Curated OER
Frisbee
Students examine the history behind the frisbee and how Bernoulli's principle and Newton's law plays a role. In this flight lesson students complete an experiment on how the rim of a frisbee effects flight.
Curated OER
The Invention of the Airplane
Students explore the history of the airplane and the Wright brothers. In this aviation lesson students examine the Wright brothers stories and kites.
Curated OER
Flying Tube
Students launch flying tubes. In this aeronautics lesson, students gather the materials and follow the procedures to create a paper tube that generates lift as it travels.
Curated OER
Wind Tunnels
Students build a simple wind tunnel and test out 2 glider wing shapes at different angles of attack. They record results and their observations just as engineers do.
Curated OER
Flying Tube
Students investigate how a spinning paper tube generates lift as it travels forward.
Curated OER
Thar She Blows!
Young scholars identify the advantages and disadvantages of wind farms and turbines. They examine how weather conditions can affect their effectiveness and how engineers are trying to solve the problem. They discover how engineers use...
Curated OER
Balloon Rocket
In this friction investigation worksheet, students follow the directions to construct a balloon rocket. Students use a string lubricated with soap and a drinking straw with a balloon. This is a page from the UK.
Curated OER
Mimicking Nature; Science, Aviation, Flight, Wings
Students consider the relationship between form and flight and investigate the history of man made flight and how wing shape and flexibility affects the maneuverability of an aircraft.
Curated OER
A New Century Of Flight
Learners analyze an article about fight traffic and answer questions. In this investigative lesson students study flight and fill out a worksheet pertaining to the information that they just learned.
Curated OER
Density and Lift
Middle schoolers, after reading from a NASA Web-based textbook, demonstrate an understanding of the text by solving problems on density and predicting which density give the most lift.
Curated OER
Airplane flight
Students learn the basic concepts about airplane flight. They learn the reason jetliner wings are swept back and why jet engines have replaced propellers in high-speed flight.
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Up, Up, and Away in Your Own Hot Air Balloon!
In this science fair project, students will make hot-air balloons using a toaster and dry-cleaning bags, and see how the size of the balloon affects its flight. The Science Buddies project ideas are set up consistently beginning with an...
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Riding on Air Build a Real Hovercraft
You will get to build a working hovercraft that will glide over surfaces on a cushion of air in this week long science project. With the use of some power tools, you will create your hovercraft, and ultimately understand how air...
NASA
Nasa: Beginner's Guide to Aerodynamics
Includes exhaustive information and a wealth of activities pertaining to aerodynamics and the physics of flight.
PBS
Pbs: Wgbh: Nova: The Colditz Glider: Airfoil Aerodynamics
Examine what science lies behind keeping flying machines in the air. The wings angles, shape and placement, speed and what else must be considered in the development of device?
Discovery Education
Discovery Education: Inventors and Inventions 2: Air and Space
After discussing important flying inventions, students explore technological design by making paper airplanes.
Exploratorium
Exploratorium: Science Snacks: Balancing Ball: Suspend a Ball in a Stream of Air
In this lesson plan students learn about air flow using a suspended ball in an air stream.
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Physics of the Flying T Shirt
Students are introduced to the physics concepts of air resistance and launch angle as they apply to catapults. This includes the basic concepts of position, velocity and acceleration and their relationships to one another. They use...
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: How Does a Hovercraft Work?
Riding on a hovercraft is like gliding on a cushion of air. Make your own mini hovercraft in this experiment to test how hovercrafts work.
Smithsonian Institution
National Air and Space Museum: Wright Brothers: Interactive Experiments
Three interactives in an online exhibition about the Wright Brothers. The first is an engineering activity on the forces of flight, and is accompanied by a lesson plan for Grades 6-8. The second is a gallery of original artifacts related...
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: A Change in the Winds: Studying Bernoulli's Principle
You can actually make objects come together by blowing air between them. This is a simple way of implementing Bernoulli's principle. Find out how wind changes air pressure to bring to objects together in this easy and fun science fair...
NASA
Nasa: Beginner's Guide to Aerodynamics
This site from NASA uses a colorful graphic to illustrate why objects reach terminal velocity. Provides equation for the terminal velocity of an object. Graphic is accompanied by a simple explanation.
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Parachutes: Does Size Matter?
Experiment with different sizes of parachutes to find out if size matters when slowing the descent of the parachute. The Science Buddies project ideas are set up consistently beginning with an abstract, objective, and introduction,...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Up, Up and Away! Airplanes
The airplanes unit begins with a lesson on how airplanes create lift, which involves a discussion of air pressure and how wings use Bernoulli's Principle to change air pressure. Following the lessons on lift, students explore the other...