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✈️ Weeks 2-3: Flight Fundamentals

Unit Overview
Grade Level Grades 3-4
Duration 2 sessions (40 min each)
Curriculum Year B
STREAM Focus S (Science), T (Tech), E (Engineering)

Weeks 2-3: Flight Fundamentals

🎯 Learning Objectives

STEM Objectives

Students will be able to: 1. Name and explain the four forces of flight 2. Understand basic aerodynamic principles 3. Test wing shapes and designs 4. Collect and analyze flight data

Faith Integration Objectives

Students will be able to: 1. Appreciate human creativity reflecting God's image 2. Learn about early flight innovators 3. Connect perseverance to faith

Weeks 2-3: Flight Fundamentals

🙏 Faith-Reason Integration

Catholic Teaching Connection

Human Creativity — God gave humans the ability to dream, design, and create. When we study flight and build aircraft, we're using the creative gifts God gave us, made in His image.

Scripture Connection

"If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me." — Psalm 139:9-10

Saint Connection

Bl. Bartolomeu Lourenço de Gusmão — A Portuguese priest and scientist who invented an early hot air balloon in 1709, over 70 years before the Montgolfier brothers! He's called the "Father of Aeronautics" and showed that faith and scientific innovation go together.

📚 Materials Needed

Week 2

  • Images/videos of early flight

  • Paper for demonstrations

  • Fans or hair dryers (Bernoulli demo)

  • Four Forces diagram

  • Science journals

Week 3

  • Various paper types

  • Straws, tape, scissors

  • Stopwatches/timers

  • Measuring tape

  • Data recording sheets

  • Test area (hall or outdoor)

📝 Week 2 Procedure (40 minutes)

Opening Prayer (2 min)

"God of the skies, You created birds that soar on the wind! Thank You for giving us curious minds that dreamed of flight. Bless our learning today. Help us be creative like Bl. Bartolomeu. Amen."

Flight History (8 min)

The dream of flight:

Early ideas:

  • Leonardo da Vinci's drawings

  • Myths and legends (Icarus)

  • Hot air balloons

  • Gliders

Bl. Bartolomeu's story:

  • Portuguese priest in early 1700s

  • Designed "Passarola" (flying machine)

  • Demonstrated hot air balloon to King John V

  • Suffered persecution for his ideas

  • Persevered with faith

Discussion:

  • "Why did humans want to fly?"

  • "How did Bl. Bartolomeu show faith AND science?"

  • "What does perseverance mean for inventors?"

The Four Forces of Flight (12 min)

Every aircraft experiences these forces:

1. LIFT ⬆️

  • Pushes up

  • Created by wings

  • Needs air moving over wings

  • Bernoulli's Principle

2. GRAVITY/WEIGHT ⬇️

  • Pulls down

  • Earth's pull on the aircraft

  • Must overcome to fly

3. THRUST ➡️

  • Pushes forward

  • From engines, propellers, or your arm (paper planes!)

  • Creates movement through air

4. DRAG ⬅️

  • Pushes backward

  • Air resistance

  • Slows things down

Demonstration:

  • Paper drop: gravity vs air resistance

  • Blow across paper: Bernoulli's principle

  • Walk with paper flat vs edge: drag

  • Fan across wing shape: lift

Balance:

  • "For level flight: Lift = Weight, Thrust = Drag"

  • "To climb: Lift > Weight"

  • "To speed up: Thrust > Drag"

Wing Shape Exploration (15 min)

Investigate wing shapes:

Part 1: Airfoil shape

  • Curved top, flatter bottom

  • Air moves faster over top

  • Lower pressure above → LIFT!

Make a simple airfoil:

  • Strip of paper

  • Fold and tape to create curve

  • Blow across — watch it lift!

Part 2: Different shapes

  • Wide vs narrow wings

  • Pointed vs rounded tips

  • Flat vs curved surfaces

Record observations:

  • Draw wings in journal

  • Note which shapes seemed better

  • Questions for next week

Closing (3 min)

Preview: "Next week we'll test paper airplane designs and apply what we learned about the four forces!"

Journal entry:

  • Draw the four forces on a plane

  • Write one thing you learned

  • One question you still have

Closing Prayer: "Thank You, God, for the science of flight! Thank You for creative people throughout history who dreamed and experimented. Help us use our gifts to create things that serve others. Amen."

📝 Week 3 Procedure (40 minutes)

Opening Prayer (2 min)

"God of wind and sky, bless our experiments today! Help us learn from both success and failure. Give us perseverance like Bl. Bartolomeu. Amen."

Quick Review (3 min)

Four Forces Quiz:

  • "What pushes up?" (Lift)

  • "What pulls down?" (Gravity/Weight)

  • "What pushes forward?" (Thrust)

  • "What slows things down?" (Drag)

"Today we'll see how these forces affect paper airplanes!"

Wing Testing Station (20 min)

Experiment setup:

Test different designs:

  • Design A: Classic dart (narrow, pointed)

  • Design B: Glider (wide, flat wings)

  • Design C: Student modification

Variables to test:

  • Distance traveled

  • Time in air

  • Stability (straight flight?)

Procedure: 1. Build each design (5 min) 2. Test each 3 times 3. Record data 4. Calculate averages

Data table: | Design | Trial 1 | Trial 2 | Trial 3 | Average | |--------|---------|---------|---------|---------| | Dart | | | | | | Glider | | | | | | Custom | | | | |

Fair testing rules:

  • Same throw force

  • Same height

  • Same starting spot

  • Measure consistently

Data Analysis (10 min)

Discuss results:

  • Which flew farthest? Why?

  • Which stayed up longest? Why?

  • Connect to four forces:

  • "How does wing shape affect lift?"
  • "Which had least drag?"
  • "Which caught more air?"

Class data comparison:

  • Share results

  • Look for patterns

  • Best designs

Engineering reflection:

  • "What would you change?"

  • "How is this like real aircraft design?"

  • "Why do engineers test over and over?"

Closing (5 min)

Connect to faith:

  • "Bl. Bartolomeu tried many designs before success"

  • "Failure teaches us — it's part of God's plan for learning"

  • "Perseverance is a virtue!"

Journal entry:

  • Tape best design in journal

  • Write what you learned from testing

  • How did the four forces affect your plane?

Preview: "Next week begins the Paper Airplane Challenge — design the BEST plane for a specific purpose!"

Closing Prayer: "Thank You, God, for teaching us through experiments! Thank You that failure helps us learn. Help us have perseverance like the inventors who dreamed of flight. Bless Bl. Bartolomeu and all who used their faith to fuel their creativity. Amen."

📎 Home Connection

"We learned about the four forces of flight: Lift, Weight, Thrust, and Drag! We also learned about Bl. Bartolomeu de Gusmão, a priest who invented early aircraft. Ask your child to explain the four forces using their hands, and test some paper airplane designs together!"

✅ Assessment

  • Can name and explain four forces of flight

  • Understands how wing shape affects lift

  • Collected accurate data from experiments

  • Made connections between data and forces

Lesson Version: 1.0 — Year B | **