This lesson allows children to work together to construct a flyer that will stay afloat the length of ten feet. Not only is this lesson good for teaching various ideas related to science, but it also gives students a chance to problem solve together and to think creatively. Teachers can use this as a character education lesson or a fun lesson related to a given science unit.
With this exploration children are not given any explicit instructions for crafting the flyer. They are given paper, scissors, and tape. The teacher tells each group of three that they have thirty minutes to construct a flying craft that will fly the length of ten feet, which can be marked off with meter sticks or tape on the floor.
During the thirty minute period children work with their fellow engineers discussing ideas and making various crafts. During the thirty minute construction period children can test their flyer up to two times to see what modifications it may need. After thirty minutes is up each group meets to test their flyers. After each group has tested its flyer the teacher gathers the children to discuss failures or successes.
What I enjoy as a fifth grade teacher in doing this lesson is that it allows for interpretation. The first thing many groups may want to do is go straight to the standard paper airplane construction or even try something more elaborate while others may simply interpret the construction as something as simple as crumbling up a piece of paper into a ball. After all, the directions are to create a flyer that will make it ten feet. There is no indication as to what the craft has to look like.
In the end, the discussions may lead to scientific discoveries relating to surface area, aerodynamics, weight of design, and other ideas. In essence, this cooperative learning/problem solving activity can also serve a dual purpose when relating it to science. Teachers may even want to tie it to mathematics by incorporating a graph of distances.