Fall 2019 Educator Guide - Model Aircraft Armada
Students and the War Effort
The role of children in society can be easily seen at the social and economic level, but we often have to look a little closer to understand how they impact the political world, both nationally and globally. Ken Bartowski’s article, A Model Aircraft Armada, explores the program developed during World War II that employed the skills of students in high school carpentry classes to build models for training military personnel in identifying aircraft.
Compelling Question: What role do children play in national and global events?
Setting the Stage
Show this video from pbslearningmedia.org to introduce students to the variety of planes used in World War II and the continued interest in them today.
https://ny.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/6d6d0cad-b923-4a8c-b6d4-95c7b05cd2ba/the-airplane-graveyard/
Link to Article: A Model Aircraft Armada
Document Analysis
Guided Reading Questions
1. What was the purpose of the model planes requested by the government?
2. How did the government use the models to achieve their purpose?
3. Who was chosen to make the model planes?
4. How many model planes did New York’s Navy Department request the first year?
5. What problems did the state face in trying to meet their model plan quota?
6. What did the New York State Education Department do to help solve the problem?
7. What devices were used to increase accuracy?