PAPER AIRPLANES
BIG IDEA 12: MOTION OF OBJECTS
BENCHMARKS AND TASK ANALYSES
SC.4.P.12.1 Recognize that an object in motion always changes its position and may change its
direction.
The student:
 describes the motion of an object by its position and direction.
SC.4.N.1.1 Raise questions about the natural world, use appropriate reference materials that support
understanding to obtain information (identifying the source), conduct both individual and team
investigations through free exploration and systematic investigations, and generate appropriate
explanations based on those explorations.
SC.4.N.1.4 Attempt reasonable answers to scientific questions and cite evidence in support.
SC.4.N.1.5 Compare the methods and results of investigations done by other classmates.
KEY QUESTION
How does a paper airplane's design affect its motion?
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
A force is a push or a pull on an object. Forces can affect objects in several ways. For example, forces
acting on a stationary object can set the object in motion or they can change a moving object’s speed
and/or the direction in which it’s moving. A force can also affect an object by changing its shape. More
than one force can act on an object at the same time. Sometimes these forces are applied in the same
direction; sometimes they are applied in different directions. The net force on an object is the
combination of all the forces acting on it.
Motion can be described as a change in an object’s position. It takes force to change an object’s
motion. The greater the force is, the greater the change in motion will be. The more massive an object
is, the less effect a given force has. Something in motion will move in a straight line forever without
slowing down unless a force acts on it. Not all motion is linear (in a straight line). An object may
oscillate, move back and forth, about a fixed point. It may also have circular motion caused by
centripetal force, which keeps it moving in a circle instead of flying away.
Friction is the force that opposes motion between two surfaces that are in contact with each other.
Friction might prevent motion from starting, or it might oppose motion in progress. Gravity is the force
of attraction between objects that have mass. Since all objects have mass, gravity acts between all
objects. The strength of gravity between two objects depends on two things: the mass of the objects
and the distance between them. In this activity, the car accelerates as it moves down the ramp. This
acceleration is due to the effect of gravity pulling the car down. Gravity pulls all objects towards the
center of the earth with a force we call weight.
MATERIALS
Per class
Per student
masking tape
sheet of paper (copy, notebook, construction, etc.)
meter stick
scissors
permanent marker
box of paper clips
roll of transparent tape
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SAFETY
Always follow science safety guidelines. Use caution when flying the paper airplanes. Create a singledirection flight zone. Do not fly paper airplanes directly at another person. Be sure that students stop
flying their airplanes when other students are retrieving airplanes that have already landed.
TEACHING TIPS
Locate a large area for the “flight zone.” You can use masking tape, meter stick, and marker to create
a runway with a start line and distance marks. It is also best for safety to create a single-direction flight
zone.
ENGAGE
Play a game to help students visualize motion, including the direction and the changes in direction of
moving objects.
 Draw a horizontal line on the chalkboard. Ask the class to think of some object that moves
along a path like this (e.g., a marble rolling across a smooth floor).
 Draw a vertical line on the chalkboard. Ask what object might move along a path like this (e.g.,
a ball falling freely).
 Draw a diagonal line on the chalkboard. Ask what object might move along a path like this
(e.g., a plane landing).
When you feel the students have the idea, draw other “paths of motion” and see who can name them.
Some examples may be:
 handle of pencil sharpener as a pencil is sharpened
 pitched baseball
 rabbit hopping
 ball bouncing on the floor or down a flight of stairs
 pendulum
 pebble skipping across a pond
 reflector on the pedal of a moving bike
 skateboarder going down a ramp and then up a ramp
EXPLORE
1. Provide each student with a sheet of paper. Instruct them to make a paper airplane. Students
may state that they do not know how. Tell them to work with a partner and try their best. They
will get a chance later to improve their original design. Do not allow students to use other
materials at this time.
2. Allow students to test their designs in the flight zone. Ask students to observe and describe
the motion of the planes as they fly.
3. Students should return to their seats. Give them the option to modify their design by cutting,
folding, adding tape, using paper clips, etc.
4. Allow students to re-test their paper airplanes in the flight zone. Again, ask students to
observe and describe the motion of the planes as they fly.
EXPLAIN
What caused the paper airplane to take off? (The force, or push, of your hand/arm.)
What caused the paper airplane to land or crash? (The force, or pull, of gravity.)
What might have slowed the paper airplane down or caused it to change direction? (The force, or
push, of the air, friction, or wind resistance.)
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Did all paper airplane designs fly the same way? Why or why not?
Have students hold up their plane if it flew far and straight. What do these designs have in common?
Have students hold up their plane if it did loops. What do these designs have in common?
Have students hold up their plane if it curved or turned. What do these designs have in common?
Respond to the key question in science notebooks: How does a paper airplane's design affect its
motion?
EXTEND AND APPLY
 Check out books on paper airplanes or other oragami from the library/media center. There are
other folding designs that also demonstrate motion, such as jumping frogs and birds with
flapping wings.
 Save the paper airplanes until after the next lesson: Measuring Speed. Allow students to
measure the speed of their airplane designs using the same methods and chart.
ASSESSMENT
Teacher observation and completion of student notebook entries; evaluate science notebooks using
the rubric.
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MEASURING SPEED
BIG IDEA 12: MOTION OF OBJECTS
BENCHMARKS AND TASK ANALYSES
SC.4.P.12.1 Recognize that an object in motion always changes its position and may change its
direction.
The student:
 describes the motion of an object by its position and direction.
SC.4.P.12.2 Investigate and describe that the speed of an object is determined by the distance it
travels in a unit of time and that objects can move at different speeds.
The student:
 calculates the speed of an object by determining the distance it travels in a unit of time.
 explores that the speed at which things move differs greatly (some things move too fast or too
slow to be seen by the human eye).
SC.4.N.1.1 Raise questions about the natural world, use appropriate reference materials that support
understanding to obtain information (identifying the source), conduct both individual and team
investigations through free exploration and systematic investigations, and generate appropriate
explanations based on those explorations.
SC.4.N.1.2 Compare the observations made by different groups using multiple tools and seek reasons
to explain the differences across groups.
SC.4.N.1.4 Attempt reasonable answers to scientific questions and cite evidence in support.
SC.4.N.1.6 Keep records that describe observations made, carefully distinguishing actual
observations from ideas and inferences about the observations.
KEY QUESTION
What defines speed and how is it measured?
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Most of us have a personal idea of what is “fast.” Speed, however, is relative. What may seem fast in a
car is slow in an airplane. Speed depends upon your frame of reference. Most people would have no
concept of speed if it were not for their reference points. These might be buildings or electric poles that
seem to appear and disappear quickly when driving along the highway. Without frames of reference
and the vibration of the car, you would not realize that you were moving. In an airplane, your frame of
reference might be on the ground, another airplane flying in a different direction, or clouds through
which you are passing. Speed is defined as the distance traveled in a given amount of time.
Speed = Distance
Time
Comparative speed of different animals:
Swimmer:
8 km/h (5 mph)
Runner:
32 km/h (20 mph)
Sailfish:
104 km/h (65 mph)
Cheetah:
112 km/h (70 mph)
Duck Hawk:
290 km/h (180 mph)
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MATERIALS
Per group
1 Speed Classification Sheet & Cards
1 stopwatch
1 marble
1 calculator (optional)
1 meter stick
chalk/masking tape
Teacher
1 toy car
1 toy plane
SAFETY
Always follow science safety guidelines.
TEACHING TIPS
1. Locate an area, such as the hall or cafeteria, where you can mark off 25-meter distances from
a wall.
2. Show students how to use a stopwatch. You may want to assign a timekeeper, marble roller,
and recorder for each group or have them switch roles for each trial.
3. If your students are not familiar with the vocabulary (trial, distance, elapsed time, variables),
you will need to review before.
ENGAGE
1. Ask students to raise their hands if they think 60 mph is fast. Then ask students to raise their
hands if they think 60 mph is slow. Now take out a small toy car and plane. Hold the car up,
ask students to keep it in mind, and to raise their hands if they think 60 mph is slow. Hold up
the plane, ask students to keep it in mind, and to raise their hands if they think 60 mph is slow.
See if any of them changed their minds when you held up the visuals. If so, ask them to
explain why they changed their minds.
2. Distribute a set of Speed Activity Cards and a Speed Classification Sheet to each student
group. Ask students to place each of the 12 activity cards in the appropriate columns on the
classification sheet.
3. Listen to the dialogue that will take place among students. They probably will not agree on the
placement even within groups. Give them some time to reach consensus within groups.
4. On the board create a chart similar to the Speed Classification Sheet. Ask volunteers to write
items in the columns where their group placed them and to explain why they made that choice.
(Accept reasonable answers and encourage discussion.)
5. Tell students that everybody’s idea of speed may be different, but there is a way to measure it.
EXPLORE
1. Tell students they will find out how to measure the speed of a rolling a marble.
2. Have them record the following data chart in their notebooks:
Trial
Number
Distance of Roll
Elapsed Time
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Speed =
Distance/Time
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3. Students should use a metric measuring tape or a meter stick to mark a distance of 25m from
a wall and then use chalk/tape to mark a line at that point on the floor.
4. One student will kneel 2m behind the line and prepare to roll the marble.
5. When the student doing the timing says, “Begin,” the student will roll the marble toward the
wall.
6. Once the marble has crossed the line, the timer should start the stopwatch.
7. When the marble hits the wall, the timer should stop timing.
8. The recorder should record the time on the data chart.
9. Have students roll a second and then a third marble.
10. Students should calculate the speed by dividing the distance the marble rolled (25m) by the
time it took for the marble to hit the wall.
11. The recorder should record the speed for each trial in meters per second.
EXPLAIN
After students finish the activity, discuss the results.
Describe the motion/position/direction of the marble in each trial.
Which trial had the fastest speed?
Which trial had the slowest speed?
What was the average speed of all the trials? (Add the speeds from each trial together and divide by
the total number of trials.)
How did the speed change as the elapsed time changed? (As time increased, speed decreased. As
time decreased, speed increased.)
How would the speed be affected if the distance was decreased, but the time remained the same?
(The speed would decrease.)
How would the speed be affected if the time was increased but the distance remained the same? (The
speed would decrease.)
What two factors, or measurements, are used to calculate an object’s speed? (The distance traveled
and the amount of time it took to travel that distance.)
If force is any push or pull that causes objects to change their state of motion, what forces were acting
on the marble? (The student’s push, friction [between the marble/floor and marble/air], and gravity
were all forces acting on the marble.)
What variables may have affected the speed of the marble? (The force used to push the marble, the
surface over which it rolled, the mass of the marble, etc.)
Have students respond to the key question in their science notebooks: What defines speed and how is
it measured?
EXTEND AND APPLY
1. Try the activity again using marbles of different sizes.
2. Have students reflect on their recent trips to amusement parks. Which ride was the fastest?
How do you know? Students can do research on amusement parks to find out how fast the
rides travel.
3. Ask students to use library resources to find the top speeds reached by animals that run, fly,
and swim.
4. Use paper airplanes from the previous lesson and measure their speed using the same
methods and chart.
ASSESSMENT
Teacher observation and completion of student notebook entries; evaluate science notebooks using
the rubric.
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Speed Classification Sheet
Things that move
too slowly to be seen
Things that move
slowly
Things that move
fast
Things that move
too fast to be seen
Speed Classification Cards
SNAIL
RABBIT
PLANT
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LIGHT
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Science Notebook Rubric
Preliminary Thinking
Data Collection/
Observations
Conclusion/Reflection
Source: http://publish.learningfocused.com/5540515
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