The Dog and Shoes That Didn't Slip

12/3/2021 9:04:00 PM
Paul Sperry and the story of his deck shoes. Image: chadsdrygoods.blogspot.com

Do you know?

  • Paul Alling Sperry was an American inventor who designed the first boat shoe and founded Sperry, a sportswear company.
  • People called Paul Sperry's shoe "The shoe that launched a thousand ships".

Let's discover more in the following passage!

Let's learn some new words before you read the passage.

Listen and choose the correct answer to each of the following questions.

Paul Sperry was a sailor. He spent hours on the open ocean. One day in 1935, Paul took his dog, Prince, out for a walk on land. The ground was covered with snow. The snow had an icy . Paul noticed that his dog didn’t , even on the snow with an icy crust. Paul picked up his dog’s . He looked closely at its . He saw tiny wavelike . Next, Paul went back to his lab and began working. He used a razor blade, rubber, and a sneaker.

Paul didn’t stop until he had invented a new kind of shoe. It was the world’s first nonskid shoe! Today, sailors all around the world wear Paul’s shoes. The shoes’ soles all have a wavelike . The soles provide sailors with . The soles provide gripping power on both dry and wet decks.

Read and answer the following questions.

The Dog and Shoes That Didn't Slip

Modern deck shoes. Image: divein.com

Paul Sperry was a sailor. He spent hours on the open ocean. One day in 1935, Paul took his dog, Prince, out for a walk on land. The ground was covered with snow. The snow had an icy crust. Paul noticed that his dog didn’t slip, even on the snow with an icy crust. Paul picked up his dog’s paws. He looked closely at its soles. He saw tiny wavelike grooves. Next, Paul went back to his lab and began working. He used a razor blade, rubber, and a sneaker.

Paul didn’t stop until he had invented a new kind of shoe. It was the world’s first nonskid deck shoe! Today, sailors all around the world wear Paul’s shoes. The shoes’ soles all have a wavelike pattern. The soles provide sailors with traction. The soles provide gripping power on both dry and wet decks.

Source: Daily Warm-ups Reading Grade 2 Nonfiction

Which of the following is true about Paul according to the passage?

  • Paul looked at his dog’s legs and tail.
  • The name of Paul's dog was Princess.
  • Paul invented his new shoe in 1936.
  • Paul spent hours on the open ocean.

What did Paul see on his dog's paws?

  • an icy crust
  • wavelike grooves
  • a razor blade
  • dust and snow

What is the main idea of the passage?

  • Some information about the dog of Paul Sperry
  • Paul Sperry's invention of a kind of shoes
  • The accidents on snow of Paul Sperry and his dog
  • The life and career path of Paul Sperry

Build your vocabulary by learning these intensive phrases/idioms.

Drag the correct word(s) for each blank.

  1. He his briefcase and headed for the door.
  2. Do you think you'll ever to London?
  3. The company all employees medical benefits.

Complete the second sentence using the word given so that it has the same meaning to the first.

They started to build the house in January. (BEGAN)