Skyscrapers Worksheet Activity
Read the information about skyscrapers. Think about the meanings of the words in bold type.
Look at a photograph of Chicago’s skyline. You will see a row of tall buildings. They are so tall they seem to scrape the sky. We call them skyscrapers.
About 150 years ago, there were no skyscrapers. Buildings were no more than 6 stories high. Construction workers knew how to build tall buildings. There were just no elevators. Imagine walking up 50 or a 100 flights of stairs. Then, in 1857, Elisha Graves Otis designed an elevator that could carry people safely. Elevators made taller buildings possible.
Chicago was the home of the first skyscraper. Built in 1883, the Home Insurance Building was 10 stories high. It was the first building that had an iron and steel frame.
WORKSHEET & Sample PDF Activity
Sample PDF Activity
Over the years, buildings got taller and taller. In 1895, the Park Row Building in New York City reached a height of 386 feet, or 29 stories. In 1931 the Empire State Building rose to a height of 1,250 feet or 102 stories. For years, it was the world’s tallest building. The tallest building in Chicago is the Sears Tower. Built in 1974, it is 1,454 feet tall and has 110 stories.
How tall can a skyscraper be? A famous architect, Frank Lloyd Wright, drew plans for a mile-high building. That’s 5,280 feet above the ground.
It would cost about one trillion dollars. That’s a lot of money! So far, no one can afford to build it!
Elevate Your Thoughts, page 1 skyscrapers worksheet
Imagine that a company is building a skyscraper in your city or town and needs workers. Write an ad for the Help Wanted section of the newspaper. Use the words designed, stories, and construction in your ad.
Elevate Your Thoughts, page 2 skyscrapers worksheet
Replace the word or words in bold type with a vocabulary word.
Constructive Thinking
- From the boat, we saw the outline against the sky of Chicago. __________
- Mom took us to the top of one of the tall buildings. __________
- We rode on one of the little rooms that can be raised or lowered. __________
- The John Hancock Center was planned by Bruce Graham. __________
- He is a talented person who creates plans for buildings. __________
- The building is 100 floor levels tall. __________
- It reaches a distance upward of 1,105 feet. __________
- My grandpa was one of the building workers. __________
Elevate Your Thoughts Answer Key
Page 1
Labels: top to bottom—skyline, height, skyscrapers, elevator, architect Students should write a Help Wanted ad for the newspaper using the words designed, stories, and construction.
Page 2
- skyline
- skyscrapers
- elevators
- designed
- architect
- stories
- height
- construction
