Lesson Plan - The Rise of Robots

About the Article

Learning Objective

Students will integrate information from an article, a video, and text features and then compare and contrast robots and human workers.

Curriculum Connections

• Science, Technology, and Society

• Production, Distribution, and Consumption

• Artificial Intelligence

• Social and Emotional Skills

• The Industrial Revolution

Key Skills

Social Studies:

• Examine scientific ideas and technological changes

• Expand knowledge of economic concepts

• Study individual development and identity

English Language Arts:

• Compare and contrast

• Cite text evidence

• Integrate information presented in multiple formats

Key CCSS Standards

RH.6-8.1, RH.6-8.2, RH.6-8.4, RH.6-8.7, WHST.6-8.2, WHST.6-8.4, WHST.6-8.9, RI.6-8.1, RI.6-8.2, RI.6-8.4, RI.6-8.7, W.6-8.2, W.6-8.4, W.6-8.9, SL.6-8.1

1. Preparing to Read

Build Knowledge and Vocabulary

Provide these questions for students to think about as they watch the video “Robots at Work”: How are robots already part of our lives? Which of the robots in the video do you find most impressive? Why? Discuss responses. Then use the Skill Builder Words to Know to preteach the terms industrial revolution and prototype.

2. Reading and Discussing

Read the Article

Read the article aloud or have students read it independently or in pairs. As students read, direct them to mark strengths of robots with an S and weaknesses with a W. (Or have students highlight information using different colors.)

Answer Close-Reading Questions

Have students write their responses, or use the Close-Reading Questions to guide a discussion.

• Why might the author begin the article by describing Sophia? (Author’s Craft)
The author probably begins by describing Sophia to give an example of a robot that uses increasingly sophisticated technology. She also might be trying to hold readers’ attention by making Sophia sound like a person before revealing that she is a robot.

• Summarize the section “The Tech Advantage.” (Summarizing)
Machines started affecting people’s lives around 1760, when steam-powered engines helped start the Industrial Revolution. In the 1960s, robots were first used to help build cars on assembly lines. Now, more than 3 million robots are used in industries around the world. One advantage of robots is that they can be cheaper than hiring people. They can also sometimes work faster than humans, they don’t get tired, and they can take the place of people in dangerous situations.

• Why do experts say we have a long way to go before robots could replace humans in most real-world situations? (Text Evidence)
Most robots can do only a few tasks well, and they can have a hard time doing some tasks that most people can do easily, such as opening doors. Additionally, robots don’t yet have the same social and emotional skills that people do, so they are unlikely to be able to replace humans in jobs like nursing or teaching.

3. Skill Building

Compare and Contrast

Guide students to complete the Skill Spotlight activity at the end of the article. You might have students gather evidence by using a Venn diagram to compare and contrast robots and human workers.

Assess Comprehension

Assign the 10-question Know the News quiz, available in PDF and interactive forms. You can also use Quiz Wizard to assess comprehension of this article and three others from the issue.

Printable Lesson Plan

Interactive Slide Deck

Text-to-Speech