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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Stories of the Wrights' Flight

For Teachers 4th - 12th
Pupils examine and compare primary and secondary source accounts of the Wright brothers' first flights on December 17, 1903.
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Handout
Science Museum, London

Science Museum Online Stuff: The First Flight

For Students 9th - 10th
An excellent article about how Orville and Wilbur Wright's interest in flight developed and led to the first airplane flight.
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Unit Plan
Smithsonian Institution

National Air and Space Museum: Wright Brothers: Who Were Wilbur and Orville?

For Students 9th - 10th
Classroom activities, interactive experiments, timelines, and other artifacts that celebrate the Wright brothers' first flight.
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Handout
NASA

Nasa: History of Flight

For Students 3rd - 8th
How did we learn to fly? Resource takes users back through time to discover where the history of flight all started. Offers links to games, art and stories as well as activities.
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Website
Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Australian Broadcasting Corporation: News in Science: Soaring the Glory

For Students 9th - 10th
Absolutely fascinating site on an interesting cloud phenomenon called the Morning Glory! Discover something new as you learn all about this massive backwards-rolling cloud formation.
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Lesson Plan
Smithsonian Institution

Smithsonian Learning Lab: Stories of the Wrights' Flights

For Teachers 9th - 10th
This lesson plan has students read primary materials from the Smithsonian collection written by the Wright brothers, and compare and contrast them to secondary sources, such as newspaper stories from the next day. There is background...
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Website
Curated OER

National Park Service: Aviation: From Sand Dunes to Sonic Booms

For Students 9th - 10th
Features 100 aircraft, airfields, research labs, military installations, battle sites, launch facilities, and other places that tell about people and events that made the U.S. a world leader in aviation. Highlights of this travel...
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Website
Other

Open University: First Flight: The Wright Brothers

For Students 9th - 10th
A look at what the Wright Brothers accomplished. Includes information on the scientific experiments that they conducted, and the 1903 flyer they built to protect themselves from injury as they both learned how to fly.
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Website
The Franklin Institute

Franklin Institute: Flights of Inspiration

For Students 9th - 10th
Franklin Institute site showcases the first flight taken by the Wright brothers. Follows the Wright brothers plan to achieve first flight as they used their failures to win them success in aviation.
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Primary
Ibis Communications

Eye Witness to History: The Wright Brothers First Flight 1903

For Students 9th - 10th
Orville Wright's account of his and his brother's first three airplane trial flights.
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Article
Famous Scientists

Famous Scientists: Wilbur and Orville Wright

For Students 9th - 10th
Learn about the Dayton, Ohio brothers who are credited with inventing and flying the world's first successful airplane.
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Professional Doc
Scholastic

Scholastic Instructor: 100 Years of Flight

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Learn more about the first "100 Years of Flight" when you explore this article. It features resources, historical background knowledge and more.
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Handout
Library of Congress

Loc: Wilbur and Orville Wright Papers

For Students 9th - 10th
Over 49,000 digitized primary documents having to do with the Wright brothers and their work with flight. A timeline of the brothers' work, a family tree, and other special presentations are offered.
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Website
PBS

Pbs Nova: Pilot the Wright Brothers' Flyer

For Students 3rd - 8th
In this interactive, find out how the Wright brothers' design of the first flyer provided lift and speed, and allowed the pilot to make adjustments in response to changes in wind speed and direction.
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Website
PBS

Pbs: American Experience: The Wright Stuff

For Students 9th - 10th
Companion website to the PBS documentary on the Wright Brothers and their contributions to aviation.
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Graphic
Smithsonian Institution

National Postal Museum: Art of the Stamp: Kitty Hawk (1903)

For Students 9th - 10th
View the artwork for a U.S. postage stamp issued in 1998 to commemorate the Wright Brothers first flight near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Includes a detailed paragraph about the famous flight.