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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Symmetry in Paper Airplanes

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Young scholars explore symmetry.  For this geometry and scientific inquiry lesson, students design paper airplanes with middle line symmetry, as well as right, obtuse, and acute angles.  Young scholars measure the plane's angles using a...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What Makes Airplanes Fly?

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students examine force and conduct activities that model parachutes and helicopters.  In this airplanes activity students identify the forces that make airplanes fly higher and land. 
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Principles of Flight: Where are We?

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students explore the concept of topographical maps.  In this topographical map lesson, students discuss how airplanes know where to fly.  Students use topographical maps to simulate a field trip on the computer. 
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Aircraft Trajectory Problem Set

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students, after reading an explanation from a NASA Web-based textbook, demonstrate an understanding of the text by applying it to the calculation of speed, distance, acceleration, and time in simple aircraft motion.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Aspect Ratio of Wings

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Junior engineers examine aspect ration in airplane wings. Using the length and width of two differetn wings, they calculate the aspect ratios and compare drag rankings. An engineering or space science class would benefit from this...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Make a Model of a Wright Flyer

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
Students recreate a model of the 1903 Wright Flyer out of Styrofoam. Students practice following instructions, and discover information about the Wright brothers' engine-powered glider.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Up, Up, and Away

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers investigate the laws of physics that govern the flight of helicopters and airplanes. They build and launch a model rotor, simulating rotors used on helicopters to provide lift.
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Lesson Plan
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Newton's Third Law and Aircraft Propulsion

For Teachers 8th - 9th
Students research propulsion, graph data, and interpret the results.
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Lesson Plan
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Temperature and Pressure on Airplane Surfaces

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars use the Internet to delve into the relationship between fores and motion on a sizable object. They predict where they think the temperature and pressure be the greatest, and where the pressure be the lowest.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Maximum Flight Time

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students, after reading an explanation from a NASA Web site, demonstrate an understanding of the text by applying it to questions involving Maximum Flight Time and Range under varying conditions.
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Lesson Plan
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Thrust to Weight Ratio and Excess Thrust

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students, after reading an explanation from a NASA Web site, demonstrate an understanding of the text by applying it to questions involving the Thrust to Weight Ratio and Excess Thrust of an aircraft.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Drag Problem Set

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Students read an explanation from a NASA Web-based textbook and then demonstrate an understanding of the text by applying it to calculating drag of both full-sized and model gliders.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Wind Tunnel Aerodynamics Problem Set

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students, after reading an explanation from a NASA Web-based textbook, demonstrate an understanding of the text by applying it to the calculation of area, velocity, and pressure in a wind tunnel.
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Lesson Plan
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Leaving on A Jet Plane

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
Students create an airplane by listening to directions. They also to measure the pieces for the airplane and compare and contrast their test flights.
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Lesson Plan
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A Plane Old Time

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders become familiar with a chart and use the information to create a flight plan.  For this flight plan lesson, 4th graders access background knowledge of the role of flight controllers and the number concepts they use. ...
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Lesson Plan
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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 wings.
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Lesson Plan
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Banana Man Glider

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students incorporate technology into the classroom as they investigate force and motion. For this science lesson, students construct a glider to be able to safely take a banana to the ground without dropping it. They investigate flight,...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Principles of Flight

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

Balsa Wood Airplane Flight and Speed Correlation

For Teachers 9th
Ninth graders calculate the average speed of their balsa wood airplane. In this physics lesson, 9th graders build their own airplane and make necessary modifications to to make it fly straight. They interpret distance and time graph...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Drag Equation - Level 1

For Teachers 9th - 11th
Young scholars, after reading the Drag Equation page from the NASA Web site, demonstrate an understanding of this equation and how drag is dependent on the variables included in the equation.
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Lesson Plan
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Drag Equation - Level 2

For Teachers 9th - 11th
Students, after reading the Drag Equation page from the NASA Web-based textbook, demonstrate an understanding of this equation and how drag is dependent on the variables included in the equation.
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Lesson Plan
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PROBLEMS/SOLUTIONS

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Students choose an interesting problem related to space travel and then design a plan to solve the problem. They present their solution to the class.
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Lesson Plan
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Altitude and Flight Forces

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners use the World Wide Web to access and use FoilSim. They also use the World Wide Web to access the NASA Glenn Web site for information relative to the factors involved with the flight of an airplane.
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Lesson Planet Article
Curated OER

Teaching Measurement Through Science

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Use these lesson plans to give your students real world practice with measuring distance, mass, and volume.