Grade 6 Flight Lesson

Sean Calmels, Maddison Crowther, Jessica MacLeod, & Jessica Woollings

 Curriculum
Overall Expectations
2. Developing Investigation and Communication Skills
3. Understanding Basic Concepts

Specific Expectations
2.4 use technological problem-solving skills to design,
build, and test a flying device
2.5 use appropriate science and technology vocabulary,
including aerodynamics, compress, flight, glide, propel,
drag, thrust, and lift, in oral and written communication
3.3 identify and describe the four forces of flight – lift,
weight, drag, and thrust
Learning Goals
and Success
Criteria
Students will be able to design and build a parachute that will be
able to hold some weight as it descends to the ground.

◇ I can draw a parachute design that will be effective holding

some weight
◇ I can use at least three different materials to construct my
parachute
◇ I can record the time it takes my parachute to descend on a
stopwatch or cellphone.
◇ I can identify what I would improve on my design and why.
 Minds on

Weight : Weight is a force that is always directed

towards the center of the earth

Drag : the resistance of the air against the aircraft

Action: Design
Challenge → Build
a Parachute
❖ Design and build a parachute that takes the longest
amount of time to descend to the ground. Parachute
must contain some weight for gravity.

❖ In groups draw a diagram of your design. Use any

of the materials provided and build your parachute.

❖ Materials: Tissue paper, plastic bags, elastics, string,

ribbon, tape, hole punch, scizzors, toilet paper,
coffee filters, pipe cleaners, wooden beads, weight
(standardized)
Action: Design
Challenge → Build
a Parachute
Step 1: Plan and draw your parachute design on handout
Step 2: Gather at least three different materials to construct
parachute
Step 3: Conduct practice trials with your parachute in case you
need to add or fix any elements of your design.
Step 4: When the timer beeps, it is time to test our parachutes to
see whose took the longest to descend to the ground.
Step 5: Fill in what you would improve in your design and why?
 Consolidation:
Things to Consider
◇ What materials were used to make an effective
parachute?

◇ If you wanted to improve your parachute, what

observations have you made that you would change?

◇ How does the height of which you hold the parachute

at, change the amount of time it takes to descend?

◇ If you wanted to make the parachute get to the ground

the fastest what do you predict you could do?