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The Physics of Flight
Three activities allow young flight engineers to understand the 4 principles of flight (weight, lift, thrust, and drag), to construct a glider, and to create a propeller. Multicultural history and literature are integrated by reading...
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Lift and Drag: Principles of Flight and the Soaring Imagination
Students construct models of early gas balloons and gliders. In this balloon and glider lesson plan, students create models of early gas balloons and gliders, discover how the forces of lift and drag effect aircraft in flight, and put...
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Principles of Flight: Flying Paper Airplanes
Learners investigate ways to enhance an object's flying ability. In this model construction lesson, students construct two paper airplanes, one of which is twice as big as the first. Learners compare and contrast the two separate...
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The Physics of Flight
Students discuss how the invention of flight changed the way people live today. In groups, they compare and contrast the differences between weight, lift, thrust and drag. Using these principles, they create a glider and propeller with...
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Rescue Mission Game
Young scholars conduct probability experiments. In this rescue mission instructional activity, sudents play a game and collect statistical data. They organize and interpret the data and determine the probability of success. Students...
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Origami Flight: The Physical Setting
Sixth graders investigate the forces that move certain objects. In this physics instructional activity, 6th graders design and create paper flying objects using origami methods, which they practice flying in different conditions....
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Parachutes: What a Drag
Sixth graders make 2 different kinds of parachutes and record and graph the time for each one for the different drag forces. In this parachute lesson plan, 6th graders compare the results to the rest of the class of each parachute and...
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100 Years of Flight
Students investigate Bernoulli's principle of air pressure and how it
relates to the lift of an airplane. Students identify various Aeronautical vocabulary terms. Students construct a paper glider and experiment with the control surfaces...
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Kite building activity
Learners explore how a kite flies; this lesson is a precursor for the windmill activity. By exploring how a kite flies, the students explore the power of the wind; particulary how drag, lifft and gravity enable objects such as kites and...
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Gliders
Students design and build a small glider. They see how the flight of a bird is similar to the flight of a sailplane. They explain how birds get their thrust and how they control their direction of flight.
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Glide Away
Students design and construct a gliding aircraft. They use the Internet as a research tool to gain background information about specific flight principles.
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Sled Kite
Learners make and fly a sled kite out of plastic garbage bags, dowel rods, and more. In this kite lesson plan, students plan the kite to have symmetry and make adjustments as they test it.
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Kite Experiments and Building Information
Students build their own kite following certain procedures. In this physics lesson, students explain the aerodynamics concepts involved in flying kites. They trace the development of aviation.
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Kites: Patang - The Indian Fighter Kite
Learners investigate the history of fighter kites and build their own. In this aeronautics lesson, students discover how other countries utilize fighter kites and where they originated. Learners create their own fighter kites in class...
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Ski in Slovakia in Style
Students read a short article about the mountains and skiing in Slovakia. In this ESL lesson, students explore the reasons that skiing is a popular activity in Slovakia, then complete several short activities to reinforce the reading.
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How Things Fly
Students research the mechanics of flight and create a slideshow with one slide dedicated to each of these topics: lift, drag, thrust, and weight. They create a short quiz regarding the material that they presented and give it to their...
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Rockets!!
Students launch a rocket. In this laws of motion lesson, students discuss the forces of flight, how a plane flies and how a rocket gets off the ground. Students watch a video about rocket launches, discuss Newton's Third Law of Motion...
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Upside-Down Wings
Students use FoilSim to demonstrate that the graphic analysis of the airflow around one object can be used to hypothesize airflow graphs for objects as they are elongated from a sphere to an airfoil shape.
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Aviation, Aeronautics and Aerodynamics
Students investigate the physics of flight through various experiments. In this physics lesson plan, students construct different flying objects. They explain the dynamics that make these object fly.
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Testing and Refining Aircraft Design
Students design and make a flying device. They work in small groups to brainstorm ideas for the design of their device. They choose an idea or combination of ideas to use for their design and create a sketch of their design. The students...
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How High Can You Fly?
Students learn the four concepts of flight; drag, lift, thrust, and weight. In this scientific inquiry lesson, students participate in a flight activity where they jump as high as they can to stamp a large sheet of paper and measure and...
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Art to Zoo: Kiting Up The Sky: The Vehicles of Understanding
Students gain perspective on the importance of kites by reading about and discussing how kites have been used throughout history. For this kite exploration lesson, students follow instructions to construct a kite to assist them in...
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Soaring With Air Power
Fourth graders view a Newton's Apple show that explores glider mechanics, explore the four forces, build and fly a glider to specific guidelines. They adjust the glider for greater accuracy and distance using four forces, and assess...