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Paired Texts > Today's Telephone

by Barbara Radner

2005

We've identified these texts as great options for text pairings based on similar themes, literary devices, topic, or writing style. Supplement your lesson with one or more of these options and challenge students to compare and contrast the texts. To assign a paired text, click on the text to go to its page and click the "Assign Text" button there.

7th Grade News 940L
Watch Out: Cell Phones Can Be Addictive
  • Kathiann Kowalski
  • 2014

Dr. James Roberts is marketing professor and the author of a study about cell phone addiction that appeared in the August 2014 Journal of Behavioral Addictions. Here, Kathiann Kowalski of Science News for Students covers the results of his study: too much dependence on your smartphone isn't smart.

Pair “Today’s Telephone” with “Watch Out: Cell Phones Can Be Addictive” and ask students to think about the the pros and cons of technology as they are expressed in each piece. Do you think things like smartphone addiction and shortened attention spans are just an unfortunate side effect of amazing technological innovations, or do they represent a more serious threat to society? How does the nature of the advancements presented in “Today’s Telephone”—with each one building upon the other—portray the realm of innovation? Do you think inventors consider the negative possibilities associated with their inventions? Should they?

6th Grade Biography 960L
The Wright Brothers: Air Pioneers
  • David White
  • 2014

Learn about how two American brothers beat the odds, inventing and building the world's first successful airplane in this biographical text.

Pair “Today’s Telephone” with “The Wright Brothers: Air Pioneers” and have students think about how invention and innovation are described in each text. Why did the Wright brothers keep trying to build an airplane, even after all of their failures—and why were they ultimately successful? Is the same true of Alexander Graham Bell? Does improving technology necessarily involve a great deal of failure? Why is it important for people who hope to improve the world in some way to be motivated and resilient?

5th Grade Informational Text 920L
The Life and Achievements of Thomas Edison
  • Jessica McBirney
  • 2016

“The Life and Achievements of Thomas Edison” displays the resolute and determined nature of a storied and celebrated American inventor.

Pair “Today’s Telephone” with “The Life and Achievements of Thomas Edison” and ask students to compare and contrast the lives of the two inventors. How did each of their inventions help to transform America?

8th Grade Informational Text 1270L
Cutting the Cords: How Wireless Charging Will Keep Toxic Waste Out Of Landfills
  • Brian Clark Howard
  • 2012

In the informational text “Cutting the Cords: How Wireless Charging Will Keep Toxic Waste Out Of Landfills,” Brian Clark Howard discusses the potential benefits of using wireless charging devices.

Pair “Today’s Telephone” with “Cutting the Cords: How Wireless Charging Will Keep Toxic Waste Out Of Landfills” to provide students with information on how technology has developed over time. How has the telephone evolved and how has this evolution had an impact on the waste produced? As new technologies are developed, are humans producing more waste or less? Ask students to support their reasoning.