The Wright Brothers
Jill Botkins
Gwen Miller
Julie Eickmeyer
Stephanie McIntire
Stephanie Waldbillig
Table of Contents
Slide Name
Introduction to unit
Content to be covered (daily schedule)
Objectives for the unit
Activities for the week
Evaluation
Resources
Slide #
3
4-6
7-8
9-14
15-19
20-32
Introduction

In favor of Dayton history, we want to educate our
children on famous people from the area where
they are growing up. Two of the most famous
from this area are the Wright brothers, Orville and
Wilbur.
 This 6 day unit on the Wright brothers and their
famous flights is geared toward third grade
students through activities, books, videos, and
field trips.
Content

Concepts and Vocabulary
Wilbur and Orville Wright
Wright Flyer
Trial and Error
The Wright Cycle Company
Sequence of Events
Bicycles
Prefixes of Bi &Uni
Tinker
Prone
Overseas
Katherine Wright
Kitty Hawk
Aviation
Native
History
Biplanes
Aerodynamics
Track
Dejected
Gliders
Content
1. Who are the Wright brothers?
A brief introduction to Orville and Wilbur
Wright will be conducted on the first day of the
unit. Subject discussed will be the history of
their lives.
2. The Origin of Flight…
Basic information about flight before and during
the lives of the Wright brothers will be taught on
the second day. If time allows, students will
compare and contrast the Wright Flyer with
modern day planes.
Content Continued…
3. How did they fly?
On the third day we will discuss how, when, and
why the Wright brothers moved their test flight
to Kitty Hawk. A video will be viewed.
4. Field Trip…
Today we will take a field trip to the Carillon
Historical Park. Students will participate in the
Wright Brother’s Educational Program. They
will also see the actual Wright Flyer and a
replica of the print shop and the bicycle shop.
Content Continued…
5. The Wright brother’s travel…
The fourth day we will discuss other places of
testing the flyer around the world, and why they
decided to test the flyer in these locations.
6. Wrap-Up…
Students will discuss what they have learned in
this unit and prepare a time line of the lives of
the Wright brothers.
Objectives
The students will…
1. Complete a KWL chart with the teacher.
2. Discuss and review the book read by the teacher.
3. View a video of the Wright brothers.
4. Demonstrate their understanding of aerodynamics
by creating paper airplane designs.
5. Learn about various weather concepts.
6. Compare and contrast local weather conditions
with those at Kitty Hawk, NC.
Objectives Continued…
7. Fully experience the Carillon Historical Park.
8. Write about experiences at Carillon Historical
Park.
9. Plot the Wright brothers’ travels on an
interactive globe and display them on a map.
10. Create an original art project about the lives of
Wilbur & Orville.
11. Create a time line on the lives of the Wright
brothers.
12. Complete a written examination with minimum
75% accuracy.
Activities
DAY 1
Introduction - The teacher will introduce who
the Wright brother’s were by reading Taking
Flight: The Story of the Wright Brothers
written by Stephen Krensky.
Development – Students will discuss and
review the information from the above
book.
Culminating Activity – Students will
collaborate on a KWL chart as a class.
Activities Continued…
DAY 2
Introduction – Students will view the first 5
minutes of the video (The Wright Brothers at
Kitty Hawk).
Development – Students will take an in depth
look at several attempts at flight prior to the
Wright brothers. We will also look at the
original Wright Flyers (A & B).
Culminating Activity – Students will experiment
with aerodynamics by creating their own paper
airplane designs and testing them. A discussion
will follow on what worked and why.
Activities Continued…
DAY 3
Introduction – Students will finish the video
from day two. (about 20 minutes)
Development – We will have a discussion of
the geography of North Carolina including
weather and atmospheric conditions.
Culminating Activity – An analysis of current
weather conditions in our area in
comparison to those at Kitty Hawk.
Activities Continued…
DAY 4
Introduction – Prepare students with rules,
expectations, and a summary of the day’s
activities.
Development – Students will fully experience
the Carillon Historical Park exhibit on the
Wright Brothers.
Culminating Activities - Students will have a
discussion on what they saw and learned.
Students will then illustrate and write about
what they experienced.
Activities Continued…
DAY 5
Introduction – Teacher will inform students of the
variety of travels the Wright brothers took over
seas.
Development – Students will plot the Wright
brothers’ travels on an interactive globe and
display them on a map.
Culminating Activities – Students will be given the
choice of creating and performing a skit, making a
model flyer, or another original art project on the
Wright brothers.
Activities Continued…
DAY 6
Introduction - Review information from the
whole unit.
Development – Students will create a time
line on the lives of the Wright brothers.
Culminating Activity – Students will complete
a written examination with minimum 75%
accuracy.
Evaluation Questions (Multiple Choice)
1. The name of the Wright Brother’s bicycle
shop was___________.
a) The Wright Cycle Company
b) The Hanger
c) The Bike Shop
d) The Dayton Cyclery
2. Kitty Hawk is located in what state?
a) Ohio
b) California
c) North Carolina
d) South Carolina
3. Which of the Wright brothers was born in
Indiana?
a) Orville
b) Harold
c) Wilbur
d) Katherine
4. What year was the Wright brothers first
successful flight?
a) 1903
b) 1930
c) 1919
d) 1980
5. The Wright brothers had a _______________.
a) bicycle shop
b) print shop
c) a & b
d) none of the above
Evaluation Questions (objective)
1. What are the famous Wright brother’s first
names? ___________ & _____________
2. The Wright brothers had a sister named
Katherine? True or False
Evaluation Questions (essay)
Use Complete Sentences
1. Why did Wilbur and Orville Wright choose
Kitty Hawk, NC for their test flights?
2. Describe the first test flight of the Wright
Flyer 1.
Resources (teacher – books)

The Wright Brothers: How They Invented the Airplane written by
Russell Freedman
(A narrative explaining the origin of the brother’s first airplane)

Kitty Hawk And Beyond: The Wright Brothers and the Early Years of
Aviation written by Ronald Geibert & Patrick Noland
(A lesson in the history of Orville and Wilbur Wright)

AAA Tour Book State of North Carolina
(A guide to traveling through North Carolina)

AAA Tour Book State of Ohio
(A guide to traveling though Ohio)
References (teacher – internet)

http://www.wam.umd.edu/~stwright/WrBr/
Wrights.html
(A brief history of Wilbur and Orville including
pictures of their first flight.)

http://www.hfmgv.org/histories/wright/wrig
hts.html
(An online exhibit from the Henry Ford Museum)
References (student – books)

First Flight: The Story of Tom Tate & The Wright Brothers written by George Shea
(A small bit about the cooperation Orville and Wilbur has with Tom Tate while
building the Wright Flyer.)

Flying High With The Wright Brothers (A Dog’s Tale) written by Mary Maden
(A tall tale in regards to Wilbur and Orville and their experiences.)

Wright Brothers And Their Sister written by Lois Miller
(This book explores the relationship with the Wright’s and their sister Katherine.)

Value of Patience: The Story of the Wright Brothers written by Spencer Johnson
(Aviation was not created over night. Follow along with Wilbur and Orville through
many years of trial and error.)

The Wright Brothers: A Flying Start written by Elizabeth Macleod
(It all started with a dream of flying and ended with a mark on history through the
first airplane.)
References (student – books)

The Wright Brothers: Pioneers of American Aviation written by Quentin Reynolds
(Take a ride with Wilbur and Orville through their moments of revolutionary
discoveries.)

Ghosts Beneath Our Feet written by Betty Wright

The Wright Brothers: They Gave Us Wings written Charles Ludwig
(The pioneers if aviation, the Wright Brothers, were the beginning of an era that is
dependant of flying.)

The Wright Brothers and Aviation written by Steve Parker
(Join Wilbur and Orville as they track the monumental steps it took to create the
aviation forefront of today.)
References (student – internet)

http://hawaii.cogsci.uiuc.edu/invent/airmuseum.ht
ml

http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/aero/wright
(A look at aerodynamics and the origin of flight
from the god of flight themselves -- NASA)

http://tommy.jsc.nasa.gov/%7Ewoodfill/SPACEE
D/SEHHTML/ApoCom1.html
References (media – videos)

The Wright Brothers at Kitty Hawk (This Is America Charlie Brown Series)
(A child friendly look at all of the attempts before the Wright Brothers and during their trials of the
Wright Flyer.)

The Wright Brothers (Animated Hero Classics)
(The history of the first flight and the steps it took to get there.)

The Wright Stuff
(Wilbur and Orville had all of the components necessary to fly including determination and
desire.)

Wilbur & Orville Wright (Scientist & Inventors Set)
(The video take a scientific look at what it took to get the first flight off the ground.)

School House Rock: America Rock
(A look at the the great moments of history, from Wilbur and Orville to Thomas Edison and
many others.)
References (media – computer
games)

Maptastic Voyage: Explore the World of
Map Making and Geography CD-ROM
game

USA Explorer CD-ROM game (Learn
about the geography of the U.S. through
exploration and clues.)
References (media – maps)

Cram United States History Maps (A map
of the U.S.)

Cram World Map (A map of the World.)
References (media – interactive
games)

Geosafari: School Model
(quiz game)

Talking Globe: Interactive Quiz Game by
Geosafari
References (media – activity
books)

Geography Skills Activity Kit
(Build the knowledge of your student’s geography skills through many
activities and games.)

Super Stunts: World’s Best Paper Planes
(Much like Wilbur and Orville, learn how to build great paper
airplanes that out fly the old models.)

Cool Geography
(A great game on the components of geography.)

Geography Wizards For Kids
(A interactive game that allows students to act as the wizard that uncovers
the secret geographic location.)
References (media – posters)

Poster of Wright Brothers

Poster of Wright Flyer

Poster of First Flight
Reference (media – music)

Great Years In American History Music of
Historical Events
(Music from the era of Wilbur and Orville.)

The Song of the Wright Boys
(A song about the Wright Brothers and their
trials in aviation.)
References (media – models &
replicas)

Model of Wright Flyer

Replica of Wright Brother’s Bicycle Shop

Replica of Wright Brother’s Print Shop