Class Assignments

Overview & Purpose:

Students will be researching and constructing paper airplanes to study what variables account for speed, altitude and distance

Standard:

Understands the nature of technological design

Benchmarks:

Knows that designing a solution to a simple problem has constraints (material, time, space, safety)

Materials:

• Paper for airplanes
• Computer with internet access

Objectives:

They can conduct an experiment in which they change the size, weight, and wing structure of paper airplanes to see how each plane flies.

Guided Practice:

Teacher will demonstrate the creation of a simple paper airplane. The class will discuss what limitations the paper airplane might experience.  The class will be broken up in groups of four and research online, different forms of airplanes and create the one that they think will fly the best.

Student Practice:

Each group will launch their paper airplanes and data will be gathered to determine which airplane “flew” the farthest, fastest, esc

Discussion:

Discuss as a class, what variable determined each planes launching.  Discuss what changes could be done to create a better flying paper airplane

Assessment

Discussion of higher thinking questions and participation will be assessment

Special Needs Accomodations:

Students will work in a group, visual and kinesthetic learning styles will be influenced