. “The Boy Who Invented TV”
Complete the graphic organizer. Review page 82. What events explain how Philo was finally successful in inventing television?

37. “The Boy Who Invented TV”
Do you remember who Philo’s heroes were at the beginning of the selection? What connection does the biographer make between these heroes and Philo?