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Genre: Nonfi ction Article

Comprehension Strategy: Analyze Text Structure Think-Aloud Copying Master number 7

Before Reading

Genre: Point out that some nonfi ction articles summarize the history of a common item. Inform students that in this article you are about to read aloud, the author tells how the bicycle was invented and explains how it developed into the bike we ride today. Mention that a good writer tries to include only the most important or fascinating details.

Expand Vocabulary: To help students better understand this article, introduce and explain the following words:

cobblestone: streets made long ago using rounded stones lunge: to suddenly move forward

streamlined: designed something with a smooth shape that moves with minimal resistance through air Set a Purpose for Reading: Have students listen to fi nd out how bicycles have changed.

During Reading

Then use the Think Alouds during the fi rst reading of the selection. Notes about the genre and cultural perspective may be used during subsequent readings.

1 I never considered that the invention of the wheel was just as important to airplanes as it was to cars.

Even though the author mentions other types of transportation, I can tell that this article is mostly about bicycles.

Genre Study Nonfi ction: With each paragraph, the writer gives new informa-tion about the bicycle.

Because she is describ-ing the history of the bicycle, she starts with its invention and presents her informa-tion in time order.

2 I understand now how bicycles relate to air-planes. This shows how one invention can lead to others. I wonder which parts of bicycles helped the Wright Brothers with their invention.

by Barbara Hagen

People have always wanted to get from one place to another easier and faster. Th e invention of the wheel in prehistoric times was just the beginning of what would develop from the horse and carriage all the way to the invention of the car and even the airplane. Before the invention of the car, people were experimenting with an idea that would eventually become one of the most popular forms of transportation for kids across America, the bicycle.1

In 1817, a man wanted to get around the gardens of his estate faster. He lived in Germany; his name was Baron von Drais. In some ways, his “bicycle” was similar to the bikes of today. It had two same-sized in-line wheels. You could steer the front wheel in the direction you wanted to go. But this all-wooden, two-wheel, riding machine had no pedals. Instead you would push your feet against the ground in a sort of glide-walk.

Th is is similar to scooters kids ride today. Th is vehicle became known as the “draisienne,” named for the Baron.

About 40 years later, pedals were added to this riding

machine. It was called the velocipede or “fast foot.” Its nickname was the “boneshaker.” Because it was made entirely of wood, riding on cobblestone streets would “shake up your bones.” In 1871, James Farley invented the high wheeler also known as the “penny farthing.” It had a very large front wheel and a small back wheel. Th e rider sat up very high. Although it became very popular, it was also dangerous. If the front wheel hit a stone or rut in the road or stopped short, the bicycle would lunge forward, and the rider would be dropped on his head. Th is is where the famous expression “taking a header” comes from.

In the 1880s, a man named H. J. Lawson invented the fi rst bicycle with a chain. It had two wheels the same size and was called the safety bicycle. In 1893, the Wright Brothers, the fi rst men to fl y an airplane, opened a bicycle shop selling and repairing bicycles. A lot of the ideas they used in their eff orts to fl y they got from bicycles.2

Th e next step in the history of bicycles came with the invention of the pneumatic tire. Th is was a rubber tire fi lled with air. An Irish veterinarian named Dunlop wanted to make

89 89 The Riding Machine

a more comfortable bike for his son. Dunlop is a successful tire company today.

Early in the 20th century, most of the attention on

transportation turned toward the car. But aft er World War I, interest in bicycles became popular again as manufacturers began making a heavy bike that copied designs of airplanes and rockets. Th e “kid bike” was on every child’s wish list.3 By the 1960s they were becoming more streamlined. Th e three speeds of the 1960s grew to 10 speeds in the 1970s.

Today mountain bikes with bigger tires have become

popular again. Many people like to go riding on mountain trails.

Bicycle racing is also popular with the success of an American, Lance Armstrong, who overcame cancer to win the Tour de France, the most important bicycle race in the world.

3 I can see why bikes de-signed like airplanes and rockets would be on every child’s wish list. If I lived back then, I would want one of these bikes, too!

After Reading

Take Notes: Work with students to create a time line. Discuss what information is most important to include, such as the date, a brief description of the bicycle or how it was changed, and the name of each person who helped make that change.

Ask students to summarize a section from the article. Use Copying Master number 7 to prompt students to discuss how the details support the main idea and the article as a whole.

Cultural Perspective

Bicycles have inspired people to come up with new ideas,

freeing people from the horse and carriage and leading the way for the car and airplane. In the 1890s, bicycle riding also freed women’s style of dress, putting an end to bustles, corsets, and other articles of clothing that restricted movement.

“This is mostly