The airplanes unit begins with a lesson on how airplanes create lift, which involves a discussion of air pressure and how wings use Bernoulli's principle to change air pressure. Next, students explore the other three forces acting on airplanes thrust, weight and drag. Following these lessons, students learn how airplanes are controlled and use paper airplanes to demonstrate these principles. The final lessons addresses societal and technological impacts that airplanes have had on our world. Students learn about different kinds of airplanes and then design and build their own balsa wood airplanes based on what they have learned.

This short video and interactive assessment activity is designed to teach fourth graders about using lists to solve multi-step problems with single units (metric capacities) - word problems.

This short video and interactive assessment activity is designed to teach fourth graders about using pictures to balance a scale (metric units).

This short video and interactive assessment activity is designed to teach fourth graders about using a scale and subtraction to find weight in grams.

This short video and interactive assessment activity is designed to teach fourth graders about visual differences in length (english units).

This short video and interactive assessment activity is designed to teach fourth graders about visually comparing weight and balancing a scale (metric units).

This short video and interactive assessment activity is designed to teach fourth graders about visually finding weights and calculate totals (metric units).

This short video and interactive assessment activity is designed to teach fourth graders about visually finding capacity (metric units).

There's no need to don a space suit if you want to experience weightlessness. In this video segment adapted from ZOOM, two members of the cast drop a cup of water with holes in it to demonstrate how free fall can create a momentary condition of "weightlessness".
Recommended for: Grades K-8

Students begin to explore the idea of a force. To further their understanding of drag, gravity and weight, they conduct activities that model the behavior of parachutes and helicopters. An associated literacy activity engages the class to recreate the Wright brothers' first flight in the style of the "You Are There" television series.

Students learn about friction and drag two different forces that convert energy of motion to heat. Both forces can act on a moving object and decrease its velocity. Students learn examples of friction and drag, and suggest ways to reduce the impact of these forces. The equation that governs common frictional forces is introduced, and during a hands-on activity, students experimentally measure a coefficient of friction.

In this open-ended design activity, students use everyday materials milk cartons, water bottles, pencils, straws, candy to build small-scale transportation devices. They incorporate the use two simple machines a wheel and axle, and a lever into their designs. Student pairs choose their materials and engineer solutions suitable to convey pyramid-building materials (small blocks of clay). They race their carts/trucks, measuring distance, time and weight; and then calculate speed.