Library of Congress
Loc: Wilbur and Orville Wright Papers
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.
Science and Mathematics Initiative for Learning Enhancement (SMILE)
Smile: Lab Activity: Aviation
This site from the Illinois Institute of Technology provides a student lab activity in which the flight of a paper airplane is investigated and studied. Designed for primary grades, but easily adaptable for junior high students.
Michigan Reach Out
Reach Out!: Making Paper Airplane Gliders
Students learn the fundamentals of aerodynamics in this hands-on exercise.
Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Kids Web Japan: Let's Try Origami
Animated step-by-step instructions show how to make a paper airplane. Colorful graphics make it easy for even very young learners to follow along with this fun paper-folding activity.
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Why Winglets?
Make a paper airplane and experiment with adding winglets to it to test its performance. The Science Buddies project ideas are set up consistently beginning with an abstract, objective, and introduction, followed by a section on terms,...
Exploratorium
Exploratorium: Roto Copter
Students can experiment with a home-made helicopter that lets them change the blades to see how real aerodynamics work.
Other
Museum of Women Pilots: Museum of Women Pilots
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...
Alabama Learning Exchange
Alex: Let's Calculate Flight!
Students will use stop watches to help understand elapsed time when they fly paper airplanes through the air. Students will then move on to using clocks. Students will work out elapsed time word problems using made up flight schedules.
Science and Mathematics Initiative for Learning Enhancement (SMILE)
Smile: Airplanes (2 3)
This paper airplane lesson plan helps students learn about certain concepts like air resistance, motion, and aerodynamics.
PBS
Pbs Teachers: Scientific American: Flying Free: Winging It
Explore flight and the science behind lift and wing shape by creating two paper airplanes - a monoplane glider and a ring-wing glider.
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Project Ideas: Whirl Y Bird vs. Whale Y Bird
Improve the design of a very simple aircraft, the whirlybird, and learn about hydrodynamics and biomimicry in this science experiment. The Science Buddies project ideas are set up consistently beginning with an abstract, objective, and...
Exploratorium
Exploratorium: Hoopster
Students create their own airplane using straws and other materials and learn the principles of aerodynamics.
Exploratorium
Exploratorium: Spinning Blimps
Students create a blimp and then experiment with the design to improve its aerodynamics.