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Activity

Materials

Procedure

Process

Standards

  

It is common knowledge that all kids love to play.
Unfortunately, some of the students you have in the classroom are not as thrilled about math, language arts or science class. Their minds may be on recess or a television show they watched the night before. The activity that follows is a very fun and easy supplement to bring your class alive without straying from learning. The kids will learn and have fun.

  
Activity:
    
     The focus of the following activity is something called "Bernoulli's Principle”. Don't let this scare you, I have explained Bernoulli's Principle below in the short video clips. Also, at this age it isn't important that all the kids understand the principle completely.

     It can be very hard to find topics for the gifted students in your class so they may want to investigate the concept more.
http://www.lsc.org/lscyouth/programs/psd2003/humanflight/bernouliprinciple.html

Watch the Science Sample clip 1  (11 min - Airplane Flight)

Watch the Science Sample clip 2  (8 min - More examples of Bernoulli's principle)
 
Materials per group:

white paper (4 per group) 
scissors (safety- 1 per group)
stopwatches (PE Dept.4 - 6 per class)
masking tape (1 role per class)
graph paper (1 per student)
colored pencils (many)
tape measure (1 per group-prefer metric system)
(note: A tape measure may be borrowed from a parent or the PE Dept. of your school. Some teachers use rulers and paper to make a measure line.)
goggles (1 per student)
 
Procedure:

Introduction of topic (space) (1-2 class periods)
1. Watch Kids Quest " Fill Your Head With Space”.
2. Cover information in your science text.
3. Visit educational web sites about space.
( http://www.pbs.org/teachersource/)
( http://education.nasa.gov)
 
Process:

1. The activity involves the designing, making and testing of a paper airplane. The class should be broken down into groups of 2. Each team should receive 4 pieces of white paper, scissors (safety), and a meter of tape. Each team should measure the tape for their group using the metric system. This would be a good time to compare measuring in feet and inches. Also, explain to the students there is a resistance for the use of the metric system in the everyday world. They should realize the metric system is used in most technological fields.

2. The students need to use one of the pieces of paper for the design phase. Explain to the students that the first part of the activity is design only. They may use a piece of paper to draw ideas, but they cannot fold the paper. They are disqualified if they fold the paper. This is a good test of self-control. I usually allow 5 minutes for this part of the activity. The students are never allowed to throw the planes before the actual competition. Goggles should be worn.


3. The students are usually allowed 10 -15 minutes to complete the build. They are not given more than the four sheets of paper. They may use the four sheets of paper and the 1 meter of tape to construct the plane. The plane must resemble some form of an aerodynamic design. A round ball of tape and paper will not work. It is a good idea to have a set amount of time and end the construction promptly.

4. The students should clean up their construction area and then move to the flight area. The flight area needs to be fairly long similar to a hallway. There should be a start line with all of the kids behind the throw area. The tape measure should be extended out from the start line in the opposite direction of the kids. Small circles could be placed on the line to represent the planets in our solar system. This will reinforce the names of our planets. 4 - 6 students need to run the stopwatches. All of the students should have the opportunity to run one of the watches.

5. The first student should approach the start line. The student will say 1..2..3 and then throw the plane. All students should have eye protection. The timers should start the watches at the point of release. They should continue to time until the plane comes to rest. The group that made the plane reads the distance the plane flew using the tape measure. Averages of all 4-6 stop watches are recorded. A data table is used to record the distance, and the time the plane is in the air. With your help, the students can decide which information they want to use to construct the graph. A graph could be made comparing distance attained, the number of planes to pass certain planets or flight time.

6. The activity can be modified to meet your needs. Prizes like a pop or small candy bar can be given to entice the students.


(example graph - can be completed on paper)
(does not represent real data)

Additional Resources:

http://www.pbs.org/kcet/chasingthesun/resources/resources_lesson_1.html - Additional activities using Bernoulli's Principle

http://www.pbs.org/safarchive/4_class/45_pguides/pguide_405/4545_bb.html - Using Bernoulli's Principle in baseball.

http://pbskids.org/dragonflytv/superdoit/bernoullis_blowout.html - A hair raising experience using Bernoulli's Principle.

 
State Standards:


     If completed correctly, the following standards are used in the activity above. More standards could be used by including spin-offs of the activity. For example, a paper could be written about the information gathered about flight. Also, the planes and planets could be decorated which would include fine arts.
http://www.state.sd.us/deca/OCTA/contentstandards/index.htm

Number indicates standard number

THIRD GRADE MEASUREMENT STANDARDS
THE STUDENT WILL:
 
1. measure time within fractions of a second. (example: stop watch)
4. explore unit relationships within a system of measurement. (example: four quarts = a gallon)
6. estimate and measure length to the nearest quarter inch or the nearest centimeter.
7. measure and compare objects using measurable attributes. (could measure planes)

THIRD GRADE STATISTICS & PROBABILITY STANDARDS
THE STUDENT WILL:

1. represent data in line plots, bar graphs, tables, or tally charts using appropriate form and scales for the data.
3. ask and answer relevant questions from data represented in charts, tables, and graphs.

THIRD GRADE NATURE OF SCIENCE STANDARDS
STUDENTS WILL:

4. describe scientific contributions made by people worldwide.
6. gather, chart, and graph data.
7. use appropriate standard and metric measures to collect, record, and report data.
10. use appropriate scientific equipment for investigations.
11. use proper safety procedures in all investigations.

THIRD GRADE PHYSICAL SCIENCE STANDARDS
STUDENTS WILL:

8. explain the cause and effect of motion.

THIRD GRADE EARTH/SPACE SCIENCE STANDARDS
STUDENTS WILL:

7. describe how the Earth is one of several planets that orbit the sun, and the moon orbits Earth.

Credits:
Resource: South Dakota Department of Education Content Standards
 

Questions, comments or ideas for Kids Quest can be e-mailed to Edservices@sdpb.org