For the First Flight Project launch, students were able to observe a video of an aircraft and bird in flight. They turned and talked with a partner or two about what they noticed and wondered. Students then created a mind map on birds and another mind map on planes. A mind map is a great way for students to show through writing and illustrations what they already know about the topic.
Images, Designs, AND MODELS of Flight from Home
Science: -Creating Pinwheels to learn about air and wind. -Diagram of how push works. -Experiencing air through bubbles and balloons. -Experiencing Wind with the wind tunnel. -Owl Pellet Dissections. -Birdhouse construction with Ron forster from Escondido creek conservancy. -DRAFTING SKETCHES FOR THE WIND FORCE SCALE. -Wind Force Scale Creation and Installation by the playground wall.
Diagrams of a bird and plane
Students learned about the parts of an aircraft and bird. We discussed the similarities and differences of the parts of a plane and bird and how they aid with flight. Students then practiced identifying the parts with label words on post it notes. They practiced sketching and labeling parts in their sketchpads to help recall the names and location of the parts.
Four forces of Flight
Students learned how objects can fly using the four forces of flight: lift, thrust, drag and gravity. They created paper airplanes to hypothesize, test, experiment, and conclude results on the four forces and how each forces impacts flight. Students learned about Bernoulli's principle, how the airfoil (shape of the curved wing) allows for the air to move faster on the top of the wing and slower on the bottom. The slower moving air creates a high air pressure, which then creates lift, pushing the object up. Students created a paper model of an airfoil and demonstrated how lift occurs by blowing on it. Thrust is important to help an object move forward. For example, the engine on an aircraft gives it power to move forward. Similarly, birds are able to thrust using their muscles to flap their wings. Both drag and gravity helps objects to reach the ground and land. Gravity is a force that moves objects closer to the ground. Drag allows objects to slow down.
Aircraft design inspired by birds
Keeping the four forces of flight in mind, students designed and created aircraft models using various materials. First, they started with basic materials, such as paper plates, paper, straw and tape. Then they added other materials, such as pom poms, feathers, aluminum foil, tissue paper, forks, and plastic cups. After creating their designs and recording the steps, they tested the flight of their models and made any adjustments as needed. When comparing two or more of the models in flight, we were able to compare and contrast how they flew, using the four forces principles in our explanations.
Flight Products: design and creation
Students created kites that fly. They decorated their kite by painting an image of a bird on them. They drafted the images of birds on paper first by looking at google images of various birds. It was an exhilarating moment to see the students fly their kites outside.
Students chose a bird (owl, albatross, hummingbird, or falcon) to write about how their bird inspired a specific aircraft creation (stealth, glider, helicopter, or jet). Students illustrated their writing poster with an illustration of the bird and aircraft pairing using watercolor pencils.
Students created a string art on a woodblock of the aircraft they chose. Again, they searched for a google image of their aircraft to help them sketch a picture. Students made multiple drafts and critiqued in pairs and larger groups. Then they drew an outline of the aircraft on tracing paper. They pinned parts of the outline onto the woodblock. Last, they used strings to bring their aircraft to life on their woodblocks.