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Flight for Teachers and Parents
As America marks the 100th anniversary of the Wright brothers' first airplane flight, this site will help kids learn about the stories behind the celebration.
Visitors can find out about how Orville and Wilbur Wright became interested in flight and how they tried to get their ideas off the ground. The site also highlights other firsts, like the first U.S. Air Mail pilots and early stunt pilots or barnstormers like Bessie Coleman, who was also the first African American woman pilot. A modern-day barnstormer (and commercial pilot) Susan Dacy tells kids what got her interested in flying and what keeps her excited. And a glimpse at the history of aviation is revealed through portraits of aviation pioneers.
For Teachers:
- The idea of human flight has captured the human imagination for centuries and it inspired some fascinating historical characters. This subject offers fertile ground for exploring biographies. Students can look through the biographical sketches included here in the People to Know section or do some library research to identify someone they want to investigate. Have them read at least two or three biographies -- which could include picture-book biographies as well as longer books -- and compare them. How do the depictions of their person differ in each book? What does each book focus on? Do they contradict each other? What do they know about the author's credentials and sources? This type of investigation can help them understand the importance of selecting accurate sources for research and what elements contribute to the accuracy of a biography.
- Another way to bring historical personalities to life is through readers' theater and historical recreations. Students can choose a character to research and then dress up as their character and take turns trying to stump their classmates by presenting facts about themselves and having the other students guess who they are portraying. An interesting book for readers' theater is Talkin' about Bessie: The Story of Aviator Elizabeth Coleman by Nikki Grimes. In this book, people from Bessie's life come together to mourn after her death, each presenting memories of Bessie in free verse poetry. Students can take turns reading each character's reminiscences or use the book to put on a play about Bessie Coleman's life.
- After reading the feature stories and People to Know sections of this site, as a class brainstorm a list of all the ways we use airplanes -- e.g., to deliver mail, to fight wars, to travel long distances quickly for vacations and business, to quickly deliver organs for transplant, etc. Then talk about other ways to accomplish the same goal and what the repercussions would be if we didn't have airplanes.
- The Wright brothers' story, described in Wright Flight, is one of determination and perseverance. It is also a valuable description of what goes into inventing something as well as the process of science: making a hypothesis, testing it, recording the results, changing one variable, testing it again, and so on. Have students plot the steps the Wright brothers took to reach their goal. Each step of the way, what were the Wright brothers testing? What was the result? What did they change? What did they test next? Students can work together to create a bulletin board display celebrating their achievement and illustrating each step in their creative process along an underlying timeline.
For Parents:
- Help your kids follow up on the people that interest them in the People to Know section. Your library has many books on the history of aviation as well as wonderful biographies of many of the people involved. Some titles to check out:
- To Fly: The Story of the Wright Brothers by Wendie Old
- Talkin' about Bessie: The Story of Aviator Elizabeth Coleman by Nikki Grimes
- Amelia Earhart: Free in the Skies by Robert Burleigh
- Tomboy of the Air: Daredevil Pilot Blanche Stuart Scott by Julie Cummins
- The Tuskegee Airmen Story by Lynn M. Homan and Thomas Reilly
- Flight by Robert Burleigh, about Charles Lindbergh's first solo transatlantic flight
- Wright Flight outlines the Wright brothers' creative process. They approached the problem they wanted to solve step by step, testing an idea, observing the results, changing a variable, testing again, etc. Their story is an excellent depiction of science process skills your child will be using in school (it's also a good example of not getting discouraged!). You can help support her or his ability to do science by encouraging them to apply science process skills at home. But don't worry, we're only talking about making paper airplanes! Try building a paper airplane that can fly the farthest. Try a design, test it, record the distance, and then change one thing. Maybe your child wants to fold or tear wing flaps. Maybe she or he wants to add a paper clip to the nose. The important thing is to only change one variable each time so you know what is making the difference. You can find lots of other fun experiments with flight your kids can do at home in the ZOOMsci area of the ZOOM Web site.
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