Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Wright Again: 100 Years of Flight

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Aspiring aeronautical engineers demonstrate different forces as they construct and test paper airplanes. This lesson plan links you to a website that models the most effective paper airplane design, an animation describing the forces...
Lesson Plan
Cornell University

Physics of Flight

For Students 3rd - 8th
Up, up, and away! Take your classes on a physics adventure. Learners explore the concepts important for flight. They experiment with the Bernoulli Principle while learning the forces that act on airplanes in flight.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Graphing the Four Forces

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Using the Cartesian coordinate system, future flight experts plot points to determine whether or not an airplane will fly. With the four forces of weight, lift, drag, and thrust represented in different quadrants, your physics learners...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Household Things that Fly and Why!!!

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd
Students examine the four forces of flight. In this flight lesson, students test to see which types of items will fly. Students make predictions on whether the item will fly or not. Students gain knowledge about lift, gravity, thrust and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Principles Of Flight: Wings That Spin

For Teachers K - 1st
Students discover how flight is possible.  In this physics lesson, students investigate the properties of a blimp and gyro-copter, comparing rotating wings and fixed wings of aircraft.  Students create their own model aircraft...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Unit VI: Worksheet 3 - Force, Velocity, Displacement

For Students 9th - 12th
Those who take this challenge will draw force diagrams and then calculate velocities and displacement. The problems are applicable to any general physics curriculum that covers motion. Add this to your collection of homework...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lift and Drag: Principles of Flight and the Soaring Imagination

For Teachers 2nd - 8th
Learners construct models of early gas balloons and gliders. In this balloon and glider lesson, students create models of early gas balloons and gliders, discover how the forces of lift and drag effect aircraft in flight, and put on...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Flights of Fancy?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students reflect on the dynamics of human flight and how objects fall through the air and how science principles are used in flight. They create a How-It-Works poster diagramming the science behind one method of flying. In addition,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Principles of Flight: Bernoulli's Lift

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Students discover how air pressure effects flight.  In this physics lesson, students create two types of airplane wings so they can observe the way air pressure creates lift.  Students utilize a printout to create the airplane...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Four Forces of Flight

For Teachers K - 12th
Students explore the four forces of flight. They investigate the four forces of flight: lift, drag, thrust and weight (gravity). They experiment with flight-testing various objects commonly found around the house and constructing paper...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

An Internet Exploration: Flying into the Eye

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Take a virtual field trip into the eye of a hurricane. Through a series of websites, mini-meteorologists discover the anatomy of a hurricane and how one is formed. Add some excitement to your atmosphere curriculum by exploring this form...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Principles of Flight

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers explore the principles of flight. In this flight lesson, students construct a model plane and investigate the forces acting on the flier. They will measure the thrust and calculate the stored energy.
Lesson Plan
LABScI

Catapult: Flight of the Marshmallows

For Students 6th - 12th
Watch your marshmallows fly. The engaging STEM activity has groups create a catapult to launch marshmallows. After testing their prototypes, they consider improvements and redesign their catapults.
Activity
Exploratorium

Whack-a-Stack

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Go wild as you hit a stack of wooden blocks to demonstrate Newton's first and second laws of motion. The blocks at the top of the stack stay put as you knock one at a time out of the bottom. Note, however, that you will need to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How Airplanes Fly?

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders explore drag, thrust, lift and weight.  In this airplane lesson plan, 5th graders define the forces that effect airplanes and design a model airplane.  Students  compare their models for the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Parachutes: What a Drag

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders make 2 different kinds of parachutes and record and graph the time for each one for the different drag forces. For this parachute lesson plan, 6th graders compare the results to the rest of the class of each parachute and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

An Uplifting Experience

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders conduct flight experiments.  In this uplifting experience lesson plan, 5th graders build an airfoil and place in a variety of conditions to observe the results of lift and force in flight, as well as angle of attack....
Lesson Plan
Library of Virginia

An Overview of American Slavery

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
The final lesson in a unit study of American slavery asks young historians to synthesize what they have learned about how slavery in America changed over time. Revisiting the many documents they have examined, they consider the economic,...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Simple Machines

For Students 9th - 12th
For this simple machines worksheet, students identify the 6 simple machines. They answer 21 questions about the types of simple machines, the output force of simple machines, the input force and the work involved in using a simple machine.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Testing and Refining Aircraft Design

For Teachers 9th - 12th
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...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

One, Two, Three--Isaac Newton and Me

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students experiment to develop understanding of Newton's Laws and how they apply to space travel in this ten day lesson sequence.
Lesson Plan
Cornell University

Catapults

For Students 4th - 8th
Ready, aim, fire! Launch to a new level of understanding as scholars build and test their own catapults. Learners explore lever design and how adjusting the fulcrum changes the outcome. 
Worksheet
Curated OER

Physics of Flight

For Students 7th - 12th
In this flight worksheet, learners will review the physics behind flight including lift, acceleration, and thrust. Students will also understand the Bernoulli effect. This worksheet has 6 true or false, 6 short answer, and 8 matching...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Gravity, Forces, and Inertia

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students participate in assessments involving gravity, forces, and inertia. They select from a menu of options assessments they would like to complete including worksheets, drawing posters, watching videos, creating crossword puzzles,...