Flight
Soar: Short Film
We have chosen this video clip as a hook for your Flight topic within STEM for your KS2 class.
Your class will follow the young girl as she attempts to create a flying machine. After some failed attempts, an unexpected visitor helps her find the solution to taking flight.
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Flight Pack Overview KS2
This is an overview of our Flight pack aimed at KS2 classes.
This will give a brief explanation and guide as to where this STEM topic will begin and end, outlining the key learning principles, experiments, knowledge acquisition and other learning opportunities.
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Main Focus: Planning and Thinking about Flight
Use the KWL grid to identify what you know about flight and what you want to learn about flight.
At the end of your topic, revisit this page and reflect on your learning. Make a note of all the things that you learned.
Your KS2 class will also create a mind map of their starting knowledge. We have also included some questions to help guide some of your class who you may think may benefit.
Main Focus: Four Forces in Flight
This activity focuses on the four forces in flight and is aimed at Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6 classes.
An aeroplane in flight is acted on by four forces:
LIFT is the upward acting force. It holds the aeroplane in the air.
WEIGHT or GRAVITY is the downward acting force.
THRUST is the forward acting force.
DRAG is the backward acting force (also called wind resistance).
Your class will label the diagram with the four forces, look at definitions and answers questions.
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Main Focus: The Bernoulli Principle
In this STEM / STEAM activity linked to Flight, your class will explore the Bernoulli Principle to gain understanding of how a plane actually flies and set up an experiment to demonstrate it.
The Bernoulli principle is the understanding that air flowing over the wings of the
aeroplane can give it upward lift.
Let’s Experiment!
Create the effect of the Bernoulli principle using a strip of paper.
- Cut a piece of paper to measure 2cm wide by 10cm long.
- Gently hold the piece of paper just below your bottom lip. Noticehow the paper is curved downwards and hangs.
- Now blow. Begin softly and increase in strength. By blowing across the top of the paper, you are creating low pressure. The paper will begin to lift like magic!
Main Focus: Investigating Lift
In this activity your class will investigate lift.
Your class will make a game that demonstrates the force of lift. They will make a game that levitates a small ball using only a straw, some paper, a little bit of plasticine and some air!
This resource explain the process and explores everything you need for a great STEM lesson to investigate lift with your KS2 class.
Main Focus: Investigating Weight
In this activity your class will investigate weight. Weight is the opposing force to lift. Without the right amount of weight to oppose the force of lift, an object will continue to float upwards.
In this STEM resource, your Ks2 class are challenged to design and engineer an air balloon that can hover. To determine this, they will have to find how much weight it takes to enable a helium balloon to hover.
Main Focus: Investigating Thrust
The balloon rocket experiment is a fun way to demonstrate the power of compressed air and thrust. The compressed air inside the balloon works like a jet engine. As it escapes through the small hole at the end, it forces the balloon along, a bit like air escaping from the exhaust of the jet engine.
This resource guides your Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6 class to the planning and implementation of a successful experiment.
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Main Focus: Vocabulary Extension
This resources explores all the key vocabulary associated with a propellor powered car.
Your class will watch the video clip and use the word bank to complete the sentences.
You can further challenge your class by allowing them to watch the video and retell it in their own words using key vocabulary provided ion the form of an explanation report.
The words explored are: friction, inertia, thrust, potential energy, kinetic energy, wheels, stability, converted, propellor blades, rubber bands and wheelbase.
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Main Focus: Thrust Experiment
In this task, we are going to demonstrate how we can create thrust to make an object move. To do this, we will build a self-propelled car using an elastic band and a propellor. As the propellor blade turns, air is pulled in and then pushed out in an opposite direction. This creates thrust.
Main Focus: Investigating Drag
This STEM resource aimed at KS2 has been designed for your class to investigate the effect of drag. Your class will complete the activities sheets provided, learn about drag and conduct an experiment and record their method and results.
What do you want to find out?
You want to find out which paper aeroplane design is the most aerodynamic.
How will you test this?
Make three paper aeroplanes. Throw each aeroplane three times and record how far they travel.
Work in teams of two or three students. Record one sheet per group.
What equipment do you need?
A4 sheets of paper, a trundle wheel or tape measure, recording sheet.
What is your control?
Each aeroplane will use only 1 sheet of A4 paper.
What is your variable?
The variable is the design of paper aeroplane.
What is drag?
Drag is a force that both opposes thrust and is a byproduct of lift. It is a type of friction, making objects harder to move and it slows them down. Aircraft are designed to reduce friction as much as possible. This is called aerodynamics.
Main Focus: Investigating Drag Experiment and Vocabulary
This activity focuses on investigating drag, carrying out an experiment and looked at the vocabulary associated.
What is drag?
Drag is a force that both opposes thrust and is a byproduct of lift. It is a type of friction, making objects harder to move. Look at the picture below. The sprinter has a chute attached to her body and this will create drag and slow her down. As the chute expands, it creates drag, forcing the sprinter to work harder which, in turn, builds overall strength.
Main Focus: Design a Flying Toy
This resource involves your Ks2 class planning and designing a flying toy.
STEM Challenge: Imagine that you are the owner of a toy company and want to design a new flying toy! Before you can make the toy, you will need to plan. Use the following information to help you plan your new toy. You will then present your idea to the class and build your toy!
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Main Focus: History of Flight - Timeline
Your Year 4, Year 5, Year 6 class can research events and place them on the timeline in chronological order. We have also included a list of key events to order should they require it or leave out some significant events.
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