LS 521- Spring ‘02
4/21/02
PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS GEARED TOWARDS 10TH GRADE,
BUT MAY BE MODIFIED FOR OTHER STUDENTS
Introduction:
Have
you ever looked in the sky and wondered, How in the world do those planes/hot
air balloons, helicopters do that? Or
have you been in a plane looking down and thought, “How am I flying right now?” Well, regardless, you will find out today! You will be making your own hypothesis
(idea) about how something works, and then we will see how close (or far away) your
ideas were.
Information:
Humankind
has been interested in flight since the Stone Age. Watching birds fly would have had to have piqued the interest,
although they were primarily concerned with starting fires and staying away
from bears. It was not until humankind
had developed to the point were people could specialize in thinking, that
scientists began actively thinking about flight. From Leonardo
da Vinci to the Wright
Brothers, people have tried ideas for getting humans in the air. We now can put people, on the moon and fly thousands
of people every day.
Activity:
You
will be using the How Things Work website (http://www.howstuffworks.com). However, you will first be using your own
brain and previously learned information.
Look through the topics in the “Aviation”
(flight) category. Choose a type of
flying machine. Once you have made your
selection write down how you think that contraption is able to stay in the air
and transport people and things. Be
sure to have a main idea, and then support it with facts that you have learned before
or ideas that you come up with. You
should also include some drawings and figures, as they may explain your
hypothesis better.
Once
you have written down a theory on how your choice is able to fly, go to the Aviation site below
and read through the explanation for your choice. Write a summary of how it actually works. Sue your own words.
http://www.howstuffworks.com/category.htm?cat=Aviat
The
last thing that you will do is write a critical comparison of the two. Examine your original thoughts and how they
were formulated. Then look at the real
way it works. What did you learn? How different were the two? Be specific and support your thoughts with
details and examples.
Assignment:
Please
complete the assigned writing pieces. Be
sure to compete all three individually and in depth.
1. Your hypothesis
2. Summary of actual way your choice works
3. Comparison of first and second items.
Other Resources:
Wright Brothers- Aeroplane Company and Museum-
Read about the Wright Brothers and the history of airplanes.
http://www.first-to-fly.com/
Leonardo da Vinci- Man of Both
Worlds- Choose between “Beginner”, “Intermediate”, or “Advanced” versions
of this site.
http://library.thinkquest.org/3044/
Rubric:
|
|
Outstanding |
Satisfactory |
Needs work |
|
Hypothesis |
Student used previous
knowledge to create an original idea. Included drawings and/or diagrams. |
Student followed directions
and provided a logical hypothesis. |
Directions not followed. Work
was sloppy and unorganized. |
|
Summary |
Accurately describes processes
of flight in logical and organized fashion. |
Main points and ideas
presented in a straight forward manner. |
Missing main points and
details. Not organized. |
|
Comparison |
Insightful conclusions and
connections made. |
Accurate comparison and
conclusions. |
Poor or no comparison made
with little or no support for ideas. |