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How can rubber produce electricity? (The influence of the automobile on American society)
Sandy Cook
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This lesson provides an overview of the life of Henry Ford and the early development of the automobile in America. As the lesson progresses, the influence of the automobile on American society unfolds. Almost all aspects of American society have been touched by the automobile.
In addition, students will gain a first-hand account of President Roosevelt's interaction with local citizens and his impact on Troup County and surrounding areas. Activities will culminate in the students' creation of comic strips showing how a president's flat tire in a rural setting could ulitmately lead to their gaining electrical service.
1. Handout #1: "Local Fun Facts" for Bell Assignment
2. Handout #2: "Henry Ford and the Automobile" (Student and Teacher's Version)
3. Handout #3: "The Life and Times of Henry Ford" (Student and Teacher's Version)
4. Handout #4: Lecture Notes on "Mass Production"
5. Handout #5: Excerpt from article
6. "Flat Tire On Car Led To Rural Electrification" article (See attachments)
7. Copy of Clyde Barrow's letter found at www.snoops.com/business/consumer/barrow.asp
. Teacher Notes: "Influences of the Automobile"
9. Markers, paper for comic strips, 5 sheets of poster board
1-2 90 minute blocks
1S2
ESSENTIAL QUESTION: How has society been impacted by the development of the automobile?
CONTENT SPECIFIC QUESTIONS: 1. Who was Henry Ford and how important were his achievements?
2. How did "mass production" affect the production of automobiles and ultimately, society?
3. How did the automobile influence many aspects of society?
Distribute "Local Fun Facts" Handout. Students should read each and determine what all five facts have in common. If they are not able to do so, then teacher may read hints provided in Teacher's Version. Hopefully, students will determine that all five relate to the automobile. Tell students that the automobile played and continues to play a great role in American society.
NOTE TO TEACHER: These facts are apropos to Troup County. You may want to create facts pertaining to your local community. OR... Alternate bell assignment would be to pull up a picture of a 1937 Volkswagon (seriouswheels.com/1930-1939/1937-VW-30-Prototype.htm) and a 1937 Ford coupe (website). Ask students how these two vehicles are similar? Why would a German and American automobile in 1937 be so much alike? Allow students to brainstorm ideas without disclosing the correct reasons to them. Tell them that this will be discussed later in the lesson.
1. Ask students: What person is most closely associated with the automobile in the United States?
2. Tell students that they are going to take a True/False "test" to see how much they know about Henry Ford and the automobile. Distribute Handout #2: Henry Ford. Tell students to make a guess on statements that they may not already know.
3. After allowing a few minutes, go over the "test" and elaborate using the Teacher's Edition of Handout #2.
ACTIVITY ONE: 1. Divide students into groups of 4-5 students. Distribute a packet of index cards on which you have written the events listed in Handout #3: "The Life and Times of Henry Ford". (Write one event on each card.) Have students put the index cards in chronological order. Since students have not yet studied Henry Ford, they will be guessing on some of the events. After all groups have put events in order, have students call out the correct order and, as the class goes through each event, students should record the event in their notes while the teacher elaborates. See Teacher's Edition of Handout #3.
ACTIVITY TWO: 2. Write these words on board or transparency: Interchangeable Parts, Division of Labor, Mass Production, and Movable Assembly Line. Have students define these terms. Tell students that three of these terms together compose the other one. Ask students to place these terms into an addition equation: ___ + ___ + ___ = _____ (Interchangeable Parts + Division of Labor + Movable Assembly Line = Mass Production.) Lecture on concept of "mass production" based on Lecture Notes provided in Handout #4.
ACTIVITY THREE: NOTE: Even though this next activity centers on local history, it may be of interest to others due to its focus on President Franklin D. Roosevelt and his many trips through Troup County, Georgia, en-route to the Little White House in Warm Springs, Ga. 2. On a sheet of paper, ask students to number 1-7. Students write the following as the teacher calls these out: 1. an age (As example, students might write 20 years old) 2. a person (Ex. the president, Mr. Smith, etc.) 3. something that needs to be fixed (Ex. leaky faucet) 4. a decade (Ex. 1870s) 5. a helpful word 6. a number 7. a business Distribute copies of Handout #5: "Article Excerpt" and tell students to fill in the blanks corresponding to the seven items they just listed in the order in which the blanks occur. As students read through the article excerpt, they may change their answers if they desire. Tell students that this is an excerpt from an actual article that you will now distribute to them.
Divide students into groups of 4-5 and distribute copies of Handout #6: "Flat Tire on Car Led to Rural Electrification" to each student. (Permission to reprint this article has been secured from the Troup County Archives.) Students may correct their excerpt based on their reading of the whole article. As they read, have the group select 5-8 events from Caudle's account of his encounter with President Roosevelt and the securing of electricity for this area in Georgia. (Ex. Caudle sitting in front of Mountville store, President Roosevelt propped on his car talking, etc.) Have students draw this story of how Troup County received electricity into a 5-8 frame comic strip. Share comic strips with other groups upon conclusion.(*See NOTES section.)
CAROUSEL BRAINSTORMING: On 5 large posters write one of these words on each poster: SOCIAL LIFE, BUSINESS, POLITICS, MILITARY and OTHER. Place these posters on the walls in the room (or outside down the hall if possible) with some room in between each poster. Keeping students in same groups, give one student in each group a marker. Number the groups 1-5 and assign each number a poster. The groups move to the poster and have one minute to brainstorm ways in which the invention of the automobile had an effect in that particular aspect of society. (See Handout # 7 for suggested list of influenced areas) After one minute, have students move clockwise to the next poster and add, but do not duplicate, to the ideas written by the previous group. Continue until all groups have rotated through the five posters. Have the last group present and summarize the information on their poster for the whole class. Students should record in their notes the ways that the automobile has impacted society.
SATISFIED CUSTOMER: Tell students that it is purported that Henry Ford received a letter from a "satisfied customer" (Clyde Barrow). Read letter to students without revealing the author until the end. Letter may be found at www.snoops.com/business/consumer/barrow.asp.
*INSTRUCTIONAL ACTIVITY #2 (Troup County securing electricity): Although this is the local story that is fairly well-known, there are other viable reasons for electricity becoming available for this area: 1. President Roosevelt had to pay five times as much for electricity in Georgia as he did in New York, therefore, he wanted electricity more readily available. 2. President Roosevelt was known for talking with the local farmers and became very aware of and sympathetic toward their lack of electricity.
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Owen Caudle LaGrange Daily News Article_1S2 Cook
Handout 7 Influences_SI2 Cook
Handout 5 Article Excerpt_Cook SI2
Handout 3 The Life and Times of Henry Ford_SI2 Coo
Handout 2 Henry Ford and the Automobile_SI2 Cook
Handout 1 Local Fun Facts_SI2 Cook
Handout 4 Lecture Notes_SI2 Cook