A Bit About Buttons

A Bit About Buttons

Buttonsareeverywhere:onourshirts,theremotecontrol,ourjacketsandourphones.(Okay, notsomanyonthephoneanymore!)Theycanberoundorsquareorspidershaped,madeof woodorplastic,havestickersonthemornumbers,butweseethemwhereverwelook. Wheredidtheycomefrom?Whatweretheyfirstmadefor?Andwhyaretheredozensof themineveryhouse? PushandFasten Letslookatthewordfirst.ButtoncomesfromtheFrenchverbbouter,whichmeansto push.Butthefirsttimeabuttonwasactuallypushedthroughabuttonholewasinthe13th century.Theearliestbuttonsweremadeofanimalparts:bones,hornsandleather.Themost commonuseofbuttonsisasfastenersinclothing.Theyholdtwopiecesoffabrictogether.But theirfirstuseswereasdecorationonclothesandjewelry. Archaeologists(thefolkswhostudythepastbyrecoveringfossilremains,monuments,etc.) havefoundbuttonsfrommanyancientcivilizations.TheIndusValleypeopleusedthem,asdid theancientEgyptiansandtheancientChinese. Useless? Eventhesimplestthingshadagloriouspointlessnesstothem.Whenbuttonscamein [...]peoplecouldn'tgetenoughofthem,andarrayedthemindecorativeprofusionon thebacksandcollarsandsleevesofcoats,wheretheydidn'tactuallydoanything.One

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A Bit About Buttons

relicofthisistheshortrowofpointlessbuttonsthatarestillplacedontheundersideof jacketsleevesnearthecuff.Thesehavebeenpurelydecorativeandhaveneverhada purpose BillBryson(historianandwriterofAtHome:AShortHistoryofPrivateLife) Buttonsweremostlypointless,sowhydoweusesomanyofthem?Dothisquickexercise: countthenumberofbuttonsonamans(suit)jacketfront,pockets,sleevesandeverywhere else.Theywereplacedtherenotbecauseoftheirfunctionality,butbecausesomeone, centuriesago,thoughttheylookedgood.Hundredsofyearslater,theyarestillwithus. PearlieKingofSomersTown OurfriendBrysonmightnotthinktoohighlyofbuttons,butsomepeoplehavetakenthem veryseriously.OnesuchmanwasastreetsweeperinLondoncalledHenryCroft.Hewould wearsuitswiththousandsofwhitepearlybuttonstoattractattentiontowardsthecauseof localhospitals.HestartedthetraditionofPearlieKingsandQueensthat,eventoday, collectsfundsforcharitythroughthewearingofpearlysuits. FunFactsaboutButtons Didyouknowthatthewordbuttonisarelativeoftheverbbutt,whichalsomeansto push? Buttoncollectingisaverypopularhobby.TheNationalButtonSocietywasformedin 1939inChicago.Ithasmorethan3,000members! Tillthe18thcentury,buttonswereveryexpensive.Onlytherichcouldwearthem,and theywereastatussymbol. SpecialmetalbuttonswereusedtohidecompassesduringtheWorldWars. TheWaterburyButtonMuseuminWaterbury,ConnecticutandTheButtonRoomin Gurnee,Illinoishavelargecollectionsofbuttons.Thebuttonroomwasanactualroom inElizabethHewittshouseinGurnee,whereshelovedtellingstoriesabouther collectionofbuttons.

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Questions: A Bit About Buttons

Name:

_____________ Date: _______________________

1. What is one thing that buttons are used for? A B C D building monuments pushing people out of the way sweeping streets decoration

2. What does the author include a list of in this passage? A B C D The The The The author author author author includes includes includes includes a a a a list list list list of of of of the kings and queens of England. the ways ancient Egyptians used buttons. fun facts about buttons. different kinds of phones.

3. Some buttons are pointless. What evidence from the passage supports this statement? A Special metal buttons were used to hide compasses during the World Wars. B Pearlie Kings and Queens collects money for charity through the wearing of pearly suits. C Buttons on the underside of jacket sleeves near the cuff are purely decorative and have never had a purpose. D Buttons can be round, square, spider-shaped, wooden, plastic, and come with numbers or stickers on them.

4. What is an example of a button that has a purpose? A a button on a remote control that turns on the television when it is pressed B a button on the underside of a jacket sleeve near the cuff C a button that costs a lot of money and appeared on a coat collar in the 18th century D a round button made out of wood

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Questions: A Bit About Buttons

5. What is this passage mainly about? A B C D plastic buttons archaeology London

6. Read the following sentence: Buttons were mostly pointless, so why do we use so many of them? What does the word pointless mean? A B C D without any use too long not safe for children very cold

7. Choose the answer that best completes the sentence below. Some buttons have no purpose; _______, other buttons do. A B C D specifically first previously however

8. What were the first uses of buttons? ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________

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Questions: A Bit About Buttons

9. What is the most common use of buttons? ______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

10. Are buttons pointless? Explain why or why not, using evidence from the passage.

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

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Teacher Guide & Answers: A Bit about Buttons

Teacher Guide & Answers Passage Reading Level: Lexile 860 1. What is one thing that buttons are used for? A B C D building monuments pushing people out of the way sweeping streets decoration

2. What does the author include a list of in this passage? A B C D The author includes a list of the kings and queens of England. The author includes a list of the ways ancient Egyptians used buttons. The author includes a list of fun facts about buttons. The author includes a list of different kinds of phones.

3. Some buttons are pointless. What evidence from the passage supports this statement? Special metal buttons were used to hide compasses during the World Wars. Pearlie Kings and Queens collects money for charity through the wearing of pearly suits. Buttons on the underside of jacket sleeves near the cuff are purely decorative and have never had a purpose. D Buttons can be round, square, spider-shaped, wooden, plastic, and come with numbers or stickers on them. 4. What is an example of a button that has a purpose? A B C D a button on a remote control that turns on the television when it is pressed a button on the underside of a jacket sleeve near the cuff a button that costs a lot of money and appeared on a coat collar in the 18th century a round button made out of wood A B C

5. What is this passage mainly about? A B C D plastic buttons archaeology London

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Teacher Guide & Answers: A Bit about Buttons 6. Read the following sentence: Buttons were mostly pointless, so why do we use so many of them? What does the word pointless mean? A B C D without any use too long not safe for children very cold

7. Choose the answer that best completes the sentence below. Some buttons have no purpose; _______, other buttons do. A B C D specifically first previously however

8. What were the first uses of buttons? Suggested answer: Buttons first served as decoration on clothes and jewelry.

9. What is the most common use of buttons? Suggested answer: The most common use of buttons is to hold clothing together.

10. Are buttons pointless? Explain why or why not, using evidence from the passage. Suggested answer: Answers may vary, as long as they are supported by the passage. Students may argue that buttons are not pointless, serving such functions as fastening clothing and raising money for charity. On the other hand, students may argue that some buttons are pointless, such as those serving no purpose on the underside of a jacket sleeve.

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