How the Super Soaker was invented

ESL Lessons: True Stories

A printable worksheet for story-based English conversation classes.

Difficulty: Intermediate B1

PDF: How the Super Soaker was invented

Warm-up

Do you like playing with water guns?

Vocabulary Match

released ••
realised ••
invented ••
unexpected ••
stream ••
improving ••

Vocabulary Answers

released
realised
invented
unexpected
stream
improving

True Story

Listen and fill in the blanks with words from above.

Most people know the Super Soaker, but few know how it was ________. In the 1980s, NASA engineer Lonnie Johnson was testing a new heat pump when water suddenly shot across his bathroom. Instead of seeing a problem, he saw a great idea. Johnson ________ the powerful ________ of water could become an exciting toy.

He spent several years ________ his invention before a toy company agreed to sell it. When the Super Soaker was ________ in 1990, it quickly became one of the world's most popular water guns. An ________ accident had changed toy history forever.

Most people know the Super Soaker, but few know how it was invented. In the 1980s, NASA engineer Lonnie Johnson was testing a new heat pump when water suddenly shot across his bathroom. Instead of seeing a problem, he saw a great idea. Johnson realised the powerful stream of water could become an exciting toy.

He spent several years improving his invention before a toy company agreed to sell it. When the Super Soaker was released in 1990, it quickly became one of the world's most popular water guns. An unexpected accident had changed toy history forever.

Quiz

  1. What was Lonnie Johnson's job in the 1980s?
  2. Where did the water shoot across when Johnson was working?
  3. What did Johnson think the powerful stream of water could become?
  4. When was the Super Soaker released?

Quiz Answers (examples)

  1. NASA engineer
  2. His bathroom
  3. An exciting toy
  4. 1990

True or False

  1. Lonnie Johnson invented the Super Soaker in the 1990s. T F
  2. He spent seven years improving his invention before a toy company agreed to sell it. T F
  3. Johnson's accident changed toy history forever. T F

True or False Answers

  1. False
  2. False
  3. True

Conversation

A:Lonnie, what happened in your bathroom?
B:Water shot everywhere! But I have an idea.
A:Really? What kind of idea?
B:A new water gun. Check this out! *squirt!*
A:Hey, cut it out! I'm super soaked!
B:"Super soaked"... Hmm... That could be a great name! *squirt!*

Discussion

  1. Are water guns popular in your country?
  2. What was your favourite toy as a child?
  3. How often do you go to the seaside? Where did you go last time?
  4. What water sports would you like to try?

Further Reading

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/accidental-invention-super-soaker-180972428/

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