Introduction

Hi! Your coffee mug is hanging on its usual hook on the wall. Pour yourself a cup, and have a seat here while you take some time to review all the instructional materials that can be found in the Lounge. Please, excuse the dust as we are still remodeling certain corners of the Lounge. Despite the remodeling there are plenty of materials from which you can choose. If you want to teach a mini-unit about the Wright Brothers and infuse the modern technology and aeronautics aspect into it, you'll find it in the Lounge. If you would prefer to make a day or two of it and focus on the Wright Flyer and the wind tunnel tests, you could do that instead. In other words, these materials were designed to allow you to pick and choose as you structure your own mini-unit or thematic day's activities around the Wright Flyer Replica. Below you will find a synopsis of each subsection of the Lounge. We hope you find these materials helpful and informative as you seek to enrich your own curriculum with these supplemental materials. Enjoy!

Language Arts

Using the short novel Countdown to Flight! delve into this complete literature unit that includes lots of writing activities as you follow the Wright Brothers through their problem solving processes on their way to flight.

For those of you who prefer not to do a full-blown literature unit, but do wish to provide your students with some writing experiences then this is a section for you. It contains three writing prompts dealing with the Wright Brothers.

Science

If you would like to create a science experience in aeronautics using the Wright Flyer Replica as the frame for your students, you will find what you need in this subsection. It includes four simple, hands-on experiments as well as lead-up activities to the wind tunnel tests.

Social Studies

So, you want to create an across-the-curriculum or thematic mini-unit around the Wright Flyer Replica experience? You will find in this subsection an array of history and social studies' activities that range from basic timeline work to a radio interview.

Mathematics

This subsection correlates directly to the actual data that will be gathered on the Wright Flyer Replica during wind tunnel tests. There are a few lead-up activities to the wind tunnel tests and then, of course, activities which deal directly with manipulating the data to answer scientific questions.

Additional Resources

If we have only served to whet your appetite with the aforementioned materials and you have a need for more, then check out this list of both teacher and student materials. These lists contain additional web sites, books and associations that provide you with a vast array of aeronautical knowledge and Wright Brothers' information.