TECHNOLOGICAL Innovation in the Gilded Age

6.6 Activity: Mass Production Simulation

Objective: To understand the impact of mass production and the assembly line on manufacturing.

(Note: While the term "assembly line" wasn’t officially coined until Henry Ford used it in the 1910s, this activity will help you experience how production methods evolved over time.)

The Mission

You will be manufacturing paper airplanes.

For a plane to be counted as "complete," it must go through the following exact steps:

1. Retrieve: Go to the front of the room to grab a single sheet of paper.

2. Construct: Fold the paper into an airplane.

3. Label: Write the word “Airplane” on the paper airplane.

4. Prep: Cut a small piece of string.

5. Finalize: Tape the piece of string to the airplane.

The Setup

You will be divided into groups of 5. Your group will be assigned one of two production methods:

• Group A (Individual Production): Everyone works by themselves. Each student must complete Steps 1 through 5 alone for every single airplane they make.

• Group B (Assembly Line): You work as a team. Each student is assigned one specific step. You do your step, then pass the product to the next person.

The Challenge

You have 5 minutes on the timer. Produce as many finished airplanes as possible. When time is called, count your group's total.

Debrief Exit Ticket: Reflection Questions

Once we have finished counting, discuss the following questions:

1. What were the advantages and disadvantages of the group type you were in?

2. Which group demonstrated the most efficiency (made the most planes)?

3. How might the price of the airplanes differ depending on which group made them?

4. What would happen to production if one person in the Assembly Line could no longer work?

5. What would happen to production if one person in the Individual group could no longer work?