Putting Henry Ford's Assembly Line to the Test!

Learning Resource Type

Learning Activity

Subject Area

Digital Literacy and Computer Science
Social Studies

Grade(s)

6

Overview

This activity will allow students to explore and examine the efficiency of Henry Ford's assembly line in a way that is hands-on and interactive. Students will be competing against one another to see if it is more efficient to create paper airplanes individually or by using the assembly line method. 

Phase

During/Explore/Explain
Social Studies (2010) Grade(s): 6

SS10.6.1

Explain the impact of industrialization, urbanization, communication, and cultural changes on life in the United States from the late nineteenth century to World War I.

UP:SS10.6.1

Vocabulary

  • industrialization
  • urbanization
  • WWI

Knowledge

Students know:
  • How industrialization, urbanization, communication, and cultural changes in the United States from the late nineteenth century to World War I have effected the lives of Americans.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Explain the impact of industrialism on life in the US from the late 19th Century to World War I.
  • Explain the impact of urbanization on life in the US from the late 19th Century to World War I.
  • Explain the impact of communication on life in the US from the late 19th Century to World War I.
  • Explain the impact of cultural changes on life in the US from the late 19th Century to World War I.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • Industrialization, urbanization, communications and cultural changes in the United States from the late nineteenth century to World War I have impacted the lives of Americans.
Social Studies (2010) Grade(s): 6

SS10.6.4

Identify cultural and economic developments in the United States from 1900 through the 1930s.

UP:SS10.6.4

Vocabulary

  • Harlem Renaissance
  • Jazz Age
  • suffragettes
  • suffragists
  • flappers
  • personal credit
  • stock market crash
  • Immigration Act of 1924

Knowledge

Students know:
  • The cultural and economic developments of the early 1900s.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Characterize the impact of notable people and events that shape our world.
  • Compare multiple points of view to explain economic policies.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • Major cultural and economic changes took place in the US during the early 1900's.

Learning Objectives

The students will describe how automation works to increase efficiency.

The students will identify Henry Ford's contributions to the improvements of automation through the assembly line.

The students will explain the impact of industrialization through automation at the turn of the 19th century as well as today.

Activity Details

1. As a way to initially engage the students, show them a picture of Henry Ford's assembly line from the early 1900's (https://goo.gl/images/SQrtHk) and ask the following:

     a. What do you notice? What is going on? (Ideally, students will notice the incorporation of man and machine, or automation, what is being created, etc.)

     b. Do you know what this is called? (Ideally, a student will know this is called an assembly line.)

     c. Do you know who created this technique? (Henry Ford)

2. Have the students think-pair-share on the final question: Do you think it really is faster to separate work like this? Or would it be faster for one person to do it all by him/herself?

3. Once the students have shared their thoughts, inform them that we will be testing it out today. Separate the students into groups of three to four. One group will be the "control" group who will be creating paper airplanes by themselves. In the other groups, the students will each have a specific job on the "assembly line" in creating a paper airplane. (For example, one group member would do the initial fold then pass it to another student to fold it again, then the final student to complete the final fold into the paper airplane form.) The goal is to see if the group of three to four students working individually (completing all steps alone) will create just as many as the other groups working under Henry Ford's model (each group member doing a different step).

4. For consistency purposes all students (those in the control group working individually and those working in the assembly lines) will be making the same type of paper airplanes. To make sure all students understand the process, refer to this website for the step-by-step instructions on how to create "the dart", which is the most basic paper airplane: https://www.diynetwork.com/made-and-remade/learn-it/5-basic-paper-airplanes. In the groups that are using an assembly line method for creating paper airplanes, make sure each group member knows which steps he/she is to complete. The control group will be completing all the steps by themselves. 

5. Set five minutes on a timer and have students begin. Once the time is up, have each group count the number of airplanes they were able to create, taking note of the quality of their folds, etc. 

6. Have students reflect on the following (on a separate sheet of paper):

     a. In our experiment, which was faster? The groups who used the assembly line or worked individually? Why do you think this was the case? 

     b. How do you think the creation of the assembly line changed industrialization in America?

     c. What is different about assembly lines today in comparison to when Henry Ford created them?

     d. How has automation changed assembly lines?

Assessment Strategies

-Teacher observations and notes during the activity. 

-Have students turn in the end of lesson reflection to check for understanding of objectives.

Background / Preparation

*Students should already have prior knowledge of the assembly line and Henry Ford's contribution to the car industry prior to this activity.

*The only supplies needed will be paper to make the paper airplanes. You can even cut one piece of paper into fourths and have the students create smaller airplanes to eliminate waste. 

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