Flight is another topic that I cannot imagine learning about only from a book. Students will gain much more appreciation for the research and experimenting that the Wright Brothers did if they have the chance to design a kite or paper airplane.
Curriculum expectations are always based on the Ontario Ministry of
Expectations. Many of the activities will reinforce, rather than teach,
those expectations. As such, no assessment ideas or rubrics are
included.
Understanding Structures and Mechanisms: Flight
Overall Expectations: - assess the societal and environmental impacts of flying devices that
- make use of properties of air;
- investigate ways in which flying devices make use of properties of air;
- explain ways in which properties of air can be applied to the principles of flight and flying devices.
Students can make and try out a kite or airplane to learn about gravity, drag, dihedral angles and lift. (See here for the science of kites; the same site also has kitemaking plans using recycled paper and sewing thread.)
Or students can make a soda rocket. The teacher will use only leading questions to guide students as they discover more about flight. (See here for instructions and pictures)
Give everyone some paper to work with (another good chance to use recycled paper) and tell them to research and/or trial the best design for two paper airplanes, one that is designed purely for maximum distance and one that is designed to change directions and fly through two hoops.
For the first challenge you need a big enough space and a dry, windless day to measure the length the paper airplanes flew. Give everyone a few tries and compare the best results. What did the best designs have going for them? What dart designs failed?
For the second challenge have two students hold up two hoops with a diameter of around a meter. Put the first a few meters in front of where the students throw from and hang the second a few meters ahead and to the left (or right) of the first hoop so the students paper airplanes will have to change direction in order to make it through the second hoop. They will have to think hard about how to design a plane that will curve in the direction they want it to, give them a few tries at the challenge and you can even let them modify their planes as they go.
When it comes to the construction of their paper airplanes, some tips you can give students include making sharp folds and keeping the plane symmetrical when trying to achieve the greatest possible distance.
Share with students that we know about machines because inventors and scientists have discovered the reliability of natural laws, such as the properties of air.
Understanding Earth and Space Systems: Space
Overall Expectations:
- assess the impact of space exploration on society and the environment;
- investigate characteristics of the systems of which the earth is a part and the relationship between the earth, the sun, and the moon;
- demonstrate an understanding of components of the systems of which the earth is a part, and explain the phenomena that result from the movement of different bodies in space.
In developing these understandings, the learner must determine relationships between the earth and the sun, rotation and revolution. To model a sun dial, do a 'Shadow Tip' exercise*. Gather at the flagpole on a sunny day.
To find direction, mark the tip of the shadow cast from a pole or stick at least one meter high.
Wait 20 minutes or more; then mark the shadow tip again. A straight line through the two marks is an east-west line. Why?
Draw a line from the base of the flagpole to the east-west line so it will intersect at a 90 degree angle. This becomes the north-south line.
To find the time of day, draw a line parallel to the east-west line through the base of the flagpole.
This is the 6AM to 6PM line. The north-south line is the noon line. Divide the two resulting sections into equal sixths for the other hours. The shadow is now the hour hand.
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Planet Average Distance from Sun Scale Distance
Mercury 58 000 000 km = 58 cm = .58 m
Venus 108 000 000 km = 108 cm = 1m 08
Earth 150 000 000 km = 150 cm = 1m 50
Mars 229 000 000 km = 229 cm = 2m 29
Jupiter 777 000 000 km = 777 cm = 7m 77
Saturn 1 426 000 000 km = 1426 cm = 14m 26
Uranus 2 868 000 000 km = 2868 cm = 28m 68
Neptune 4 495 000 000 km = 4495 cm = 44m 95
Pluto 5 906 000 000 km = 5906 cm = 59m 06
Then the class moves out to the playground and place markers at the proper distances from some point designated as the sun. This alignment should enable the students to perceive the amount of space between the planets in a more realistic manner.
One variation to this exercise is to have the inner planets (Mercury through Jupiter) connected to the sun with string or yarn. Then, have the students representing these planets revolve around the sun, keeping their string taut. In this manner, the class can observe the fact that the planets nearer the sun have shorter orbits and, consequently, a shorter length to their year (that is, one revolution around the sun). Another variation is to have students hold the planets, made to scale, but be aware that the scale models will be tiny! The sun's diameter, for example, is 1 000 000 km = 1cm...
I expect that students will gain a new sense of wonder at the immensity of our solar system!
*lesson idea from Teaching in the Outdoors, Fifth ed. Donald Hammerman, William M Hammerman, Elizabeth L. Hammerman
**lesson idea from http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/
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