Grade 10 Unit 1 Interactive Digital Lesson

Grade 10 English: How Driverless Cars will Change our World

Welcome to Grade 10

Reading I: How Driverless Cars will Change our World

Theme

AI & Technology

Vocabulary

30 Key Words

Concept

Automation

Grammar

Reported Speech

Getting Started: Answer these questions

The Era of AI

Discuss the following with your classmates:

a What do you know about Artificial Intelligence (AI)?

b How do you think AI has changed the world?

Vocabulary Builder

Review definitions of 30 core terms
Page 1

How Driverless Cars will Change our World

Grade 10 • Unit 1 • Reading I

Jenny Cusack

30th Nov 2021

It's a late night in the Metro area of Phoenix, Arizona. Under the artificial glare of streetlamps, a car can be seen slowly approaching. Active sensors on the vehicle radiate a low hum. A green and blue 'W' glows from the windscreen, giving off just enough light to see inside – to a completely empty driver seat. The wheel navigates the curb, parking as an arrival notification pings on the phone of the person waiting for it. When they open the door to climb inside, a voice greets them over the vehicle's sound system. "Good evening, this car is all yours – with no one upfront," it says.
This is a Waymo One robotaxi, hailed just 10 minutes ago using an app. The open use of this service to the public, slowly expanding across the US, is one of the many developments signaling that driverless technology is truly becoming a part of our lives. The promise of driverless technology has long been enticing. It has the potential to transform our experience of commuting and long journeys, take people out of high-risk working environments and streamline our industries. It's key to helping us build the cities of the future, where our reliance and relationship with cars are redefined lowering carbon emissions and paving the way for more sustainable ways of living. And it could make our travel safer. The World Health Organization estimates that more than 1.3 million people die each year as a result of road traffic crashes. "We want safer roads and fewer fatalities. Automation ultimately could provide that," says Camilla Fowler, head of automated transport for the UK's Transport Research Laboratory (TRL).
But in order for driverless technology to become mainstream, much still needs to change. "Driverless vehicles should be a very calm and serene way of getting from A to B. But not every human driver around it will be behaving in that way," says David Hynd, chief scientist for safety and investigations at TRL. "It's got to be able to cope with human drivers speeding, for instance, or breaking the rules of the road." And that's not the only challenge. There's regulation, rethinking the Highway Code, public perception, improving the infrastructure of our streets, towns, cities, and the big question of ultimate liability for road accidents. "The whole insurance industry is looking into how they're going to deal with that change from a person being responsible and in charge to the vehicle doing that," says Richard Jinks, vice president of commercial at Oxfordshire-based driverless vehicle software company Oxbotica, which has been testing its technology in cars and delivery vehicles at several locations across the UK and Europe.
The ultimate vision experts are working towards is of completely driverless vehicles, both within industry, wider transport networks, and personal use cars, that can be deployed and used anywhere and everywhere around the world. But with all these hurdles in place, what exactly does the next 10 years have in store for autonomous vehicles? Two years from now: The biggest hurdle for those in the driverless technology industry is how to get the cars to operate safely and effectively in complex and unpredictable human environments. Cracking this part of the puzzle will be the major focus of the next two years.
At the Mcity Test Facility at the University of Michigan, experts are addressing this. The world's first purpose-built testing ground for autonomous vehicles, it is a mini-town of sorts, made up of 16 acres of road and traffic infrastructure. It includes traffic signals and signs, underpasses, building facades, tree cover, home and garage exterior for testing delivery and ride-hailing, and different terrains such as road, pedestrian walkways, railway tracks, and road-markings which the vehicles must navigate. It is here that experts test scenarios that even the most experienced of drivers may be pressed to handle, from children playing in the street to two cars trying to merge on a junction at the same time.

Lesson Summary

Short Summary

This text details how self-driving technology—exemplified by Phoenix's Waymo One robotaxis—is shifting from a futuristic promise to a daily reality. Driverless vehicles could dramatically reduce global road accidents, which claim 1.3 million lives annually, lower carbon emissions, and streamline industries. However, significant challenges remain, including legal liability for insurance, setting clear street regulation, and training cars to interact safely with unpredictable human drivers in complex environments like the Mcity Test Facility.

Key Takeaways

  • Safe Automation: Eliminates human errors, addressing traffic deaths.
  • The Mcity Town: 16-acre artificial town utilized specifically to simulate difficult road conditions.
  • Industry Shift: Insurance must transition liability definitions from human drivers to self-driving systems.

Core Goals

Safety Improvement Unpredictable Environments Redefined Cities

"Automation ultimately could provide safer roads and fewer fatalities."

Comprehension Exercises

A. Contextual Word Matching.

Match each word with its contextual meaning as used in the article.

a. glare
b. curb
c. hail
d. commute
e. serene
f. liability
g. deploy
h. autonomous
i. perception

B. Choose the correct alternatives to complete the sentences.

a. One of the features of automated cars is ............

b. Driverless technology is being widely used particularly in .....

c. The positive impact of such technology on the environment is ........

d. One of the problems with driverless technology is...........

e. One of the biggest challenges of the automated cars is ........

f. The automated technology developed so far is ........

* Note: Since this is an interactive learning interface, the correct choices are highlighted for your reference.

C. Answer the following questions.

Pronunciation

Phonemic Transcription

Listen to the correct phonemic transcription of each word and practice speaking them.

Listening Practice

Listening: AI and Automated Technology

Consult your textbook and audio for this activity.

Speaking Practice

A. Identify Speakers & Report Remarks

Read the following remarks from the article, identify who said them, and report them in your own words.

Remark 1

"It's got to be able to cope with human drivers speeding."

Speaker: David Hynd

Reported Speech:

David Hynd stated that the vehicle had got to be able to cope with human drivers speeding.

Remark 2

"Good evening, this car is all yours – with no one upfront."

Speaker: The Car's Voice System

Reported Speech:

The vehicle's voice system greeted them and said that that car was all theirs, with no one upfront.

Remark 3

"Driverless vehicles should be a very calm and serene way of getting from A to B."

Speaker: David Hynd

Reported Speech:

David Hynd remarked that driverless vehicles should be a very calm and serene way of getting from A to B.

Remark 4

"The whole insurance industry is looking into how they're going to deal with that change..."

Speaker: Richard Jinks

Reported Speech:

Richard Jinks said that the whole insurance industry was looking into how they were going to deal with that change from a person being responsible to the vehicle doing that.

B. Report Remarks to Friends

Practice converting these statements made this morning into reported speech.

a. Teacher: "I am very busy now."

The teacher told me that he/she was very busy then.

b. Sister: "The cows have been fed."

My sister said that the cows had been fed.

c. Sohan: "I know your address."

Sohan told me that he knew my address.

d. Ramila: "I don’t believe you."

Ramila told me that she didn't believe me.

e. Alice: "I am too late to go out."

Alice said that she was too late to go out.

f. Sophie: "My family is very supportive to me."

Sophie said that her family was very supportive to her.

C. Whisper Game

Work in groups of three. Student 'A' whispers a direct statement to Student 'B', who then whispers it as reported speech to Student 'C'.

Practice using these prompts:

go to the market eat Chinese food buy new mobile phone play games in computer watch a horror movie paint a scene visit a new park

Grammar I: Reported Speech

A. Match direct statements with reported speech.

a. Khushi said, “I go to school every day by bus."
b. Karma said to me, "I am sorry for coming late."
c. Susan says, “I will leave for Bhanu next week.”
d. Tshering said, “I will surely meet you this Saturday.”
e. “The bus leaves at six,” said the agent.
f. “I have already finished my project work,” said she.
g. “I work from home these days,” said Yanjal.

B. Complete the sentences with the correct reporting verbs.

a. “I broke the mirror.” He that he had broken the mirror.

b. "I'd go and see a doctor if I were you," Pemba said. Pemba me to see a doctor.

c. “I will send you out if you make noise again,” said the librarian. The librarian me not to make noise again.

d. "I can come and help you plant rice," said Raman. Raman to help me plant rice.

e. “The classes start from next week,” said the assistant. The assistant us that the classes started from the following week.

f. Sonam said to me, “Thank you so much for your help.” Sonam me for my help.

g. “OK. I will return your money by Saturday,” said Prakriti. Prakriti to return my money by Saturday.

h. “I will really work hard and score good grades,” said Anupam. Anupam to work hard and get good grades.

i. “I am sorry for coming late,” said the speaker. The speaker for coming late.

Writing I

Task: Writing a Newspaper Article on AI Challenges

The use of AI in technology is not only making people’s lives easier but bringing new challenges. Write a newspaper article about the challenges brought by the advancement of AI in technology.

Article Guidelines

  • Provide an interesting title (headline) for your article.
  • Discuss major concerns like automated job loss and cybersecurity threats.
  • Address the loss of human touch, decision mistakes in complex systems, and social biases.
  • Recommend balanced development (combining human check with machine speed).

Project Work

Task Scenario

Think of any three other areas where artificial intelligence (AI) has been used. What are the benefits of using AI in these areas? Share your ideas with the class.

Step-by-Step Project Process

1

Identify 3 Areas

Select three fields apart from self-driving (e.g., Healthcare/Medicine, Agriculture, or Education).

2

Collect Benefits

Draft 2-3 specific bullet points on how AI makes that field faster, safer, or more efficient.

3

Format Slide/Chart

Use our digital notepad or a piece of paper to summarize your presentation outline for class.

Official Lesson Plan

Lesson Details

  • Topic: Reading I - How Driverless Cars will Change our World
  • Class: 10
  • Theme: Information Technology
  • Timing Note: Paced dynamically by the teacher depending on class performance.

Specific Objectives

  • Understand the positive impacts and challenges of driverless cars.
  • Master 30 technological and automotive vocabulary items.
  • Transform direct statements into reported speech accurately.
  • Analyze and draft a formal newspaper article about AI advancements.

Procedures

Reading & Vocabulary

Teacher Activity:

Play the read aloud audios chunk-by-chunk. Address and clarify terms like "Mcity Facility" and "liability".

Student Activity:

Match words with their contextual meanings and select the correct choices in the alternatives task.

Speaking & Grammar

Teacher Activity:

Explain the changes that happen in tenses and reporting verbs when converting into reported speech.

Student Activity:

Work in pairs, do the direct/reported matching exercises, and complete the reporting verbs dropdowns.

Are you a teacher? View specific classroom strategies and activities for this lesson.

Teacher's Guide

How to Teach This Lesson

This IT theme relates directly to real-world technological advancements. Introduce the topic with current issues or pictures of robots/smart cars to engage student interest. With 30 vocabulary terms, ensure you leverage our paginated static vocab card setup. In the Grammar section, teach reported speech changes sequentially: pronoun shifts, tense backshifting, and reporting verb selection (e.g. admitted, advised, thanked).

Teacher Activities

  • Discuss the concepts of self-driving cars, automation, and AI.
  • Pronounce the phonemically transcribed words alongside the students using the interactive audio buttons.
  • Explain the mechanical differences between direct speech and indirect/reported speech.
  • Monitor pair speaking work during the "Reported Speech Whisper Game" prompts.
  • Guide the step-by-step drafting of the AI Challenges newspaper article.

Students' Activities

  • Discuss the warm-up slides and share examples of AI tools (like translation apps or chatbots).
  • Review vocabulary terms, practicing the Nepali translations and correct definitions.
  • Listen to the text-to-speech audio segments to practice rhythm and phrasing.
  • Perform mini-roleplays converting spoken direct remarks to reported speech.
  • Fill the grammar dropdown matches and check their scores instantly.
  • Write down a newspaper article utilizing the Digital Notepad templates.

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