Flight Day

“The most valuable resource that all teachers have... is each other”. R. J. Meehan

Four teachers with Stettler Elementary School demonstrated this with such effectiveness that I have asked them to be guest bloggers here today. Have a look at this extraordinary endeavour.

The project itself was about flight with an original driving question surrounding the importance of flight, how it has evolved and is evolving, and how these changes will affect us in the future. Albeit brief, the following are some of the curriculum implications that align with the project.

During a directed Math lesson, the students started by finding the local airport using Google Maps. After printing the maps, the scale had to be determined by measuring the bar line offered and comparing it to the actual distances. The scale given was used to calculate the actual length and width of one of the buildings and of the runway.  When students were finished these tasks, they were encouraged to research the lengths of other runways at larger airports and were in awe of the amount land belonging to airport authorities.

During their Social Studies lessons, the students have been studying the different types of taxes people pay, including income tax, property tax and the Goods and Services Tax, mainly with regard to how the government keeps things equitable for Canadian citizens by using tax dollars to provide services. They used an authentic airline itinerary to explore the cost of flying, and the types of taxes that may be added to flight costs.

On the actual Flight Day, the students created a fleet of paper airplanes that they had to design in order to complete four given tasks. That being: to sustain the longest flight, to be able to hit a target, to fly in a straight line and finally to have the longest flight. They focused on the parts of the plane in order to control the direction the paper airplane flew.

In Language Arts the students discussed imagery and envisioned their flights on Saturday.  They wrote descriptive paragraphs to demonstrate what they thought they would see, hear, smell, and feel.  With that task completed and the compiled information, the students wrote short narratives that they acted out.

The photos that are included in this post are but a few, but demonstrate how engaged the students were and the true joy of working together through this valuable endeavour.

I'm so grateful for dedicated people who continue to reach and teach our children.
~ Ellyn