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Cars of the Future: Henry Ford's Impact

Grade 4EnglishScienceHistory7 days

In this project, 4th-grade students will explore Henry Ford's impact on the automotive industry and design a car of the future that addresses environmental concerns and societal needs. Students will analyze informational texts, identify key car components, and brainstorm innovative solutions based on 'letters from the future' outlining transportation challenges. They will use textual evidence to justify their design choices, integrating historical context and technical knowledge to create a detailed design proposal.

Henry FordCar DesignFuture TransportationEngineeringInnovationTextual EvidenceEnvironmental Concerns

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Inquiry Framework

Question Framework

Driving Question

The overarching question that guides the entire project.How can we design a car of the future, inspired by Henry Ford's innovations, that addresses environmental concerns and societal needs, while using textual evidence to support our understanding of the key components, functions, and historical context of automobiles?

Essential Questions

Supporting questions that break down major concepts.

How did Henry Ford's innovations impact the automotive industry and society?
What are the key components and systems that make a car function?
How can we apply principles of engineering and design to create a car of the future that addresses environmental concerns and societal needs?
How can we use textual evidence to support our understanding of historical figures, scientific concepts, and technological advancements related to automobiles?

Standards & Learning Goals

Learning Goals

By the end of this project, students will be able to:

Understand Henry Ford's impact on the automotive industry and society.
Identify and explain the key components and systems of a car.
Apply engineering and design principles to create a car of the future that addresses environmental concerns and societal needs.
Use textual evidence to support understanding of historical figures, scientific concepts, and technological advancements related to automobiles.

Common Core Standards

RI.4.1

Primary

Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.Reason: Supports analyzing texts about Henry Ford and automotive technology.

RI.4.2

Primary

Determine the main idea of a text and explain how it is supported by key details; summarize the text.Reason: Supports understanding and summarizing information about Henry Ford's life, innovations, and impact.

RI.4.3

Primary

Explain events, procedures, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text, including what happened and why, based on specific information in the text.Reason: Supports explaining the historical context, scientific principles, and technical aspects of automotive development.

RI.4.4

Secondary

Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words or phrases in a text relevant to a grade 4 topic or subject area.Reason: Supports vocabulary development related to history, science, and technology within the project.

Entry Events

Events that will be used to introduce the project to students

Letters from the Future: Responding to Tomorrow's Needs

Students receive 'letters' from fictional citizens in the future describing their transportation needs and challenges (e.g., environmental concerns, accessibility, urban congestion). They must research Henry Ford's vision and apply it to design a car that addresses these future needs, prompting them to consider both historical context and future possibilities for car design and societal impact.

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Portfolio Activities

These activities progressively build towards your learning goals, with each submission contributing to the student's final portfolio.

Activity 1

Car Part Pioneers: Identifying Key Components

Students will research and identify the main parts and systems of a car, explaining their functions. This activity will provide the foundational knowledge needed to design their own car of the future.

Steps

Here is some basic scaffolding to help students complete the activity.

1. Explore informational texts or diagrams of car components (engine, chassis, wheels, etc.).

2. Create a list of the key components.

3. Write a brief description of the function of each component.

4. Draw or find images of each component to include in their descriptions.

Final Product

What students will submit as the final product of the activityA detailed guide to the key components of a car, including descriptions of their functions and visual representations.

Alignment

How this activity aligns with the learning objectives & standardsAligns with RI.4.1 (refer to details), RI.4.3 (explaining technical concepts), and RI.4.4 (domain-specific vocabulary).

Activity 2

Future Car Brainstorm: Needs and Solutions

Students will analyze the 'letters from the future' and brainstorm potential design solutions for a car that addresses the needs and challenges described in the letters.

Steps

Here is some basic scaffolding to help students complete the activity.

1. Re-read the letters from the future.

2. Identify the main concerns and needs expressed in the letters (e.g., environmental impact, accessibility).

3. Brainstorm innovative features and technologies that could address these needs.

4. Sketch initial design ideas and label key features.

Final Product

What students will submit as the final product of the activityA detailed design proposal outlining the features of the future car and explaining how they address the needs identified in the letters.

Alignment

How this activity aligns with the learning objectives & standardsAligns with RI.4.1 (drawing inferences), RI.4.2 (identifying main ideas), and RI.4.3 (explaining ideas and concepts).

Activity 3

Design Details: Text-Based Justification

Students will revisit their research on Henry Ford and car components to find textual evidence that supports their design choices for the car of the future.

Steps

Here is some basic scaffolding to help students complete the activity.

1. Review the timeline of Henry Ford's innovations and the guide to car components.

2. Identify specific details or examples from the texts that relate to their design choices.

3. Write a paragraph explaining how their design is inspired by Henry Ford's work and how it incorporates the function of specific car components.

4. Cite the sources used to support their explanations.

Final Product

What students will submit as the final product of the activityA well-supported paragraph that explains how the design of the future car is informed by historical context and technical knowledge, using textual evidence.

Alignment

How this activity aligns with the learning objectives & standardsAligns with RI.4.1 (refer to details and examples), RI.4.2 (key details), RI.4.3 (explaining events and ideas), and RI.4.4 (domain-specific words).

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Rubric & Reflection

Portfolio Rubric

Grading criteria for assessing the overall project portfolio

Future Car Design Project Rubric

Category 1

Research and Textual Analysis

Evaluates the ability to extract, interpret, and apply information from historical, scientific, and technical texts in designing a future car.

Criterion 1

Use of Textual Evidence

Ability to refer to specific details and examples in texts to support design decisions.

Exemplary

4 Points

Uses a wide range of specific examples from the text to thoroughly support design decisions, demonstrating sophisticated understanding.

Proficient

3 Points

Uses relevant examples from the text to support most design decisions, showing a solid understanding.

Developing

2 Points

Uses some relevant examples from the text but support for design decisions is incomplete or unclear.

Beginning

1 Points

Struggles to find and use relevant examples from the text to support design decisions.

Criterion 2

Understanding of Key Concepts

Ability to determine main ideas and explain historical and technical concepts relevancy to the design project.

Exemplary

4 Points

Identifies and clearly explains all main ideas, effectively connecting them to the design project.

Proficient

3 Points

Identifies most main ideas and adequately explains their connection to the design project.

Developing

2 Points

Identifies few main ideas with partial or unclear explanations of their relevance.

Beginning

1 Points

Struggles to identify main ideas and explain their relevance to the project.

Category 2

Design and Innovation

Assesses the creativity, practicality, and integration of innovative solutions in the future car design.

Criterion 1

Creativity and Innovation

Ability to brainstorm and develop innovative design solutions that address future needs.

Exemplary

4 Points

Demonstrates exceptional creativity with highly innovative solutions deeply addressing future needs.

Proficient

3 Points

Shows creativity with innovative solutions that adequately address future needs.

Developing

2 Points

Offers limited creativity with solutions that partially address future needs.

Beginning

1 Points

Shows minimal creativity with solutions that hardly address future needs.

Criterion 2

Technical Detail and Execution

Skill in integrating technical knowledge into coherent and functional design proposals.

Exemplary

4 Points

Integrates technical knowledge accurately and creatively into a highly detailed, coherent design proposal.

Proficient

3 Points

Accurately integrates technical knowledge into a detailed design proposal.

Developing

2 Points

Shows partial integration of technical knowledge with a somewhat detailed design proposal.

Beginning

1 Points

Shows minimal integration of technical knowledge with little detail in the design proposal.

Category 3

Communication and Collaboration

Assesses the ability to communicate design ideas clearly and collaborate effectively with peers.

Criterion 1

Clarity and Coherence of Communication

Quality of written and visual communication in presenting the design proposal.

Exemplary

4 Points

Communicates ideas clearly and coherently with well-structured written and visual elements.

Proficient

3 Points

Communicates ideas clearly with structured written and visual elements.

Developing

2 Points

Communicates ideas with some clarity but needs better structure in written and visual elements.

Beginning

1 Points

Struggles to communicate ideas clearly and lacks structure in written and visual elements.

Criterion 2

Collaborative Engagement

Effectiveness of collaboration with peers during the design process.

Exemplary

4 Points

Demonstrates leadership and consistently contributes to peer collaboration in meaningful ways.

Proficient

3 Points

Actively participates in collaboration, contributing to group success.

Developing

2 Points

Participates in collaboration but contributions are inconsistent.

Beginning

1 Points

Rarely participates or contributes to collaboration efforts.

Reflection Prompts

End-of-project reflection questions to get students to think about their learning

Question 1

How did researching Henry Ford's innovations influence your car design?

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Question 2

What was the most challenging part of designing a car that addresses future needs?

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Question 3

To what extent do you think your car design effectively addresses the needs and concerns expressed in the 'letters from the future'?

Scale

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Question 4

Which car component was the most important to reimagine for the future, and why?

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Question 5

How did your understanding of car components evolve throughout this project?

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