Flight School Forces
Flight School has been created as a teaching resource for the City of Edinburgh Council’s ‘Curiosity Club’, an Intervention Strategy initiative that is currently operating in Council schools.
The focus of the six planned lessons of Flight School are to teach children about the four main forces involved in flight: DRAG, LIFT, THRUST and WEIGHT. The fifth section is an aeroplane challenge building upon the knowledge and skills from the first four sections. The sixth section is the learner self-evaluation and learning log which has been included in each of the five bundles.
The lesson plans are set out in a step by step design which is simple to follow. Diagrams and videos are also included to help explain the practical activities involved within the lessons. Alongside the lesson plans there are teaching notes. The teaching notes include a break-down of the science behind each lesson and useful sheets for printing.
Hope you enjoy the lessons!
Joanna Barrie, primary teacher in Fife Council
Each bundle includes: extensive teacher notes bundle includes pdf and editable versions of the following:
- Teaching Notes – contents for each lesson includes:
- Science behind the lesson
- Materials best for the session
- List of resources specific for this lesson.
- Main Lesson Plan (as a PowerPoint Resource)
- Learning goals
- Overview
- Set Up
- Task
- Plenary and Feedback
Lesson 1: Parachutes & Air Resistance (Drag)
By the end of the lesson the goal is that students will have a clear understanding of drag and how the parachute causes a falling object to slow down, they will also be able to show their understanding in the log book that records their learning by labelling the arrows representing drag in the ‘Parachute section.’
Learning outcomes in the Curriculum for Excellence and associated benchmark
SCN 2-07a: By investigating how friction, including air resistance, affects motion, I can suggest ways to improve efficiency in moving objects.
TCH 2-04a: I am developing dexterity, creativity and confidence when preparing models
TCH 2-09a: I can extend and enhance my design skills to solve problems and can construct models.
TCH 2-10a: I can recognise basic properties and uses for a variety of materials and can discuss which ones are most suitable for a given task.
MNU 2:11b: I can use the common units of measure, convert between related units of the metric system and carry out calculations when solving problems.
Click here to view and download Flight School Forces 1 on TES
Lesson 2: Wing Lift Lesson
In this second session students are introduced to the force LIFT. This session is designed to allow the students to investigate lift by focusing on the shape of an aeroplane wing. By the end of the lesson the goal is that the students will have an understanding about the shape of an aeroplane wing and how it causes the aeroplane to fly up into the air.
Learning outcomes in the Curriculum for Excellence and associated benchmark
SCN 2-08a: I have collaborated in investigations to compare magnetic, electrostatic and gravitational forces and have explored their practical applications.
TCH 2-04b: I am developing dexterity, creativity and confidence when working with textiles.
MTH 2-16b: Through practical activities, I can show my understanding of the relationship between 3D objects and their nets.
LIT 2-02a: When I engage with others, I can respond in ways appropriate to my role, show that I value others’ contributions and use these to build on thinking.
Click here to view and download Flight School Forces 2 on TES
Lesson 3: Helicopter (Thrust)
In this third session students are introduced to the force THRUST while building on their understanding of LIFT. This session is designed to allow the students to experiment with design to create a ‘mini helicopter model’. By the end of the lesson the goal is that the students will have an understanding of THRUST and LIFT in relation to flight.
Learning outcomes in the Curriculum for Excellence and associated benchmark
SCN 2-08a: I have collaborated in investigations to compare magnetic, electrostatic and gravitational forces and have explored their practical applications.
TCH 2-04b: I am developing dexterity, creativity and confidence when working with textiles.
MTH 2-16b: Through practical activities, I can show my understanding of the relationship between 3D objects and their nets.
LIT 2-02a: When I engage with others, I can respond in ways appropriate to my role, show that I value others’ contributions and use these to build on thinking.
Click here to view and download Flight School 3 on TES
Lesson 4: Missiles (Weight)
This lesson is the final of the four forces and it is WEIGHT. This force will already be understood by a lot of children as it is part of everyday life. However, it is worth guiding their attention to weight in relation to flying aircrafts. By the end of the lesson students should have an overall understanding of the four forces involved in flight. They will also have gained some good problem-solving experience which has hopefully helped them develop some useful skills for their futures.
Learning outcomes in the Curriculum for Excellence and associated benchmark
SCN 2-08a: I have collaborated in investigations to compare magnetic, electrostatic and gravitational forces and have explored their practical applications.
TCH 2-04b: I am developing dexterity, creativity and confidence when working with textiles.
TCH 2-09a: I can extend and enhance my design skills to solve problems and can construct models.
MTH 2-17b: Through practical activities, I can show my understanding of the relationship between 3D objects and their nets.
Click here to view and download Flight School 4 on TES
Lesson 5: Aeroplanes
In this lesson students can create their planes from a design focus combined with their learning so far during the previous four lessons. They will be able to really contextualise their learning while experimenting and creating their own aeroplane designs.
Learning outcomes in the Curriculum for Excellence and associated benchmark
SCN 2-08a: I have collaborated in investigations to compare magnetic, electrostatic and gravitational forces and have explored their practical applications.
TCH 2-04b: I am developing dexterity, creativity and confidence when working with textiles.
TCH 2-04c: I can extend and explore problem solving strategies to meet increasingly difficult challenges with a food or textile focus.
MTH 2-16b: Through practical activities, I can show my understanding of the relationship between 3D objects and their nets.
LIT 2-02a: When I engage with others, I can respond in ways appropriate to my role, show that I value others’ contributions and use these to build on thinking.
Click here to view and download Flight School Forces 5 on TES
This resource was created by Joanna Barrie as part of the Geoscience Outreach course. Adapted by Kay Douglas and Charlie Farley. Unless otherwise stated, all content is released under a CC-BY-SA 4.0 license.
Header image: “Paper Plane” by garryknight is licensed under CC BY 2.0
