Paper Airplane Challenges

Letting kids make paper airplanes in class??? They will LOVE it!!!

Challenges: to build planes that will fly straight (hit a target), fly for a long distance, and do tricks (learn about pitch, yaw, and roll, and the four forces of flight - lift, gravity, drag and thrust)

Materials:

• 8 1/2" x 11" paper - various colours if you and the students like
• paper clips
• scissors
• safety goggles
• measuring tape or metre sticks
• additional (optional) resource is a foam plane (dollar store) that can be used to show the use of ailerons and rudders

Safety Notes:

Safety goggles must be worn during flight times in all areas of the classroom or lab. My best advice is to set up an area of the classroom for testing and another area for building. Students can line up to test their planes and be sure not to throw the planes while someone is retrieving their plane from the testing area.

Lesson Plan:

1. Set the Stage: Activate Prior Knowledge by asking students questions like:

• Has anyone in the class ever made a paper airplane before? If yes, have them describe their experiences - maybe they can be called upon to help others who need help building and be the class 'experts' for this activity.
• If students haven't yet experienced any discussion about the four forces of flight, you could conduct a fun experiment:
  • Give students two identical pieces of paper (I usually cut printer paper in half and give them the two halves). Tell them to stand up and drop one piece of paper with nothing done to it - just flat and as they got it. They will then describe how it fell (falls by swaying back and forth, spinning).
  • Next, they crumple up the second piece, stand up, and drop it. They then describe how it fell (falls straight down).
  • Discuss why the papers fell differently. You may notice misconceptions - one common one is that the crumpled paper fell faster and straight because it was heavier. Not the case! It falls faster and straighter because it has less drag to slow its decent! I use this as a discovery of drag and gravity.
  • Next, give students a regular sized 8 1/2" x 11" sheet of paper and safety googles. Have them fold it in half length-wise, stand up, and throw it forward by pushing it with their hand (like throwing a paper airplane). Have them describe its flight. Introduce the term - thrust - which is the forward push of their hand.
  • Have them fold one end width-wise about 5 cm in and re-throw. Describe its flight. Then keep folding in, one fold at a time and throwing each time until they get their paper to fly straight. It will start to spiral and become too top heavy eventually. They should count how many folds was the best for flying straight and have a class discussion to see how many folds worked best for straight flight.

2. Prepare for and conduct the experiments

Extensions:

• Investigate other biodiversity concepts related to what was learned by completing group, pair, or individual research on topics such as the importance of biodiversity in farming practices (versus monoculture), sustainability of bamboo products, comparing the rate of germination of other vegetables and seeds with bean seeds, or researching where everyday items come from, thanks to biodiversity (see Ontario Science Curriculum Biodiversity expectation 3.6). They can present their findings individually, in pairs, or in groups and choose from a variety of presentation media such as Google slides, Prezi, I movie, posters, pamphlets, news articles, or other presentation forms.
• 'The Jack and the Beanstalk Math Investigation': Students can ponder and work out by problem solving if Jack's beanstalk could actually grow to reach the clouds, and how long it would take to do so, if the height of the beanstalk doubled every day! Students can use their own results from measuring their beanstalks to calculate the days needed to reach that height.

Overall Assessment can include Language (for the Extension activity), Science Expectations and Math Expectations:

• Reading: 1.2, 1.4, 1.6, 1.7, 1.8
• Writing: 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 2.1, 2.7, 2.8
• Media: 3.2, 3.4
• Oral and Visual Communication: 2.1, 2.3, 2.4, 2.7
• Science - Biodiversity Expectations: 1.2, 2.3, 2.5, 3.4, 3.6
• Math - estimate, measure, and record quantities, using the metric measurement system; collect and organize discrete or continuous primary data and secondary data and display the data in charts, tables, and graphs (including continuous line graphs) that have appropriate titles, labels (e.g., appropriate units marked on the axes), and scales (e.g., with appropriate increments); collect data by conducting an experiment to do with their environment, and record observations or measurements; read, describe, and interpret data; solve problems using multiplication and division using a variety of strategies; make connections among mathematical concepts and procedures, and relate mathematical ideas to situations drawn from other contexts; develop, select, and apply problem-solving strategies as they pose and solve problems and conduct investigations, to help deepen their mathematical understanding; develop and apply reasoning skills to make and investigate conjectures and construct and defend arguments; communicate mathematical thinking orally, visually, and in writing, using everyday language