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Instructional Resources

Series Info

Episodes: 2

Length: 30 min.

Grade Levels:
Kindegarten, Kindergarten, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

Subjects:
Science

Aerospace Academy

Investigate, discover, and soar! Aerospace Academy is a series of learning labs where students become test pilots with paper airplanes, observe the forces of flight with boomerangs, and examine the concepts of space exploration. Each lab uses hands-on activities, experiments, and inquiry-based demonstrations. Based at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, Aerospace Educators-in-Residence teach the scientific theories, historical aspects, and key terminology of aerospace aviation.

Episode Guide

1. Paper Airplane Design—Stability and Balance! (Grades 3-8)—In this Aerospace Academy lab, students create paper airplanes then manipulate the weight to test the center of gravity and center of lift of the design. Using the scientific method, students conduct the experiment, collect data and track results to prove or disprove their hypothesis. Students will need pages 3 & 4 from the Learning Lab: Paper Airplane Design during the program.

2. We Can Fly—Airport 101 and Boomerang Basics! (Grades K-3)—In this Aerospace Academy lab, students learn the important steps of going on a commercial flight thorough a story-based lesson. Plus, the four basic forces of flight are demonstrated in clever examples that will captivate your younger students. Then, students create their own boomerang to see these principles in action.

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