Introduction to Flight
Before jumping right into the forces involved in flight, you should start with fun activities that introduce the concept of flight. This allows students a chance to start thinking about what they already know about flight. They should have a chance to think about the types of things that fly (planes, birds, bugs, hot air balloons, etc.) and how they fly. The best way to do this is to build some paper airplanes, test them out, make some observations, and talk about what you see!
Background information you should know: That “force” is an interaction of some kind that affects the motion of an object. In flight, those forces are upward (lift), downward (weight/gravity), forward (thrust), and backward (drag). These four forces will be explored in depth later.
Here are some resources you and the student can explore to start thinking about flight! They fit into the Nova Scotia Grade 6 Science Curriculum by exploring the outcome: Learners will evaluate factors that influence flight.
1) Activity: Building a Flying Object. This is an activity created by me to get students thinking about flight.
Background information you should know: That “force” is an interaction of some kind that affects the motion of an object. In flight, those forces are upward (lift), downward (weight/gravity), forward (thrust), and backward (drag). These four forces will be explored in depth later.
Here are some resources you and the student can explore to start thinking about flight! They fit into the Nova Scotia Grade 6 Science Curriculum by exploring the outcome: Learners will evaluate factors that influence flight.
1) Activity: Building a Flying Object. This is an activity created by me to get students thinking about flight.
activity_-_build_a_flying_object.docx | |
File Size: | 162 kb |
File Type: | docx |
2) Video: SCIENCE MAX - Air Surfing. This is a great video to introduce flight and has some cool experiments you can try at home!
3) Roto-copter activity: Create a mini helicopter with paper and watch it spin! I wonder how it stays in the air?
www.exploratorium.edu/science_explorer/roto-copter.html
4) Crafts that Fly - 15 crafts that fly. Crafts are a fun way to start thinking about flight and they can be enjoyed by the whole family.
simpleplayideas.com/crafts-fly
simpleplayideas.com/crafts-fly