Black & white image of people on first Motorwagen but transitioning into color image of flying car
agefotostock/Alamy Stock Photo (motorwagen); Courtesy of Klein Vision (AirCar); Shutterstock.com (background)
Alike and Different,

From First Car to Flying Car!

The first car was made more than 100 years ago. Things have changed a lot. Now there is a new flying car! Which would you want to drive? 

From the December 2022/January 2023 Issue
Lexiles: 480L
Guided Reading Level: J
Featured Skill: Comparing Texts,
Vocabulary: invented, engine, wings, twice
Common Core Standards
  • RF.1.3 Decoding RI.1.1 Key details RI.1.3 Connecting information RI.1.4 Vocabulary RI.1.5 Text features RI.1.6 Distinguish between information from words and images RI.1.7 Use visuals RI.1.9 Compare two texts RI.1.10 Read grade-1 nonfiction texts SL.1.1 Discuss grade-1 texts L.1.4.a Use sentence-level context as a clue to a word’s meaning
TEKS Standards
  • Science
    (10) Organisms and environments. The student knows that organisms resemble their parents and have structures and processes that help them survive within their environments. The student is expected to: (A) investigate how the external characteristics of an animal are related to where it lives, how it moves, and what it eats.
  • English Language Arts
    (8) Multiple genres: literary elements. The student recognizes and analyzes literary elements within and across increasingly complex traditional, contemporary, classical, and diverse literary texts. The student is expected to: (B) describe the main character(s) and the reason(s) for their actions.

Magazine View
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The First Car:

Motorwagen

PRILL Mediendesign/Alamy Stock Photo

Three Wheels

North Wind Picture Archives/Alamy Stock Photo

This shows a horse pulling a wagon.

Before cars, people used horses to go far. Then the first car was invented. It had three wheels and an engine. 


How Fast?

You could take this car on a long trip. But it didn’t go very fast. It went 10 miles per hour. People can ride bikes that fast. 


The Car of the Past

This car changed the world. Now we use cars every day. What would life be like without cars?


The Flying Car: AirCar

Courtesy of Klein Vision 

Two Wings

Courtesy of Klein Vision

This is the car with its wings in.

It has wheels like other cars. But when you are ready to hit the sky, push a button. Two wings pop out.


How Fast?

Buckle up! This car can fly up to 160 miles per hour. That is way faster than a car on a highway. It is twice as fast.


The Car of the Future

DAVE PRESSLAND/FLPA/MINDEN PICTURES

There are no flying cars for sale yet. The makers have to be sure they are safe first. Maybe they will be ready when you grow up. 


Slideshows (1)
Activities (2)
Skills Activities
Answer Key (1)
Slideshows (1)
Activities (2) Download All Quizzes and Activities
Skills Activities
Answer Key (1)

More About the Article

English Language Arts Focus

Opinions

Comparing

Science Focus

Engineering and technology

Vocabulary

invented, engine, wings, twice

Step-by-Step Lesson Plan
Download the Lesson Plan

IMPLEMENTATION SUGGESTIONS

Read-Aloud

  • Storyworks 1 provides a variety of text types and levels that you can use in different ways. One suggestion is to read “From First Car to Flying Car” during a whole-class read-aloud. Use the articles’ parallel structures to discuss similarities and differences between the texts.

Writing Block

  • Opinion writing is a critical first-grade standard. After reading and discussing the article during read-aloud time, you can return to it later for your writing block. Have students use the information they learned to write an opinion piece.

1. BEFORE READING

Preview Vocabulary (3-5 minutes)

  • Play the online vocabulary slideshow. This article’s featured words are invented, wings, engine, and twice.

Set a Purpose for Reading and Preview the Article (7-10 minutes)

  • Now tell students they are going to read about the first car and a flying car from today. They can decide which one they would like to drive.
  • Open your magazines to the article. Notice the pictures of the Motorwagen and the AirCar. What is different about the photos? Remind children that one of these cars is from the past. Which one is it? How can they tell?
  • Turn the page and preview the parallel structure of the paired texts. Read the headings together. What do children notice about these two pages?

2. READ THE PAIRED TEXTS (15-30 MINUTES)

  • Remind children that they will compare the first car with a flying car from today. They will decide which one they would like to drive.
  • Starting with the first category (Three Wheels/ Two Wings), discuss how they differ. Guide children to point out how cars have changed over time.
  • To finish, take a class vote. Which would they want to drive? Tally their votes on chart paper. Call on volunteers to explain their choice. Make sure children back up their opinions with reasons. Help them use the word because, as in “because it is fast.”

3. AFTER READING: FOCUS ON SKILLS

Writing Focus: Opinion Writing/Key Details (20 minutes)

  • With the My First Driver’s License skills page, children can make their own driver’s license and practice sharing opinions in writing.

ELA Focus: Opinion Writing (15 minutes)

  • This version of the My First Driver’s License skills page allows you to provide the same content at a lower skill level.

Text-to-Speech