Day 1: Lesson

Tips:

The students may be different in every classroom, so here are some areas the teacher can change. These also include ways to assist the students.

The teacher can cut out the strips of paper for the students beforehand if one class period is not long enough for this activity, the students are not comfortable using scissors, or if the teacher would like more discussion time
The teacher can also slowly build a hoop glider along with the students and roam around to check everybody's progress after every 1-2 steps
The teacher, to encourage participation, can have some kind of incentive (like candy)
The teacher can show how he/she flies his/her glider first
Lastly, the teacher should put out the idea that one must use less tape to make his/her airplane lighter

Guidance Questions:

These are some questions that can be incorporated throughout or after the activity to test the students' knowledge

What hoop was your airplane's front? Why or why not do you think it worked?
In your own words, what is lift and drag?
Why do you think the larger hoop in the front would not work?

Lesson:

This is the Hoop Glider activity. The Hoop glider is an introductory project in many STEM and science classrooms. The airplane is just a straw with hoops on both sides. The purpose of this activity is to allow kids to learn basic concepts about aerodynamics, but more importantly, experience experimentation, communication, and failing.
Materials (extra materials are always better):

Straws (one per student)
Printouts with one long strip to cut out and one small strip to cut out (one per student, if not available, cut out a 1 in. by 4.5 inch. and a 1 in. by 9 inch. strip out of a somewhat sturdy sheet of paper) (Image 2)
Small Scissors (one per student)
Tape (one for every 3-4 student group)
A hallway marked from 5 to 40 feet with tape (every 5 feet) or a hallway with a tape measure lying on the side
Lastly, this activity takes around 45 minutes to complete

Students can either pick up these materials in a line coming into the classroom or be given them
Students first cut out their two strips of paper out
Then, they tape the two ends of individual strips together to make two hoops. The end result should look like the two hoops in Image 1.
After that, tape the hoops on the two ends of the straw. Tell the students to try their best to not tape the two hoops in a crooked manner. Looking from the top, they should look like in a line. If the students are having trouble, use the third mage and first image as guidance. The end result should look like image one.
The "fun" part of this activity is that the students get to decide and debate which part of the airplane is the front. (Experimentation)
After all students are done, seat them, and ask at least 4 students why they determined their front the way they did. For Examples, 2 students may say that they made the larger hoop their front as a larger weight can guide the airplane better. (Communication)
Lastly, go to your testing hallway, this should either be marked up to 40-50 ft or have a tape measure beside it
Every student takes turns flying. Fly the glider like they're flying the airplane, but as it is a glider, try to raise your arm up and then gently lauching it upwards at an angle. The glider should ideally smoothly glide down. (Experimentation and Failing)
The students go back to their classrooms. The teacher asks the students about their observations and if they learned anything. Expected responses should be attempting to explain failure or success. The teacher should encourage discussion until there are approximately four responses. Ideal responses can be something like, "I made the bigger hoop my front, and I think it did not fly as well because it had too much weight and the little hoop could not support it."
Lastly, the teacher should conclude the study with these takeaways, summing up the basics they should try to learn from this activity:

Lift: Similar to how a bird's wings push air down and then it flies, the hoops push air down, pushing themselves up, like jumping. This is called lift.
Drag: Imagine dragging your bike on the ground instead of riding it. Not fun, is it? Drag is basically invisible hands acting in the opposite direction of your glider as it moves through the air. For Example, do you run faster on a soapy ground, or a sticky ground? The soapy ground, because it has less friction. Drag is similar to friction.
Today, we learned that hoop gliders fly because of lift, like a bird pushing air down to soar, and drag, an invisible force slowing them down. The smaller hoop goes first because it has less drag, guiding the glider like an airplane's pointy nose. The bigger hoop in the back adds lift but has more drag, so it balances the glider. If we put the bigger hoop first, its drag is too strong, and the smaller hoop can’t fix it, making the glider crash. Try switching the hoops and see what happens—why do you think it flies differently?

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