Things That Fly

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I want to broaden students’ ideas of what constitutes a thing that flies.  This lesson prepares students to look at the history of flight.  Strengthening their schema around the variety of things that fly will allow for a richer inquiry experience.

OBJECTIVE
Students Will:

1. Utilize the internet to locate things that fly.
2. Identify things that fly and choose two of them for further work.
3. Compare two things that fly.
4. Contrast two things that fly.
5. Continue to generate questions about things that fly.

MATERIALS

1. Computer lab with internet capabilities (if the internet is not available at your school you can do the same activity with books)
2. List of internet sites that you have explored.  See my booklist for a list of suggested sites.     
3. List of keywords to be used in student friendly search engines
4. Books that include things that fly (these will be useful for students to use for further inquiry)
5. Large chart paper and markers

SET UP AND PREPARE

1. Explore various internet sites.
2. Create a list of search words.

DIRECTIONS
PART I

Step 1:
Write the first and second objectives on the board.  Read it with the students.

Step 2:
Facilitate the internet search while students collect images and text of things that fly.  Have them bookmark sites that have images and text they find interesting.

Step 3:
Allow students to print two of the images they found.  These images will be helpful in explaining the items to their peers. 

Step 4:
Once in the classroom, give students an opportunity to share their images with each other.  Encourage the students to record questions that are brought up in discussion, either self-questioning or questions from their peers.  Have each student save their printed images and text for part two of the lesson.

Step 5:
Review the objective.  As a class, create a web of things that fly.

PART II (Day 2)

Step 6:
Write the third and fourth objectives on the board.  Read them with the students.

Step7:
Instruct students to take out their printed images and text.

Step 8:
Provide models of various graphic organizers students can use to compare and contrast their things that fly.  (i.e. Venn diagram, double bubble, t-chart, etc.)

Step 9:
Allow students sufficient time to create a graphic organizer about their two things that fly.

Step 10:
After students have created their organizer, give them large chart paper on which to reproduce it.  Students should include their images on the large organizer. This will be extremely helpful if students are comparing two different types of airplanes.

Step 11:
Have students post the graphic organizers around the room. 

Step 12:
When all are finished, students should do a gallery walk.  (When participating in a gallery walk, the students will walk around the room in a clockwise direction taking time to examine each organizer.)  Students should be supplied with the same materials you used in previous lessons to record questions.  During the gallery walk, students should record more questions.  As students walk around they should be asking themselves, “What am I still wondering about?”  “What do I want to know about this mode of flight?”

SUPPORTING ALL LEARNERS
Students who are unable to articulate their thoughts in writing may need a recorder.

LESSON EXTENSION
Provide time for the students to learn more about things that fly.  Two of my students became extremely interested in Hot Air Balloons and how they evolved.  (see photo)

ASSESS STUDENTS

1. Were students able to identify comparable attributes?
2. Were students able to identify contrasting attributes?

ASSIGNMENTS

1. Students will identify two things that fly.
2. Students will create a graphic organizer comparing and contrasting two things that fly.
3. Students will continue to generate questions about things that fly.

EVALUATE THE LESSON

1. Do the students need further instruction on comparing and contrasting?
2. Were the search engines and keywords sufficient?
3. What would you do differently next time?
4. What went well?

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