Week 8: June 3-7

Airplane Experiments 1-2

This week we expanded our inquiry into the Scientific Method by conducting two airplane experiments.  The first experiment was more of a trial run while the second allowed them to revise their hypothesis and designs.  

Experiment 1:

Students divide into five groups and search through an origami airplane book to select a design that they predicted would fly the farthest.  Students set to work constructing their planes using origami paper.  We wrote all the data for our experiment according to the Scientific Method: Purpose, Research, Hypothesis, Experiment.  

After doing all the prep work we headed to the park where students took it in turn to fly their designated plane one by one.  They used a tape measure to record the distance of each plane and wrote it in their UoI notebooks for all five rounds.  

Back in the classroom students applied their math skills to calculate the average distance of all five rounds for each group and determined whose plane flew the farthest.  They finished writing their Analysis and Conclusion (the last two steps of the Scientific Method).  Students were a bit disappointed with the results and kept thinking of ways to improve their design which led us to...

Experiment 2:

In an attempt to improve results of their flights, students selected a new design after doing more research.  They also had the freedom to use different paper and materials.  Some predicted construction paper would be better while others thought wider wings might improve flight distance. Students revised their hypothesis and research to construct a new design.  We repeated our experiment at the park and calculated data results to determine the plane that flew the farthest distance on average.  Most students were happy with the improvement in the flight.