DOCUMENT RESUM1

ED 383 880 CE 069 243

AUTHOR Bliss, Clifford; Giles, Bob

TITLE Fourth Grade Factory--An Integrated, Collaborative

Unit in Manufacturing and Economics--Make It, Take

It.

PUB DATE Feb 95

NOTE 36p.

PUB TYPE Guides Classroom Use Teaching Guides (For

Teacher) (052)

EDRS PRICE MF01/PCO2 Plus Postage.

DESCRIPTORS *Career Exploration; *Design; Economics; Grade 4;

High Schools; Integrated Curriculum; Intermediate

Grades; *Manufacturing; Problem Solving; *Technology

Education; Units of Study; Vocational Education

ABSTRACTThis unit for fourth grade and high school includes

elements of careers, economics and free enterprise for fourth graders

and elements of problem solving and design, manufacturing, drafting,

and woodworking for high school students. The unit is taught in both

the fourth grade and the high school classrooms. The unit involves

planning, designing, and producing a small product in an actual

factory run, with the high school students planning the run and the

fourth graders acting as factory workers. The fourth-grade students

study the following subjects: capital financing, free enterprise,

stocks, corporations, raw materials, labor, training, expenses,

profits, and other such topics. The high school students go through

the design from brainstorming through sketching, sampling, making

prototypes, working drawings, and problem solving. After, the factory

production run, the process is evaluated by students to determine how

it could have been done better, and the younger students are

encouraged to enroll in technology classes when they get older. The

unit includes behavioral objectives and plans for the following: an

abacus, a frog, a tic-tac-toe game, a bird feeder, an airplane

whistle, a clothes peg plaque-mirror, a gum ball machine, a jelly

bean machine. a gum ball bank, a race car, a kaleidoscope, a top, a

basketball flipper game, and a notepad holder. (KC)

***********************************************************************Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made

from the original document.*****************************A*****************************************

Fourth Grade FactoryAn Integrated, Collaborative Unit in

Manufacturing and EconomicsMake It, Take It

Clifford BlissBob Giles

Tallmadge High SchoolTallmadge, Ohio

February 1995

U.E. DEPARTMENT Of EDUCATIONOrno of Educational Research and Improvement

EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATIONjCENTER (ERIC)

This document Ms been reproduced asreceived from the person or organicattonoriginating it

0 Minor changes have bun made to improvereproduction quality

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2

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BEST COPY AVAILABLE

ABSTRACTFourth Grade Factory - An Integrated, Collaboratiue Unit in

Manufacturing and Economics - Make It, Take It

OVERVIEWThis is a unit for fourth grade and high

school that includes elements of careers, eco-nomics and free enterprise for fourth graders,and elementG of problem solving and design,manufacturing, drafting and woodworking forhigh school students. These elements are taughtat respective buildings.

The culminating activity for both setsof students is the actual factory run. The fourthgrade students are invited to the high school fora morning and become factory workers. Theystart out with a stack of lumber and parts. Theydo the sawing, drilling, sanding, finishing, as-sembly, inspection, and packaging. In two hoursthey have produced 50 products; enough thateach student may have one for themselves andenough extra for principals, board members,etc. The high school students do the instructingand supervision of the fourth graders at theindividual work stations. The operations arekept very simple. The work stations are engi-neered specifically for safe use by a ten yearold, although we've done it with second gradestudents and fifth grade students. Any opera-tions that are too difficult or dangerous aresimplified, eliminated or done before hand byhigh school students.

Tile project is different each year. Wehave done an abacus, toy frog, tic tac toe box,bird feeder, whistle, coat rack-mirror, gumballmachine, jelly bean machine, gumball bank,race car, kaleidoscope, top, basketball flipper,and labyrinth.ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

The students at the fourth grade studytopics and terms: capital, financing, free enter-prise, stocks, corporation, raw materials, scrap,

waste, energy, prototype, manufacturing, man-agement, labor, training, expenses, sales andmarketing, competition, mass production, li-ability, consumerism, division of labor, profit,loss, and dividends, etc.

We hope that the students will beginto understand themselves in relationship tocareers to understand what they like or don'tlike; that both boys and girls can do the samejobs; that it takes lots of cooperation to makea product and that by dividing up the work theycan be more productive than individualsworking alone. Safety is important. We hopethey will also begin to understand why theirparents are tired at the end of their day.

The unit may be integrated with otherfourth grade units easily. Music classes canfocus on work songs; math skills are sharpenedby figuring costs or amount of materials needed;the health and hygiene of workers can be stud-ied, sequencing the operations and thank-younotes are used as activities in language arts, theecology of the product or manufacturing pro-cess relate to science and social studies.HIGH SCHOOL

At the high school level, the designprocess begins in September by learning tobrainstorm. Project ideas are sketched, consid-ered and condensed from hundreds tc' a score.Sample projects are brought in by the studentsto study and they begin to problem solve forproduction. Crude prototypes are made. Thebest ideas are kept and project selection isfurther condensed to two or three ideas. Asecond generation prototype is made. Problemsolving is done to simplify design and opera-tion, safety and low cost. Final project selec-

tion is made and a good working model isfabricated.

A complete set of drawings for theproduct is made, including renderings and as-sembly drawings. The drawings must show allthe information necessary to make the project.The tooling (jigs and fixtures) must then bedesigned and drawn. Safety and ease of opera-tion are prime considerations. Computer As-sisted Drafting (CAD) is used for some of thesimple parts. A flow process chart showinghow the different operations are sequenced isdrawn. Cost analysis is determined after ven-dors are found. When this is completed inDecember, the drawings are sent to the wood-working students who fabricate the tooling.

Once the tooling is done, a pilot (test)run is made. Adjustments are made and safetyis checked. Two weeks before the productionin the spring, invitations generated on thecomputer are sent to each fourth grade room toinvite the classes to participate.FACTORY PRODUCTION

About a week before the producticarun, there is an assembly of the fourth gradestudents. At the assembly, the high schoolteacher(s) involved are introduced, the project,sample tooling, drawings are displayed andthere is a discussion of what to expect in theway of noise and activity when the studentsarrive at the high school.

On the day of production, the highschool students are assigned a work station tosupervise. They are already partly familiarwith the work station because they helpeddesign or build the tooling. They are given lastminute instruction and practice at the workstation. Computers have been used to gmeratetechnical drawings, name tags, banners, lists,work station signs, decorations, instructions,etc. When the fourth graders arrive, there is ademonstration of how the materials flowthrough the work stations showing various

operations being performed to complete theprojects. Next, the students are assigned to awork station and produce enough parts for theday's quota. As jobs are completed, studentsare reassigned to new work and/or clean up.Inspection occurs at every work station. Pro-tective and safety gear are used. There arealways tooling and production problems thatoccur during the production run. These aredealt with as they occur by the high schoolstudents and/or teachers.

At the end of the production, thefourth grade students are de-briefed. We talkabout what was fun, difficult, dirty, dangerous,etc. What jobs might be better handled by arobot? Would it have been better to have eachstudent make their own instead of having adivision of labor? Why? What happened whena mistake was made?

The elementary school students areencouraged to continue this activity by enrollingin technology classes five years from nowwhen they enroll at the high school.

February 1995

4

Clifford Bliss, Bob GilesTailmadge High School

484 East RuenueTallmadge, Oh.o 44278

(216) 633-5505faH (216) 633-5331

tallmadh@phoeniH.kent.educrbliss@aol.com

FOURTH GRADE FACTORY IMPACT

These are some of the objectives we intend to accomplish in the FourthGrade Factory.

Items marked with "*" indicate that that objectives has impact for bothlevels of students.

Intended impact for high school students:*Define and use terms related to the drafting, manufacturing and economic

industry*Demonstrate drafting as a communication skillTranslate a product idea into a technical drawing and parts list*Understand the technical process of manufacturing and production*Understand how manufacturing reflects societal needs and wants*Develop an awareness of skills needed to read prints and make drawings to

acquire a job*To be aware of the students own talents, and tastes as they relate to work

both positively and negatively*To be aware of how manufacturing in a technological society influences

their own lives and the community in which they live*To develop skills toward building working relationships with those he/ she

works withTo develop drafting skills as related to equipment, materials, tools, and

practicesTo develop skills in making working drawings, parts lists and cost estimatesTo develop skills at making reproductions of drawings*To represent and interpret various data into charts, graphs, and diagramsTo express tolerances and precision on drawings*Understand principles of jig and fixture designKnowledge of various methods of manufacture using the best suited

materials for the jobFormulate and appreciation for new, unique, and innovative design and

materialsDevelop an attitude of respect, care, and professionalism toward drafting tools

and equipment and processesUse and appreciate the differences among paper, vellum and mylarAppreciate differences among the various drafting methodsValue the variety of methods in the reproduction of drawingsAppreciate how improved drafting techniques have improved lifestylesStudents do comparative shopping to determine best buys for materials and

toolsAppreciate the difficulty and rewards of being a teacher as they supervise and

teach the younger students*Safety in the work place

Intended impact for elementary school studentsDevelop an appreciation for work with their handsAppreciate how much more productive people can be done by lrganizing

their effortsUnderstand how shortages and surpluses of raw materials can ;.ause big

problems in the productionUnderstand how their labor adds value to raw materialsUnderstand that all work or jobs have valueAppreciate that hygiene (personal and work place) is importantExperience the excitement of using an item they made themselvesNo jobs are "boy" jobs or "girl" jobs-sex plays no roles these daysPeople with handicaps can be just as valuable workers as non-handicapped

peopleAbility to read simple assembly drawingsAppreciate quality workmanship by keeping rejects to a minimumAppreciate advantages and disadvantages of power equipment as opposed to

manual toolsExposes the elementary student to the high school settingAppreciate the large volume of work necessary in advance to make mass

produced productsProduction line work is often tediousRobotics can do work that is dangerous or boringAbsenteeism costs production and profit

February, 1995

Clifford Bliss, Bob GilesTallmadge High School

484 East AvenueTallmadge, Ohio 44278

(216) 633-5505fax (216) 633-5331

tal lmadh@phoenix.kent.ed ucrbliss@aol.com

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