Fact Finding Mission: First Flight

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Fact Finding MissionFirst Flight

• Danielle Delande

Student Materials
Teacher Materials
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First Flight

• During this Fact Finding Mission, students are
  expected to discover facts about the first
  successful airplane flight. Included with these
  facts should be who, what, when, where, and most
  importantly how.
• Instructions
• First students will be read the story of Brave
  Harriet by Marissa Moss.
• Next, students will explore the provided internet
  sources to learn more about the historic first
  flight and how it happened. At the Discovery Kids
  Website, students will see the first flight by
  watching several demonstrations.
• With the information from the websites, students
  will answer the questions provided about the
  flight.
• After answering the questions, students will
  compare information with other students in the
  class. Hopefully, furthering their knowledge on
  airplanes and the first flight.
• At the end of the lesson, students will complete
  an activity in which they will be constructing
  their own propelled airplane.

Questions
Big Question
Internet Places
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Questions

• Who flew the airplane during the first flight?
• What type of airplane was flown?
• When did the first flight happen?
• Where did the first flight happen?
• How was the airplane created?

Search
Big Question
Internet Places
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Your Internet Places

• Discovery Kids
• Wilbur and Orville Wright
• The Wright Brothers Web Resources for Students
• First Flight
• Flights of Inspiration

Search
Questions
Big Question
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The Big Question

• What makes an airplane fly?
• What is the airplane built with?

Search
Questions
Internet Places
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Activity

• TITLE Paper Airplane Science
• AUTHOR Steve McCombs, Ft. Greely School,
• GRADE LEVEL/SUBJECT (2-6)
• PURPOSE The purpose of this activity is for
  students together some baseline information, make
  one variable and test the results, make another
  variable and test the results, choose a paper
  plane design that they believe will fly the
  farthest and test the results, graph the longest
  and average distances flown for each of paper
  plane trails.
• OBJECTIVE(s)
• Make and fly a paper airplane.
• Work cooperatively with a partner in collecting
  data.
• Be introduced to the terms hypothesis, variable,
  and average.
• Follow directions in making a complex paper plane
  design.
• Organize and graph data collected.
• RESOURCES/MATERIALS Teacher materials include a
  simple proven airplane design and plans or kits
  for experiment airplane. The White Wing Kits are
  on the market from Eddie Bauer and there are
  several books on paper airplanes. The school
  library/media center should be able to provide
  references. Two ten meter tapes, paper clips,
  graph paper, and scissors should also be on hand.

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Activity

• ACTIVITIES AND PROCEDURES
• To test your paper airplanes a space at least 60
  feet long is needed. The school cafeteria, gym,
  multipurpose room, or a long hallway will work.
  The planes are made to be flown, but only during
  the measured trials. A couple rules are needed.
  Students flying planes not during the trials will
  lose their opportunity to fly that day. Students
  must have a partner to collect the data.
• Students all make the same design paper airplane.
  The design should be simple to make and fly
  well.
• Each student will be given five trials to fly
  his/her plane. The flight distance will be
  measured in decimeters and called out by the
  teacher. The student's partner will record the
  distance for each trial. After the five trials
  the student will organize the data from shortest
  flight to longest flight. The flight in the
  middle will be the average, median, distance.
  Data sheets will be kept in a folder for each
  student until the experiment is completed.
• Using the same airplane design students will
  repeat the procedure using a paper clip on the
  end of the plane. This will be the one
  variable tested.
• Using the same airplane design students will make
  flaps at the back of the plane. Flaps are made by
  cutting four slits on the rear edge of the
  wings and folding the slotted portion up. The
  plane is tested as before.
• Using a set of photocopied designs or paper
  airplane kits students will pick and construct
  the design which they think will go the farthest.
  Data will be collected using the same methods as
  previous trials.
• Each type of plane will be assigned a color for
  graphing. Using two sheets of 100 square paper
  students will horizontally graph the results of
  the longest flight and average flight for each
  type of plane plain paper, paper clip, flaps,
  and experimental. (Other variations may be tried
  such as 14 inch paper versus 11inch or various
  weights of paper could be used from onion skin
  to construction paper.)

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Activity

• DATA SHEET
• Name _________________Date__________________
• Type of plane ____________________________ (ie.
  paper clip plane)
• Distance flown
• Trial 1 __________
• Trial 2 __________
• Trial 3 __________
• Trial 4 __________
• Trial 5 __________
• Shortest trial ______________
• Next __________________
• Next __________________
• Next __________________
• Longest trial ____________
• Average__________________

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Teacher Materials

• ASSESSMENT
• The students will be assessed by a numeric
  system
• 3-Completed the assignment with one error or less
• 2-Completed the assignment with three or less
  errors
• 1-Completed the assignment with three or more
  errors
• 0- Did not complete the assignment

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Teacher Materials
STANDARDS RHODE ISLAND BEGINNING TEACHER
STANDARDS 2.1 Design instruction that addresses
the core skills, concepts, and ideas of the
disciplines to help students meet the goals. 2.4
Incorporate appropriate technological resources
to support student exploration of the
disciplines 3.1 Understand how students learn-how
students construct knowledge, acquire skills,
develop habits of mind, and acquire positive
dispositions toward learning. 5.5 Uses the tasks
that engage students in exploration, discovery,
and hands-on activities
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Teacher Materials

• IMPLEMENTATION
• Students will be taught before this lesson and
  activity on how to explore the internet and
  gather information from sources. If students need
  help with the internet exploration, the teacher
  will guide the class.

Resources Credits
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Resources Credits

• CREDITS
• Discovery Kids
• Wilbur and Orville Wright
• The Wright Brothers Web Resources for Students
• First Flight
• Flights of Inspiration

• FACT FINDING MISSION REFERENCE SAMPLER
• About.com
• ATT Education
• Education World
• Filamentality
• North Carolina Schools
• Scavenger Hunts for Kids

Teacher Materials