If I Built a Car

If I Built a Car Book Project Possibilities:

Verbal/Linguistic

Describe your invention idea in a rhyming couplet form like the author, Chris Van Dusen.
Rhyme Zone will help you with your couplets.

Visual/Spatial

CURRICULUM CONNECTION/ ENRICHMENT - Grade 3
Combine different kinds of transportation to make a blue print for a new way to travel.  (This could be a good follow-up for the 3rd Grade HATS program at Stuhr Museum called Early Transportation.) 

Logical/Mathematical

Locate these places where he flew in his spectacular car:  Alaska, Nebraska, Bermuda, Belize  (You can use the World Book from the online resources listed on the Grand Island Public Schools site.)
Put each map on a Pages document and write something extra special that you could do while visiting each place. 
Be sure to site your source by looking at the bottom of each article.

Possible skills:
K-2 & 3-5 Maneuver within webbased resources (GIPS Med. 2.3.1/ GIPS Tech 5.1.2)
(3-5) Recognize distinguishing features of encyclopedias  (GIPS Med 2.3.2)
(3-5)  Recognize distinguishing features of atlases (GIPS Med. 2.3.4)

Naturalist 

Create a mini field guide of the fish Robert saw from the inside of the fabulous, waterproof car.  Include only the information that you think would interest Robert.

Musical

Create "If I Built a Car" into an audio book.  Include sound effects to enhance your audio through Garage Band Podcasting.

Bodily/Kinesthetic 

Build your own puff mobile.  Try all 3 models to compare/ contrast.
There is a place to share your results with Zoom.

Puff-mobile

Puff-mobile II

Wind-Powered Car

You can do a similar activity with Racing Ramps which might be easier to do with kindergarten students. 

Possible skills:
Engineering
K-2 3-5  Create product or performance using appropriate presentation format/ present the information/ evaluate the product or performance  (GIPS Med. 5.2/ 5.3/ 6.1)
K-2 3-5  Identify useful facts/ Interpret and summarize information/ Draw conclusions and utilizing data (GIPS Med. 4.1.1/ GIPS Tech 6.3.2/ GIPS Tech 6.3.3)

Intrapersonal 

After reading the book, decide on a feature you would add to the car.  You can create your own page complete with an illustration.

Interpersonal 

Survey a group of people by asking this question:  Which feature of the car was your favorite?  Graph the results.  Does it make a difference if you survey different age groups?  If you conduct surveys with different age groups, write your conclusions.  (This also fits in the group Logical/ Mathematical.)

Additional Resources of Interest:

Illinois School Library Media Association has their own activity list sorted by Gardner's Multiple Intelligences.
Take a look at the list of related books.  Read one of them to determine why you think they classified it with the book "If I Built a Car".

This book would be a terrific hook to interest students in inventing.  Take a look at the third grade Foss Science module: Ideas and Inventions.