Mini Missions: Forces of Flight

Grades 4-12; 70 – 90 min

Topics Covered

The Four Main Forces of Flight: Gravity/Weight, Lift, Drag, and Thrust

Overview

Students will explore the basics of the four forces of flight—gravity, lift, drag, and thrust—through hands-on activities.

Activity 1: Force Stations: Students explore the forces of flight through outdoor activities such as running, beach ball play, frisbee throwing, parachute simulations, and jumping. Path A (40 min) rotates through stations with pre-set activities to experience each force individually, while Path B (60 min) has teams work independently to design and demonstrate their own activities for each force using provided materials.

Activity 2: Rubber Band Rocket Launch and Forces Analysis (30 min): Students will observe how these forces interact at different stages of flight by experimenting with simple rubber band rockets.

Materials

  • Beach ball(s)
  • Trash bags
  • Frisbees
  • Post-it notes
  • Timer
  • Rubber bands
  • Tape
  • Straws
  • Wood skewers
  • Foam blocks
  • Goggles
  • Worksheet

Standards

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4-PS3-1

Use evidence to construct an explanation relating the speed of an object to the energy of that object.

4-PS3-4

Apply scientific ideas to design, test, and refine a device that converts energy from one form to another.

5-PS2-1

Support an argument that the gravitational force exerted by Earth on objects is directed down.

3-5-ETS1-2

Generate and compare multiple possible solutions to a problem based on how well each is likely to meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.

MS-PS2-2

Plan an investigation to provide evidence that the change in an object’s motion depends on the sum of the forces on the object and the mass of the object.

HS-PS2-1

Analyze data to support the claim that Newton’s second law of motion describes the mathematical relationship among the net force on a macroscopic object, its mass, and its acceleration.

Estes-LP2-06

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Dianea Phillips (Kirkland, QC)
Awesome Mini Missions

These are going to be super helpful for our Aviation and Aerospace Units!

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