Unit: RTII

4/6/16

Date:

Lesson:
Weighted Paper Airplanes
Time: 9:30-10:00

Academic Standard(s):
S4.A.1.3.2: Describe relative size, distance, or motion.
3.4.4.C1:Understand that there is no perfect design.
3.4.4.D1: Investigate how things are made and how they can be improved.

Objectives/Essential Questions (including assessment prompts can be helpful)

Given a paper airplane and some coins, students will be able to test their designs
and
Given three story stones (stones with objects on them ex. Cat, car) students will be
able to write a story that includes all three objects on their stones.
Materials Needed:
paper, coins, smartboard
Motivational Device/Bell Ringer (5 minutes):
We will first do the math/ stem portion of RTII for the first 30 minutes. To introduce
the paper airplane activity I will tell the students that today they will be making
paper airplanes. The students thoroughly enjoy making these every day and will be
thrilled that they can make them without getting in trouble. I will display my
PowerPoint and have the students start by making a paper airplane with their
partner
Lesson Outline: (20)

Once the paper airplane is constructed the students will need to look
up at the smartboard while I explain the directions of the experiment.

After the instructions are given, the students will have 15 minutes to
work with their partners to create an airplane that can fly with the
most cargo (weight from coins)

I will be walking around the room to observe what/how each team is

doing

When the timer goes off after the 15 minutes, all of the students will
gather on the rug with their plane

We will test each plane one by one to see if they can actually fly

The plane that is able to fly with the highest dollar amount in coins
wins!

Differentiation: This lesson will be taught during RTII. Each student in this group has
similar strengths and weakness in math and reading and were group according to
that. I will try to give the students exposure to various activities that will be tailored
to their needs.
Formative assessment: During the activity I will be walking around and asking the
students questions to check for their understanding. I will also be able to get a
better understanding of how the students will do on their activity when we test out
each plane.
Challenging Questions for Higher Ordered Thinking (plan these and where
you may want to insert them into your lesson.)
Why do you think it was smarter to put dimes on your plane rather than nickels?
Why do you think that some teams were able to get more coins on their airplanes
than others?
Closure (2 min):
The lesson will end with each student heading back to their seats. I will ask the
students questions about the experiment such as, Why do you think that some
teams were able to get more coins on their airplanes that other? and Do you think
it would have been smarter to use dimes rather than nickels and pennies?
Additional Notes if any:

Reflection after lesson is taught (use prompts provided by university

supervisor).