The Car of the Future

2.4.5 Generalize
Materials Required
 “TheCar of the Future” article
 Pen/pencil
 Paper
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Vocabulary: hydrogen
The leading candidate to
replace good old smelly
gasoline is hydrogen, the most
plentiful and available element
on the planet.
Vocabulary: hybrids
Gasoline-electrichybrids like
the Toyota Prius and the Ford
Escape will be more common.
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…”
Vocabulary: potent irritants
Oxidesof nitrogen-known as
NOX-are potent irritants.
Vocabulary: interchanges
But there are no road signs
anywhere, not for stores, gas
stations, restaurants, or even
the local exits and
interchanges.
Vocabulary: interactive
The interactive systems take
over. Your car spots a
convenience store at the next
exit and zaps your grocery list
ahead.
Idioms
 What is an idiom?  An idiom is a phrase
 Any guesses?
 Hint: sometimes if
you misunderstand
an idiom you feel like
an idiot.
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 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?”
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?
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?
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?”
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?” 
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?
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.
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

Gasoline (Me)
Gasoline

Pros Cons
Diesel (We)
Diesel

Pros Cons
Hydrogen (Two)
Fuel Options Chart
Hydrogen

Pros Cons
Completed Fuel Options Chart
F u e l O p t io n s

3 F u e l O p t io n s

G a s o lin e D ie s e l H y d ro g e n

P ro C on P ro C on P ro C on

a c c e s ib le e x p e n s iv e e f f ic ie n t N O X o x id e s o f n it r o g e n a r e b a d n o p o llu t io n h ig h ly e x p lo s iv e

e a s y to b u y le s s e f f ic ie n t c h e a p e r th a n g a s s u p e r io r f u e l e x p e n s iv e t e c h n o lo g y

p o llu te r c le a n d ie s e l o r b io d ie s e l n o s m e ll d if f ic u lt t o c o lle c t

s m e lls g a s s t a t io n s e x is t e f fic ie n t n e w e n g in e / c a r

p r o d u c e s le s s C O p le n t if u l

in e x p e n s iv e m a t e r ia l

k n o w h o w t o m a k e it
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.
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.
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.
Predictions Revisited
 Takeanother 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)
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.