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What Standards am I teaching?

What do I want students to know and understand?

What are my lesson objectives?

What do my students need to know before coming into this lesson?

How will I focus on rigor and relevance in this lesson?

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What resources am i using to teach the standard and move students towards mastery of my lesson objectives?

What resources in my curriculum are useful here?

What is missing from my curriculum resources?

Where can I find resources to support the curriculum  I already have?

Where can I make connections to other subject areas and find the resources to do so?

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What instructional delivery method will I use?

How will I create opportunities for strategic productive struggle?

What teacher moves will I use (e.g., explicit teacher talk, modeling, providing support based on specific student struggles)?

How will I provide opportunities for cooperative learning in my lesson?

Where will students be leading the work?

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What do I have?

What is missing?

How am I supporting diverse student needs?

How will I provide multiple access points for equitable student engagement?

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What am I going to use/not use?

What do I need to adjust?

What is my plan for implementation with the materials?

Are these materials and my instructional design meeting all students' needs?

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Unit 7: How does understanding the past help shape the future?

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Students will measure the distance their airplane travels.

Students will choose a type of graph they want to record their data (bar graph, pictograph, line plot)

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CT:

Math:

ELA

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This CT lesson will follow our ELA and History Lesson on how the past shapes the future.

Students have researched the Wright Brothers, Charles Lindbergh and George Cayley.

Math Concepts: Accurately measuring using a tape measurer in inches and centimeters.

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How can we design and build a paper airplane that flies at least X feet?

What design adjustment can we make to increase the distance our airplane flies?

Students will make predictions of how their airplane will travel.

Students will record the distance their airplane travels in inches and centimeters.

Students will follow the design process to create their airplane.

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Students will have the opportunity to reflect and make adjustments to their airplane.

They will choose a type of paper (card stock, printer paper, tissue paper)

Students will fly their airplanes in severe weather conditions (wind, snow, rain) and discuss how the design of the plane will survive the conditions.

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Main Idea and Relevant Details in a Nonfiction Text.

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1. Discuss Students' background knowledge of flying and what we learned from the people who made history in aviation.

2.  Provide students with a video to show different ways to construct paper airplanes.

3.  Explain expectations for the plane.  The goal is to create a paper airplane that can travel the furthest.

3.  Students will individually design an airplane.  Then students will share their ideas with their small group and the group will decide on a design.

4.  Students will construct the plane.

5. Students will complete a trial run and measure the distance of their airplane.

6.  Students will make adjustments to their final design

7.  Final run.

8. Challenge 1:  How does the plane perform during inclement weather?

9. Challenge 2: Cargo Carrying. How much cargo can your plane carry?

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1. Lesson is introduced with students sharing their background knowledge on aviation and paper airplanes.  Students will share their experiences with each other.

2.  Students that will benefit from peer support will be partnered with a student that can effectively provide support.

3.  Students have the opportunity to research paper airplane constructing to build their knowledge.

4.  Students will be provided with a slide presentation to guide them through instruction.

5. Invite students to suggest improvements to the plane based on what they learn as they test and improve.

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Summary Students learn the different airplane parts, including wing, flap, aileron, fuselage, cockpit, propeller, spinner, engine, tail, rudder, elevator. Then they each build one of four different (provided) paper airplane (really, glider) designs with instructions, which they test in three trials, measuring flight distance and time. Then they design and build (fold, cut) a second paper airplane design of their own creation, which they also test for flight distance and time. They graph the collected class data. Analysis of these experiments with "model" airplanes and their results help them see and figure out what makes airplanes fly and what can be changed to influence the flying characteristics and performance of airplanes.
This engineering curriculum aligns to Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).

Engineering Connection

Engineers often create small-size models of a new product to test its design. This is especially true with airplanes. Model testing tells engineers how a design responds to different air conditions and aircraft shapes, and lets them experiment with the control surfaces that are used to steer the aircraft. Using small models guides engineers to discard prototypes that do not work, which is a smarter option than than throwing away full-size (large and expensive to build) aircraft that do not work.

Learning Objectives

After this activity, students should be able to:

Create a paper model of an airplane to use in experiments.

Use their observations of paper airplane flight to explain flight.

Find the average distance of flight trials.

Explain how engineers often create small-size models of new products to test designs.

Educational Standards

Each TeachEngineering lesson or activity is correlated to one or more K-12 science, technology, engineering or math (STEM) educational standards.

All 100,000+ K-12 STEM standards covered in TeachEngineering are collected, maintained and packaged by the Achievement Standards Network (ASN), a project of D2L (www.achievementstandards.org).

In the ASN, standards are hierarchically structured: first by source; e.g., by state; within source by type; e.g., science or mathematics; within type by subtype, then by grade, etc.

NGSS Performance Expectation

Click to view other curriculum aligned to this Performance Expectation

This activity focuses on the following Three Dimensional Learning aspects of NGSS:

Science & Engineering Practices

Disciplinary Core Ideas

Crosscutting Concepts

Develop a model to generate data to test ideas about designed systems, including those representing inputs and outputs.

Models of all kinds are important for testing solutions. The iterative process of testing the most promising solutions and modifying what is proposed on the basis of the test results leads to greater refinement and ultimately to an optimal solution.

NGSS Performance Expectation

Click to view other curriculum aligned to this Performance Expectation

This activity focuses on the following Three Dimensional Learning aspects of NGSS:

Science & Engineering Practices

Disciplinary Core Ideas

Crosscutting Concepts

Evaluate competing design solutions based on jointly developed and agreed-upon design criteria.

There are systematic processes for evaluating solutions with respect to how well they meet the criteria and constraints of a problem.

Suggest an alignment not listed above

Materials List

Each student needs:

For the class to share:

tape measure and/or meter sticks, and/or use cones to mark every five feet

stopwatch, or a watch with a second hand

tape

glue

paperclips

completed examples of each of the 4 paper airplane designs

overhead projector to show the Plane Overhead Transparency and Distance/Time Table.

(optional) calculators

Worksheets and Attachments
Visit [www.teachengineering.org/activities/view/cub_airplanes_lesson06_activity1] to print or download.

Introduction/Motivation

Paper airplanes are gliders. They have a main body, and generally two wings. Some are more complex, with tails, rudders and flaps. The wings compress the air below the paper airplane, creating high pressure, and thus the airplane is able to "sit" and glide on the air. Moving the rudders, ailerons, or flaps up or down can change the flight path of an airplane. For example, folding down the wing flaps can result in a nosedive and folding up the flaps can point the airplane in an upward direction. (Show the class an overhead transparency of the Blank Plane Diagram and have students come up to the board and identify/label the various parts. See Figure 1 for the answers. For younger students, you may want to list the parts nearby from which they can choose.)

Engineers start with designing and testing several different models of an airplane before they get the approval to build a real one. They typically must work under specific constraints or limits, including the purpose of the airplane. By testing different models of planes, engineers can determine which one is best for distance, speed and other factors.

Today, we are going to learn how to design some simple gliders and airplanes using paper. The class is going to design and build a few different models and determine which paper airplane is the best for distance.

Figure 1. The main parts of an airplane.

Procedure

Before the Activity

Gather materials and make copies of the Flight Distances Worksheet.

Make enough copies of the four different types of paper airplanes in the Plane Patterns Handout, and their instructions in the Plane Design Instructions, one design per student.

Make a few models of the four airplane designs to get a feel for how to make them and how they fly.

Prepare an indoor (hallway, gym) or outdoor plane testing area-an unobstructed area to throw the planes and measure flight time and distances.

Become familiar with the activity vocabulary. List new terms, such as "aileron" and "rudder," on a chart or the classroom board.

Prepare overhead transparencies to show the class: Blank Plane Diagram and Distance/Time Table.

With the Students

1. Conduct the pre-activity assessment brainstorming, as described in the Assessment section.

2. Present the Introduction/Motivation content to the class.

3. Demonstrate one or two paper airplanes. Discuss and list on the board the airplane parts they may know about, and add any terms they do not know, such as "elevator" and "rudder."

4. Then list factors they may know about that would affect flight (for example, plane shape, wing shape, weight, weight at the nose, tails, flaps, rudders, etc.).

5. Explain that they will get to try several designs and see how they work. Hand out a variety of plane designs and their instructions, so each table/general area has an assortment. Give students time to work on the airplanes.

6. Inform students on the method to measure flight distance and flight time, such as the following:

Set out cones every five feet and have students estimate their flight distance based on the cones.

Have students individually measure their flight distances using tape measures or meter sticks.

Have students use a stopwatch to time how long their planes stay in the air.

1. In the plane-testing area, have students test and gather data by performing three test flights with their first plane designs. Direct students to record all three flight distances on their worksheets.

2. Hand out blank paper, and let students design and test a second airplane. Inform students that this second design should be their own, original design and entirely different from the first plane design that was provided to them.

3. Have students test their second designs, again recording the distances and times.

4. Have students compute on their worksheets the average flight times and distances for both plane designs.

5. To conclude the activity, lead a class discussion. Make an effort to use the new airplane parts terminology. Question prompts:

What did you learn?

What changes did you make in your second airplane design and how did those changes affect the flight distance?

Who's plane went farther than five feet? Farther than 10 feet? The farthest of all?

Did certain designs go farther than others? Why?

What were your flight times? What was the longest flight time?

Did certain designs stay aloft longer than others? Why?

Did you notice a relationship between average distance and average time? (Expect a weak relationship between time and distance since it is possible for a plane to fly straight up for a while but only travel a few feet forward.)

To analyze the class data, first take a poll of the class to compile data counts to complete the Distance/Time Table as an overhead transparency. Direct students to use the larger of their two averages from design 1 or design 2.

Example blank class data table.

1. Using the class data, have students individually make bar graphs with number of students on the x-axis and distance on the y-axis. Which distance has the largest number of paper gliders that went that far?

2. If time permits, as a class, determine who has the longest time average.

Assessment

Pre-Activity Assessment

Brainstorming: Before starting the activity, have students generate a number of possible ideas about the activity topic. Encourage wild ideas and discourage criticism of any ideas. Ask:

What are all the different ways you can design a paper airplane?

Activity Embedded Assessment

Worksheet: Have students record on the Flight Distances Worksheet their flight distances and times for both plane designs. Review their data to assess their engagement and comprehension of the experimental testing process.

Post-Activity Assessment

Class Discussion: Ask students to list factors that they noticed affected their airplane model test flights. Record their answers on the board. Ask how they would change their designs if they had more time to work on them. Have them list some of the variables that affect flight (such as the weight of the plane's parts, wing shape, wing length, rudders, ailerons, plane length, etc.)

Pass the Buck: In groups of four, have students brainstorm ideas to design the perfect paper airplane. First, assign one student in the group to be the recorder. Then have someone toss out an idea. Next, another person in the group provides an idea that builds on the first. Go around the group in this fashion until all students have put in enough ideas to put together a design. When they are done, have them share their ideas with the class.

Safety Issues

Provide a clear path for the airplanes to be thrown so that people are not be in the path of the paper airplanes.

Troubleshooting Tips

Clarify to students when and where to fly the airplanes. Ideally, conduct the activity in a hallway, gym or outdoors. You may want to show them how to fold some of the trickier paper airplanes as a group before you let them try on their own.

If some students have dificulty folding the paper airplanes, ask other students who have mastered the process to help them.

Expect that some students already have experience with paper airplanes. Let them know that they will get a chance to demonstrate their favorite airplane design in a later lesson, but the purpose of this activity is to get some basic folding shapes down for the entire class. Or, ask them to do one of the provided patterns for their first trials and their own designs for the second trial. Then, have the students explain what changes were made to improve the plane for the second trial.

Activity Extensions

For extra math practice, have students create a line or bar graph of their individual plane trials.

Have students complete other challenges with their paper airplanes. Set up a mock landing pad, a target or a hoop to measure plane flight accuracy.

Many websites are available on the topic of paper airplanes and design. If students want to continue to experiment with paper airplane design, suggest they start by looking at the Paper Aircraft Association's excellent website at: http://www.topphotograph.dsl.pipex.com/paamain/index.html.

A company called Whitewings makes all sorts of kits for very cool paper airplanes; see http://www.whitewings.com/.

Activity Scaling

For younger students, keep it simple by limiting the designs to one paper airplane prototype design. And, it may be easier if you do not introduce the concept of control surfaces such as rudders and elevators. Also, complete the bar graph as a class or in small groups.

For older students, encourage more complex models and manipulate them more. Encourage students to come up with their own unique paper airplane designs (even for the first plane design), and have them explain their designs to the class in terms of what they changed to improve flight.

Additional Multimedia Support

A helpful NASA diagram shows the basic ariplane parts and their functions; see https://www.grc.nasa.gov/www/k-12/airplane/airplane.html.

References

Paper Aircraft Association. Accessed 2004. http://www.topphotograph.dsl.pipex.com/paamain/index.html

Copyright © 2004 by Regents of the University of Colorado

Contributors Tom Rutkowski; Alex Conner; Geoffrey Hill; Malinda Schaefer Zarske; Janet Yowell

Supporting Program Integrated Teaching and Learning Program, College of Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder

Acknowledgements

The contents of this digital library curriculum were developed under grants from the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE), U.S. Department of Education and National Science Foundation (GK-12 grant no. 0338326). However, these contents do not necessarily represent the policies of the Department of Education or National Science Foundation, and you should not assume endorsement by the federal government.

Last modified: April 11, 2019

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Paper Airplanes: Building, Testing, & Improving. Heads Up! - Activity

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Students learn the different airplane parts, including wing, flap, aileron, fuselage, cockpit, propeller, spinner, engine, tail, rudder, elevator. Then they each build one of four different (provided) paper airplane (really, glider) designs with instructions, which they test in three trials, measuring flight distance and time.