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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Celebrating A Century of Flight

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Pupils investigate the Wright Brothers. They complete an online Webquest, explore various websites, use a flight simulator, answer discussion questions, and locate newspaper articles on the 100th anniversary of the Wright brothers' first...
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Primary
National Humanities Center

National Humanities Center: America in Class: America in the 1920s: Machine: Airplane

For Students 9th - 10th
The National Humanities Center presents collections of primary resources compatible with the Common Core State Standards - historical documents, literary texts, and works of art - thematically organized with notes and discussion...
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Handout
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: Pilotless Flight: Timeline of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

For Students 9th - 10th
Explore this NOVA: "Spies That Fly" interactive timeline and discover the many technological innovations in the history of unmanned flight, from hot-air balloons to miniature flying robots.
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Lesson Plan
Smithsonian Institution

Smithsonian Learning Lab: Airplanes and Airports: How to Take Off Without Ever Leaving the Ground

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Smithsonian Education presents "Airplanes and Airports: How to Take Off Without Ever Leaving the Ground." Teachers can download this teaching package that discusses airplanes and airports. Included in the discussion are the forces of...
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Lesson Plan
Smithsonian Institution

Smithsonian Education: Lesson Plan: Black Wings: American Pioneer Aviators

For Teachers Pre-K - 1st
With this resource, teachers can select the most appropriate academic level and download a lesson plan that contains images, Word documents and PDF resources for teaching about the history of black Americans in aviation. Excellent...
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Website
Other

Wright Brothers Aeroplane Co.: The Wright Story

For Students 9th - 10th
A detailed look at the lives of Orville and Wilbur Wright, offering an overview of their childhood and career choices, their invention of the airplane, and the development and challenges of the airplane business. Provides embedded links...
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Website
Other

Wright Brothers Aeroplane Co.: Aviation's Attic

For Students 9th - 10th
Explore this virtual museum and learn the history of the Wright brothers and their determination to fly.
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Website
Other

Museum of Women Pilots: Museum of Women Pilots

For Students 9th - 10th
The '99s Museum of Women Pilots' brings to life those women pilots who made a place for themselves in aviation history. Click on 'Navigation' and view the topics in the drop menu. The new museum serves as the repository for a collection...
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Interactive
Smithsonian Institution

National Air and Space Museum: Wright Brothers: Interactive Experiments

For Students 9th - 10th
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...
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Lesson Plan
Smithsonian Institution

National Air and Space Museum: Wright Brothers: Embracing the Impossible [Pdf]

For Teachers 5th - 8th
In this lesson, students explore primary resources to see what people who lived in the early age of flight felt about this innovation. They then compare that response to that towards an invention of today.
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Article
DOGO Media

Dogo News: Week of 8 11 14: Modern Day Amelia Earhart Circumnavigates the Globe!

For Students 3rd - 8th
Find out about Amelia Rose Earhart, the namesake of the 1930's pilot, and her successful flight around the planet.
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Website
The Henry Ford

Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village: Wright Brothers

For Students 9th - 10th
Biographical information on the Wright Brothers, including their childhoods, the Wright Cycle Shop, the world's first airplane, a chronology, and links to more information.
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Graphic
PBS

Pbs: American Experience: Significant Women in Flight of the 20th Century Photos

For Students 9th - 10th
A number of women played significant roles in the history of aviation and flight during the 20th century. Meet them in this photo gallery and learn about their achievements.
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Website
Other

Wwi Aviation: An Illustrated History of World War One

For Students 9th - 10th
There is a wealth of information here. Get detailed overviews of the war and then scroll down the page to sections on pilots and designers, machines of war, a World War 1 history quiz and much more.
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Article
University of Houston

University of Houston: Women in Flight

For Students 9th - 10th
Beryl Markham's contribution to aviation history is discussed in this lengthy article. Facts about many other famous female aviators before and after Markham are also included.
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Article
University of Houston

University of Houston: Engines of Our Ingenuity: No. 1362: Flying Across the Atlantic

For Students 9th - 10th
Article discussing the early flights across the Atlantic. This is a transcript of an accompanying radio broadcast.
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Unit Plan
Have Fun With History

Have Fun With History: Aviation

For Students 9th - 10th
Module with visual history of aviation in America. Students and teachers can find videos on topics beginning with pioneers in aviation, WWI and WWII, Airships and more. Links to related resources can be found on this site.
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Handout
Other

Women in Aviation: Above All Else: The Story of Anne Morrow Lindbergh

For Students 9th - 10th
This site has the story of Mrs. Charles Lindbergh, who was an accomplished pilot in her own right and won many awards in aviation.
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Interactive
Other

Federal Aviation Administration: Aviation Bingo [Pdf]

For Students 2nd - 5th
Play a fun game of aviation bingo, and improve your knowledge of aviation vocabulary and history. This document offers instruction on how to play, bingo "call names" to print and cut out, and dozens of pre-made bingo cards. Play with a...
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Graphic
PBS

Pbs: Chasing the Sun: Aviation Timeline

For Students 9th - 10th
Detailed timeline with descriptions of the major events and scientific developments of aviation in the 20th century. Timeline is separated by decade.
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Article
Famous Scientists

Famous Scientists: Alberto Santos Dumont

For Students 9th - 10th
Read about Brazilian aviation pioneer, Alberto Santos-Dumont, who designed, built, and flew hot air balloons, and was famous for his flight that rounded the Eiffel Tower.
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Lesson Plan
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: Land! Water! Sky! Oh My!

For Teachers 5th - 7th
This lesson focuses on the importance of airplanes in today's society. Airplanes of all shapes and sizes are used for hundreds of different reasons, including recreation, commercial business, public transportation, and delivery of goods,...
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Website
Other

Museum of Flight

For Students 9th - 10th
The Museum of Flight collects and exhibits historically significant artifacts of air and space travel.
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eBook
Other

All Star: History of Aeronautics: Level 1

For Students 9th - 10th
A history of aeronautics focusing on the major types of air travel for each major time period. Excellent pictures are included in most sections. Easier reading is available by clicking on Level 2 or 3.