Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Wright Again: 100 Years of Flight

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Aspiring aeronautical engineers demonstrate different forces as they construct and test paper airplanes. This lesson plan links you to a website that models the most effective paper airplane design, an animation describing the forces...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Unit VI: Worksheet 3 - Force, Velocity, Displacement

For Students 9th - 12th
Those who take this challenge will draw force diagrams and then calculate velocities and displacement. The problems are applicable to any general physics curriculum that covers motion. Add this to your collection of homework...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Graphing the Four Forces

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Using the Cartesian coordinate system, future flight experts plot points to determine whether or not an airplane will fly. With the four forces of weight, lift, drag, and thrust represented in different quadrants, your physics learners...
Lesson Plan
Cornell University

Physics of Flight

For Students 3rd - 8th
Up, up, and away! Take your classes on a physics adventure. Learners explore the concepts important for flight. They experiment with the Bernoulli Principle while learning the forces that act on airplanes in flight.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Flights of Fancy?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students reflect on the dynamics of human flight and how objects fall through the air and how science principles are used in flight. They create a How-It-Works poster diagramming the science behind one method of flying. In addition,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Principles Of Flight: Wings That Spin

For Teachers K - 1st
Students discover how flight is possible.  For this physics lesson, students investigate the properties of a blimp and gyro-copter, comparing rotating wings and fixed wings of aircraft.  Students create their own model aircraft...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Principles of Flight: Bernoulli's Lift

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Students discover how air pressure effects flight.  In this physics activity, students create two types of airplane wings so they can observe the way air pressure creates lift.  Students utilize a printout to create the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Four Forces of Flight

For Teachers K - 12th
Learners explore the four forces of flight. They investigate the four forces of flight: lift, drag, thrust and weight (gravity). They experiment with flight-testing various objects commonly found around the house and constructing paper...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Household Things that Fly and Why!!!

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd
Young scholars examine the four forces of flight. In this flight lesson, students test to see which types of items will fly. Young scholars make predictions on whether the item will fly or not. Students gain knowledge about lift,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

An Uplifting Experience

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders conduct flight experiments.  For this uplifting experience lesson, 5th graders build an airfoil and place in a variety of conditions to observe the results of lift and force in flight, as well as angle of attack....
Lesson Plan
LABScI

Catapult: Flight of the Marshmallows

For Students 6th - 12th
Watch your marshmallows fly. The engaging STEM activity has groups create a catapult to launch marshmallows. After testing their prototypes, they consider improvements and redesign their catapults.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lift and Drag: Principles of Flight and the Soaring Imagination

For Teachers 2nd - 8th
Learners construct models of early gas balloons and gliders. In this balloon and glider instructional activity, students create models of early gas balloons and gliders, discover how the forces of lift and drag effect aircraft in...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Gravity, Forces, and Inertia

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Pupils participate in assessments involving gravity, forces, and inertia. They select from a menu of options assessments they would like to complete including worksheets, drawing posters, watching videos, creating crossword puzzles, and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How Airplanes Fly?

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders explore drag, thrust, lift and weight.  In this airplane lesson, 5th graders define the forces that effect airplanes and design a model airplane.  Students  compare their models for the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Flight Physics

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Learners apply the knowledge of Bernoulli's Principle and construct simple aerodynamic designs. In this flight physics lesson, students explore the history of man's interest in flying and the forces influencing an object in flight by...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Principles of Flight

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explore the principles of flight. In this flight lesson, students construct a model plane and investigate the forces acting on the flier. They will measure the thrust and calculate the stored energy.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Bernoulli's Principle

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Learners explore Bernoulli's principle, how it is related to flight, and the effect of lift, thrust, and drag on flight. They design and develop an experiment that tests for distance traveled by their paper airplane, and record and...
Worksheet
Curated OER

What is Work?

For Students 7th - 11th
In this work worksheet, students will match vocabulary words with definitions: joule, Newton, force, and work. Then students will answer 8 problems based on the equation: work = force x distance.
Worksheet
Curated OER

Simple Machines

For Students 9th - 12th
In this simple machines instructional activity, students identify the 6 simple machines. They answer 21 questions about the types of simple machines, the output force of simple machines, the input force and the work involved in using a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Exploring Aerodynamics

For Teachers 1st - 5th
Students explore aerodynamics. In this aerodynamics lesson, students study the flight patterns of three paper airplanes and discover the underlying principles of aerodynamics. Resources and grade level modifications are present.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

An Internet Exploration: Flying into the Eye

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Take a virtual field trip into the eye of a hurricane. Through a series of websites, mini-meteorologists discover the anatomy of a hurricane and how one is formed. Add some excitement to your atmosphere curriculum by exploring this form...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

THE FLIGHT PLATFORM

For Teachers All
Students examine forces that effect flight.  In this flight lesson students answer questions that are asked of them and the ones that they ask themselves. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Effects on Flight Characteristics/Performance Due To Variations in Design of Sled Kites.

For Teachers 5th - 7th
Students expand upon previous lessons with sled kites by varying the dimensions or materials while building a news sled kite while working in a team. They fly their original kites and the new ones under similar conditions to determine...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Forces in Fluids

For Students 7th - 9th
In this forces in fluids worksheet, learners answer questions as they relate to forces in fluids. Students complete a chart about atmospheric pressure.