This lesson has students reviewing the force of lift and learning about the Wright Brothers and their testing with kites, and how kites are lifted. Students will experiment with weight and lift causing a homemade box kite to fly.
(Most appropriate for grade levels 5-10.)
Lesson Time: 45-50 minutes
Student Activity 1: This activity teaches students how to make a small paper box kite. They can be flown outside, or in your classroom with an electric fan.
They will continue tests by changing variables.
Group work: There is no group work in this activity, students will be working on their own. If you feel that working with partners would be beneficial for your class, please assign partners before our Wizard arrives.
Science Standards:
4.PS.2: Energy can be transferred from one location to another or can be transformed from one form to another.
5.PS.1: The amount of change in movement of an object is based on the mass of the object and the amount of force exerted.
6.PS.3: There are two categories of energy: kinetic and potential.
6.PS.4: An object's motion can be described by its speed and the direction in which it is moving.
7.PS.3: Energy can be transformed or transferred but is never lost.
7.PS.4: Energy can be transferred through a variety of ways.
8.PS.2: Forces can act to change the motion of objects.
High School Standards:
P.F.1: Newton's laws applied to complex problems.
P.F.5: Air resistance and drag.
PS.FM.2: Forces • Force diagrams • Types of forces (gravity, friction, normal, tension) • Field model for forces at a distance.
PS.FM.3: Dynamics (how forces affect motion) • Objects at rest • Objects moving with constant velocity • Accelerating objects.