Assembly Line Simulation
WORLD HISTORY PROJECT ORIGINS / LESSON 7.7 ACTIVITYASSEMBLY LINE SIMULATIONUnless otherwise noted, this work is licensed under CC BY 4.0. Credit: “Assembly Line Simulation”, OER Project, https://www.oerproject.com/1PurposeTake on the role of a factory workerin a manufacturingsimulation to see how industrialization affected different groups in society. You'll explore both the benefits and hardships of factory lifeand consider how your perspective might be shaped by your job and social class.Key informationIt is the mid-nineteenth century,and you’ve moved to Lowell, Massachusetts, where there are many factories. Workdaysin the factory arelong and grueling. Each factory pays its workers the same low wage (1cent per minute). Yourpaycanbedockedforcardsthatdonotmeetquality-control standards. So, the more you mess up, the less pay you and your team will earn. Note that each card takes about 10cents to make, and cards aresold to the store owner for 15cents, which isa profit of 5cents percard.Process1.It’s time to get to work! You’ll be assigned a factory team and a role. Your team will work to create greetingcards based on the demands of each round. There are three rounds.Your team’s supervisor will work with the team to track results on your team worksheet. 2.After you’ve completed all three rounds, respond to the questionsbelow:•Did you have a positive or negative experience in the simulation? Explain your answer.•Do you think you could have made more cards in the time allotted if you had been working alone? Why or why not?
WORLD HISTORY PROJECT ORIGINS / LESSON 7.7 ACTIVITYASSEMBLY LINE SIMULATION2•How did the quality of your birthday cards change during the simulation?•How do you think the invention of the assembly line method of production changed life for workers?•Why do you think business owners adopted this method of production?•If you had a production business, would you use an assembly line? If not, what else could you do?