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GRADE 6
Lesson 20
They Saw It
WORD COUNT
927
GENRE
Readers’ Theater
LEVEL
Below Level
Harcourt Leveled
Readers Online Database
ISBN-13: 978-0-15-350587-4
ISBN-10: 0-15-350587-7
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by Meish Goldish
Differently
illustrated by Kathy Morrison
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They Saw It
Differently
by Meish Goldish
illustrated by Kathy Morrison
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ISBN 10: 0-15-350587-7
ISBN 13: 978-0-15-350587-4
Ordering Options
ISBN 10: 0-15-350336-X (Grade 6 Below-Level Collection)
ISBN 13: 978-0-15-350336-8 (Grade 6 Below-Level Collection)
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ISBN 13: 978-0-15-357728-4 (package of 5)
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Characters
Host
Levi Strauss
Thomas Edison
Alexander Fleming
Host: Hello, everyone. Welcome to They
Saw It Differently. On today’s show, we’ll
be talking with three astute guests. Each one
is famous for inventing something. Let’s start
with Levi Strauss.
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Strauss: Thank you for publicizing my work.
Host: Mr. Strauss, what did you invent?
Strauss: I invented blue jeans.
Host: How did it happen?
Strauss: In the 1850s, I was selling goods to miners
who were looking for gold in California. One item I
sold was a tough cloth used to make tents.
Host: How did that lead to blue jeans?
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Strauss: One day, I met a gold miner. I asked him
whether he needed cloth for a tent. He said he already
had a tent. What he wanted were tough pants. He
worked on his knees all day long. His pants took a
severe beating. The ones he had on were thin and
torn almost to shreds.
Host: What happened next?
Strauss: Well, most people in my place might have
said good-bye and moved on. I saw things differently.
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Host: What did you do?
Strauss: I looked at the cloth I was holding. Then I
thought, “Why must this cloth be used only for tents?
Why can’t it be used to make pants, too?”
Host: Then you made a pair of jeans with the cloth?
Strauss: No, I took the cloth to a tailor. He made
the pants, but they were my brainchild. Today people
around the world still wear my jeans. That’s the
traction a great idea can have!
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Host: That’s great inventiveness, Mr. Strauss. Today
there are many clothing companies that make jeans.
You would have to be a jeans aficionado to know
about them all! Now let’s move on to Thomas Edison.
What did you invent?
Edison: I invented many things. However, I am most
widely known for my contributions to the creation of
the modern electric lightbulb. I discovered a way to
make a lightbulb burn longer. My lightbulb would burn
for up to 1,500 hours.
Host: How did you invent your lightbulb?
Edison: In the 1870s, I had an avid interest in
working with electricity. I had the idea to make a bulb
that would give off light. I searched and searched for a
material to burn inside the lightbulb. Sadly, everything
I tested burned out too quickly.
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Host: What happened then?
Edison: Many people urged me to give up. They said
it was impossible to make an electric lightbulb. They
said electricity was too hot. They said it would quickly
burn up anything inside the bulb.
Host: Did you agree with them?
Edison: No, I did not! When an experiment doesn’t
work, some call it failure. However, I see it differently.
Each time a test doesn’t work, I learn something from
it. As a result, I don’t fail at all.
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Host: Then what did you do?
Edison: I tested more and more materials for my
lightbulb. I tried things that were both conventional
and unusual. I even tested a red hair from a man’s
beard. Finally, I tried cotton sewing thread.
Host: Didn’t that burn quickly?
Edison: No, because I burned it first. I burned the
thread to an ash. Then I shaped it like a wire. It
burned all day long! That’s why a good inventor
should never give up! Always wage a good struggle!
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Host: That’s a marvelous story, Mr. Edison. Now we
turn to Alexander Fleming. What did you invent?
Fleming: I didn’t invent anything, but I did discover
something instead.
Host: What’s the difference?
Fleming: Inventing is creating something new that
wasn’t there before. Discovering is finding something
that was always there. However, you’re the first one
to find it.
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Host: Thank you for that precise explanation. Now
what did you discover?
Fleming: I discovered penicillin.
Host: What is that?
Fleming: It’s a drug that cures illnesses by killing
germs, or bacteria.
Host: Many other scientists have envied you for your
discovery. How did it come about?
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Fleming: In 1928, I was working in a hospital in
England. I was doing tests on bacteria. One day, I
found mold in the dish. Coincidentally, the mold that
formed had killed the bacteria in the dish.
Host: What do you mean?
Fleming: I noticed that the mold had killed the
bacteria around it. That was a humongous discovery.
Mold kills bacteria! I never knew that before!
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Host: What happened next?
Fleming: I figured that if the mold could kill bacteria
in a dish, then it might be able to do the same in
people. I was able to figure out a way to grow more
of the mold. I told my coworkers about my discovery.
They cheered in unison.
Host: What did you do next?
Fleming: In the next few years, I tested the mold
on the bacteria. I found many ways to demolish
bacteria with the mold. I called the mold penicillin.
Eventually, penicillin was used treat patients who had
various illnesses that were caused by bacteria. Before I
discovered penicillin, these illnesses often killed people.
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Host: I’m enthralled by your story, Mr. Fleming. All
our guests today have made utilitarian contributions to
the world. The things they invented or discovered are
still useful today. We’re almost out of time. Before we
go, could each of you please leave our viewers with a
good piece of advice?
Strauss: Look for new ways to use things.
Edison: Never stop trying, and don’t get distracted.
Fleming: Always try to see things differently.
Host: Thank you, guests. It’s been our honor to
commemorate your accomplishments. Good-bye!
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Think Critically
1. What did each guest invent or discover?
2. Which of the three inventions or discoveries do you
think is most important? Why?
3. Why would these three guests be on a show called
They Saw It Differently?
4. Did Levi Strauss plan to invent blue jeans? Explain
your answer.
5. How did the discovery of penicillin change the
world?
Social Studies
Time for Inventing Choose one of the inventors in this
Readers’ Theater. Do some research about the inventor and
construct a time line of the inventor’s life.
School-Home Connection Summarize They Saw It
Differently for family members. Invite them to name an
important invention or discovery. Discuss why it is so important.
Word Count: 927
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