+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

An Uplifting Experience

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders research and complete a graphic organizer about the principles of flight. For this aviation lesson, 5th graders experiment to understand the work of Daniel Bernouli and his discoveries about air pressure. Students create...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Flying High in Ohio

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd
Her is a lesson using the Ohio State Quarter. Pupils utilize beautifully-designed worksheets embedded in the plan, to study about the origins of aviation. Many of the pioneers of aviation were born in Ohio. They compare some of the...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Forces, Controls And Aircraft Systems

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Pupils are introduced to the physics of flight through video and PowerPoint presentations. They construct and fly model gliders and compete for height, distance, time, etc.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Paper Airplane Contest

For Teachers 5th - 7th
Students research principles of flight. They design their own paper airplanes and make predictions about the performance of different designs. Students keep track of their findings in an electronic journal.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What Makes Thing Fly?

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders study lift, drag and thrust from a real flight instructor.  In this physical science lesson students build and fly paper airplanes and experiment with variations and design. 
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What Flies?

For Teachers Pre-K - 1st
Young learners consider what flies and what kinds of sounds airplanes, animals, etc. make when they fly. They also get to generate a brainstorm list. Children discuss what the categories should be once the list is completed. Some really...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Problems and Solutions in Aircraft Design

For Teachers K - 2nd
Learners watch demonstrations of paper folded designs that do and do not fly and discuss their observations. They identify problems that they, the Wright Brothers, or NASA scientists face when designing an aircraft, and identify...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Great Paper Airplane Factory

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students investigate the economics of starting a business in this series of lessons. They role play parts of a business organization that sells paper airplanes making decisions based on calculations to make the most profitable organization.
+
Interactive
1
1
NASA

Resolving 3-Plane Traffic Conflicts by Changing Speed—Problem Set F

For Teachers 5th - 9th Standards
Get three planes to line up safely. Individuals work through a set of problems to eliminate spacing conflicts between three airplanes in flight. The pupils use their knowledge to change the airplanes' speed or route to meet a...
+
Organizer
Curated OER

Making the "best" airplane

For Students 4th - 6th
In this airplane worksheet, students compare the mass of an airplane to the mass of a paper clip airplane to see if the mass determines the best flight. Students complete 5 trials for each.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sculptures from the Skies

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders research the design of the aircraft used by the Wright Brothers at Kitty Hawk. They design a sculpture of aircraft using recycled materials.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Forces of Flight - Lift

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students design and test paper airplanes to understand the concept of lift and how it affects flight. This technology-based Science activity is excellent for use with upper-elementary and middle-level learners and uses spreadsheet...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Assembling an Aircraft

For Teachers 4th - 10th
Students practice reading directions from a task card to assemble a paper aircraft during their Moon, Mars and Beyond mission. They relate the activity to their mission work and recognize the importance of reading directions.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Paper Gliders

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders study friction and drag. In this science lesson plan, 6th graders use different models of gliders and test to see which of the gliders fly the farthest. Students analyze their data and construct a graph.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Kite Experiments and Building Information

For Teachers 4th - 12th
Students build their own kite following certain procedures. In this physics lesson, students explain the aerodynamics concepts involved in flying kites. They trace the development of aviation.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Criteria and Constraints in Aircraft Design

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students investigate criteria and constraints for designing any aircraft. They define these terms and categorize a series of examples of both. Using the constraints and criteria set before them, they design and construct airplanes in...
+
Lesson Plan
1
1
Kenan Fellows

Weight and Balance of an Airplane

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
A career in aeronautics might be calling your class members. Building from the previous two lessons in the series, learners continue analyzing the mathematics of aeronautics. Groups create a paper airplane using paperclips for balance....
+
Activity
1
1
Teach Engineering

What a Drag!

For Teachers 5th - 7th Standards
Stop and drop what is in your hand! Pupils investigate how form effects drag in the 12th part of a 22-part unit on aviation. Groups create equally weighted objects and determine which one falls the fastest by collecting data.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Flying the Friendly Skies

For Teachers 1st - 3rd
Students investigate aerodynamics by comparing and contrasting the flight of two gliders. They make prediction and observation charts and test a variety of hypotheses using paper gliders.
+
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.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Controlling Flight: Rudders, Ailerons, and Elevators

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders create paper gliders and check for flight distance and time. In this flight lesson, 5th graders create a paper glider from the attached worksheet and adjust the rudder, aileron, and elevator. They see how these adjustments...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Child Labor

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Students examine how how groups and institutions work to meet individual needs and promote the common good, and identify examples of where they fail to do so. They describe how workers with specialized jobs and the ways in which they...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Paper Airplane Scientific Method

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students explain the steps of the scientific method.  In this paper airplane lesson students design and test their own paper airplane. 
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

For the Fun of It

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students view pictures of Amelia Earhart and discuss the social and historical context of her life. They read excerpts of Earhart's autobiography "The Fun of It" and analyze her purpose in writing it.