identical twins
Twins and More
One out of every 32 births is a pair of twins. Some twins are identical- they look exactly alike. Other twins are fraternal-they don’t look alike. When a mother gives birth to more than one baby at a time, it is called a multiple birth. What we call each kind of multiple birth depends on the number of babies born. Twins (two babies) are the most common kind of multiple birth. Triplets (three babies), quadruplets (four babies), and larger groups are less common.
Number of Babies | Name of Birth Group | Rate |
2 | twins | 1 out of 32 births. |
3 | triplets | 1 out of 625 births |
4 | quadruplets | 1 out of 9,000 births |
Fraternal twins are more common than identical twins. In larger birth groups, identical babies are very rare. Some scientists say the chance of having all identical quadruplets is only 1 in 13 million!
Birth Group | Name of Birth Group | Rate |
twins | 30% | 70% |
triplets | 8% | 92% |
quadruplets | Less than 1% | More than 99% |
Look at the charts and answer the questions.
Work with a partner. Go to the library or use the Internet to find out more about multiple births. Share your information with the class.
The World Beard and Moustache Championship
In the 1990s, a group of men in Germany started a competition comparing their beards and moustaches. Soon competitors came from other countries such as Switzerland, Norway, and the United States. They held the World Beard and Moustache Championship every two years. The contest has sixteen different categories, or types, of beards and moustaches.
The English Moustache is long and goes out to the sides. The Dalí Moustache, named after Spanish painter Salvador Dalí, is long and points up.
The Verdi category gets its name from Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi. This style has a straight beard and a curly moustache. The Freestyle Beard is really fun. Competitors in this category have beards of all different shapes and styles.
Ask and answer.