The Car of the Future

1. The Car of the Future 2.4.5 Generalize

2. Materials Required • “The Car of the Future” article • Pen/pencil • Paper

3. Activate Background Knowledge • Quick Write: write a quick paragraph or two describing what a car of the future might be like (appearance, fuel used, technological features). • You have ten minutes to write this, so take your time and include everything you can think of. We will share after the quick write.

4. Your ideas- pair and share • Share your ideas about the car of the future with a partner. • Each pair will share their best idea with the whole class.

5. Vocabulary in Context • Each of the following vocabulary words is presented in a contextual sentence from the article “Car of the Future.” • Work with a partner predicting what each word means based on its sentence then we will decide on a working definition as a group.

6. Vocabulary: embedded • Guided by advanced cruise control, GPS, and sensors embedded in the roadway, the car stays in its line, maintains a safe distance from other vehicles, and alerts you to your exit.

7. Vocabulary: power grid • So you plug into the city’s power grid to feed it electricity generated by your car—for which you’ll get an energy credit later on.

8. Vocabulary: hydrogen • The leading candidate to replace good old smelly gasoline is hydrogen, the most plentiful and available element on the planet.

9. Vocabulary: hybrids • Gasoline-electric hybrids like the Toyota Prius and the Ford Escape will be more common.

10. Vocabulary: fossil fuels • “ ‘As much as we’d like to be getting around in flying saucers, the reality is that by 2020 we’ll still be driving vehicles that use fossil fuels,’ says Mary Ann Wright…”

11. Vocabulary: potent irritants • Oxides of nitrogen-known as NOX-are potent irritants.

12. Vocabulary: interchanges • But there are no road signs anywhere, not for stores, gas stations, restaurants, or even the local exits and interchanges.

13. Vocabulary: interactive • The interactivesystems take over. Your car spots a convenience store at the next exit and zaps your grocery list ahead.

14. What is an idiom? Any guesses? Hint: sometimes if you misunderstand an idiom you feel like an idiot. An idiom is a phrase that should not be read literally to understand its meaning. For example, “raining cats and dogs” means it’s raining very hard – not that cats and dogs are falling from the sky. Idioms

15. Idioms in Context • 1.The car’s electric motor runs on hydrogen, and has already been topped off, automatically from an appliance in your garage. • What else could you “top off?”

16. Idioms in Context • Once in the parking lot, you check the fuel gauge and figure you’ve got more than enough juice to make it home. • What is another situation you’d need enough “juice” for?

17. Idioms in Context • “Fundamentally, we see no game changing technology available by 2020,” says Bob Rivard, vice president of Advanced Technology and Product Marketing for automotive supplier Robert Bosch Corp. • Can you think of over “game changing” advances in technology?

18. Idioms in Context • Electronic functions, driver preferences, wireless connectivity—it’s all in the pipeline, coming at us fast. • What else could be in the “pipeline?”

19. Idioms in Context • “That means everyone coming into the auto market will have known nothing but the Internet, and he or she will take it for granted,” he says. • Is there anything you’ve ever “taken for granted?” • Did you ever think the phrase was “take for granite?” 

20. Idioms in Context • Far-fetched? Prasad thinks no more so than what was once another radical idea—distributing money from machines called ATMs. • What other ideas have seemed “far-fetched” in the past?

21. Setting a Purpose • Today you will be reading an article that speculates about what cars might be like in the future. The article describes different fuel options in the year 2020. Read and highlight information about the different fuel possibilities along with pros and cons of each.

22. During Reading • Read and highlight the article, fuel possibilities, and pros & cons for each. • We will use the Me-We-Two strategy to fill out a graphic organizer • Me = teacher • We = teacher + students • Two = two students

23. Gasoline (Me)

24. Diesel (We)

25. Hydrogen (Two)Fuel Options Chart

26. Completed Fuel Options Chart

27. Drawing conclusions - fuel • Looking at the pros and cons of gasoline, diesel, and hydrogen; which fuel option is preferable? Write a complete answer using three text-based details to support your choice. • The content of each “bubble” in the graphic organizer is a text-based detail.

28. Author’s Purpose • Did the author of “The Car of the Future” write to entertain, inform, or persuade you? Use two text-based details to support your choice. • We will share answers in several minutes.

29. Drawing Conclusions • What conclusion can you draw about which fuel will be used by automobiles in 2020? Provide two text-based details from the article to support your conclusion.

30. Predictions Revisited • Take another look at your predictions of what a car of the future would look like. How similar was your prediction to the one presented in the article? How was your prediction different? (Compare and contrast)

31. Final Reflection • Write a quick journal about the strategies used in this lesson, how effective they were for you, and how you will use them in future reading.