Author: Robin A. Ward, California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
Audience: 4-12 graders
Mathematical Topics: writing and communicating mathematically, cooperative learning
Rationale:
According to the NCTM Standards 2000,"good tasks fuel students' curiosity and encourage them to talk about mathematics" (p. 31). Moreover, mathematics is a "great cultural and intellectual achievement of humankind" and students should "develop an appreciation and understanding of that achievement" (p. 45).
In this activity, students will be given the opportunity to work cooperatively with their classmates in designing their own aircraft. The aircraft might be a passenger airliner, an attack aircraft, a cargo plane, a bomber, a test plane, just to name a few. Students will also be required to present their sketches (or 3-D models) to their classmates, describing and defending their choices for their aircraft. Creativity and collaboration are a must in this activity! Students will also provide a written description of their project.
While engaging in this activity, students can learn more about the various aircraft being tested, past and present, at the
NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, such as:
This activity might be modified such that students design their own Space Shuttle. On the morning of April 14, 1981, the wheels of the Space Shuttle Columbia touched down on the concrete-hard surface of Rogers Dry Lake at Edwards AFB after its first orbital mission.
Click here for more information about the Space Shuttle program.
Students might first want to learn:
For more ideas, you can view other aircraft image archive sites located at:
For more ideas:
Materials:
Background:
A variety of aircraft are being tested at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center including:
attack aircraft,
bombers,
cargo planes,
fighter aircraft, and
other aircraft.
Everyday, scientists and engineers are challenged to design new and improved ways to make their aircraft more sophisticated: able to fly faster and higher, yet still remain efficient and safe.
In this activity, students will be challenged to work in groups (of twos or threes) to design their own choice of aircraft. Before beginning the activity, the teacher should first allow ample time for the students to view the various links listed above to gain some ideas about what current aircraft look like and see how they are all uniquely designed. Additionally, the teacher is strongly encouraged to begin a group discussion on the various types of aircraft and allow time for students to brainstorm. Students will be asked to develop either a 2-dimensional model of an aircraft (which will simply be a sketch using markers or crayons on posterboard), or, students might create a 3-dimensional aircraft using such household items as toothpicks, popsicle sticks, tin foil, plastic wrap, glue, scissors, paint, etc.
Along with sketching or building the aircraft of their choice, the teacher might require students to write an essay describing and defending why they chose the shape and design of their particular aircraft. Students can present their essays and sketches/models to the entire class or, the teacher might put the sketches/models out on display in the classroom alongside of the essays.
Depending upon the intent of the teacher, this activity might serve as a take-home, week-long assignment, or perhaps as an in-class project that endures several class periods.
In completing this activity, it is hoped that students' interest in what makes an aircraft fly will be sparked. This, in turn, might prompt students to begin considering a career in aerospace engineering or aviation.
The Activity:
Also, remind students that they will write an essay defending their design choices of their aircraft. Thus, they might want to keep a journal as they build their aircraft, describing their decision making process during its construction.
Enrichment Activity:
Challenge students to build thier very own passenger airliner with the help of this web site. Encourage them to design a plane which is fuel-efficient, fast, yet comfortable!
If students are interested, they can read Dale Reed's book, Wingless Flight. Dale Reed is a research engineer who was instrumental in the development and implementation of the lifting body flight research program at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center.
Click here to link to an activity in which students design
wingless planes, similar to those used in NASA Dryden's Lifting Bodies program.
Return or go to:
Algebra Activities
Airborne Sciences Program Activities
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