100 Years of flight! Celebrate the Wright Brothers' legacy with this high-flying collection of activities, books, and Web sites.On December 17, 1903, the Wright Brothers ushered in the age of aviation. The first successful powered flight covered 120 feet--less than the length of the aisle on a 747--but it influenced the course of history. Show your class how two midwestern bike mechanics changed the world, with activities, books, and Web sites celebrating the centennial of their accomplishment. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Create Timelines Many of the books featured below include charts or timelines with important dates. As your students read and learn about the Wright Brothers, have them diagram, for example, the Wrights' lives, the evolution of the Flyer, or the history of aviation. Or have a group of students create a classroom-sized timeline that the rest of the class illustrates with drawings, diagrams, and captions. Grades four and up might want to graph the history of flight using the information from Into the Air: An Illustrated Timeline of Flight, by Ryan Ann Hunter (National Geographic, 2003). Because this book starts with the evolution of flying insects 360 million years ago, students will strengthen their skills in evaluating both long and short time periods. Go on the Air Turn your class into an early 20th-century newsroom by recording a radio program about the first flight. Invite your students to put together a script; they might use Elizabeth Van Steenwyk's One Fine Day: A Radio Play (Eerdman's, 2003) as a model. Students can then act as announcers and staff the production crew. Share your program with the whole school! Before Cellular Phones The Wrights announced their success with a telegram, a message sent along wires using a code of short and long pulses invented by Samuel Morse. With help from the International Morse Code Morse Code International Morse Code Letters A · – B – · · · C – · – · D – · · E · Chart (http://freenet.msp.mn.us/people/calguire/morse.html), have students use drums of different pitches to pound out dashes and dots. Or find out how to make a simple telegraph in Mary Kay Mary Kay is a brand of skin care and color cosmetics sold by Mary Kay Inc. Mary Kay World Headquarters is located in the Dallas suburb of Addison, Texas. Mary Kay Ash (d. November 22, 2001) founded Mary Kay Inc. on Friday, September 13, 1963. Carson's The Wright Brothers for Kids (Chicago Review Press, 2003). Understanding Plane Motion To help children understand plane motion, tape a cross of two strips of paper--one for the fuselage and one for the wings--to the back of each student's hand. With their palms facing down, have children wave their hands up and down, bending only at the wrist--this movement of the plane is called pitch (controlled by the elevator). Flip the hand palm side up and back--this is roll (controlled by ailerons on today's planes). Finally, with the hand palm-side down, bending at the wrist, move the hand from left to right--this is called yaw yaw, in aviation: see airplane; airfoil. See pitch-yaw-roll. (controlled by the rudder rudder, mechanism for steering an airplane or a ship. In ships it is a flat-surfaced structure hinged to the stern and controlled by a helm. When the ship is on a straight course, the rudder is in line with the vessel; if the rudder is turned to one side or the other ). [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Imagine the Future Have students explore early investigations into flight as well as the myths surrounding it. Good choices include Leonardo da Vinci's sketches of flying machines (www.aryana.co.uk/webdesign/images/antony/leonardo.htm) and the Greek myth of Daedalus and Icarus (http://wings.avkids.com/Book/Myth/intermediate/daedalus-01.html). Discuss the Wrights' achievement in the context of these legendary and historical aspirations aspirations npl → aspiraciones fpl (= ambition); ambición f aspirations npl (= hopes, ambition) → aspirations fpl . What is the next frontier for flight? Have students design their own flying machines of the future.--Submitted by Gail Hennessey RELATED ARTICLE: BEST BOOKS ABOUT THE WRIGHT BROTHERS THE WRIGHT BROTHERS [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] (Gr. K-3) By Pamela Duncan Edwards Duncan Edwards (October 1, 1936 - February 21, 1958) was an English international footballer. Born in Dudley, West Midlands, he signed for Manchester United in June 1952 as an amateur and turned professional on October 1 1953. . Hyperion, 2003; 36 pages; $15.99. The story of how the Wrights got off the ground is at its most basic here. A group of mice trying to duplicate the inventions provide scientific and humorous footnotes. The accurate, muted illustrations mimic vintage photos. MY BROTHERS' FLYING MACHINE (Gr. 1-4) By Jane Yolen. Little, Brown, 2003; 32 pages; $16.95. Younger sister Katharine Wright's perspective brings humanity to this reminiscence rem·i·nis·cence n. 1. The act or process of recollecting past experiences or events. 2. An experience or event recollected: "Her mind seemed wholly taken up with reminiscences of past gaiety" that begins when the brothers are boys. Yolen's prose reads like a personal letter, giving readers an inside look at the close-knit family. Oil paintings relay more details, such as Wilbur's habit of wearing mismatched socks. FIRST TO FLY: HOW WILBUR & ORVILLE WRIGHT INVENTED THE AIRPLANE airplane, aeroplane, or aircraft, heavier-than-air vehicle, mechanically driven and fitted with fixed wings that support it in flight through the dynamic action of the air. (Gr. 3-8) By Peter Busby. Crown, 2003; 32 pages; $19.95. This tribute's large format showcases the evolution of flight with full-page, vibrantly colored paintings, archival photos, diagrams, and explanatory sidebars that provide the historic context students need. A chart of important dates, a list of pertinent Web sites, and an index make it a good reference. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] THE WRIGHT BROTHERS: A FLYING START (Gr. 3-6) By Elizabeth MacLeod Elizabeth Macleod is a Canadian author. She is author of (2001), a biography of L.M.Montgomery (author of Anne of Green Gables). Among her signing appearances was a stop at the Bala Museum in Bala, Ontario, to commemorate a vacation the Montgomery family made to Bala in 1922. . Kids Can Press, 2002; 32 pages; $6.95. Another solid reference that includes interesting details not found elsewhere. Its size and design make information easy to find. Includes date charts of both the Wrights' lives and the history of flight, a list and description of Web sites, and an index. ONE FINE DAY: A RADIO PLAY (Gr. 3-7) By Elizabeth Van Steenwyk. Eerdman's, 2003; 32 pages; $16. Written as a radio script, complete with production notes and instructions on how to make your own sound effects sound effects Noun, pl sounds artificially produced to make a play, esp. a radio play, more realistic sound effects npl → efectos mpl sonoros , this book focuses on the one day that made all the difference. Some lines of dialogue may seem a bit unrealistic, but this is still a worthwhile book for an exciting lesson. FIRST FLIGHT: THE WRIGHT BROTHERS (Gr. 2-4) By Caryn Jenner. DK Publishing, 2003; 48 pages; $3.99. This book provides historic context for competent beginning readers. Illustrations complement the text and photos dominate each two-page spread. A simple graphic throughout lets students track the Wrights' progress chronologically, and a helpful glossary and index make research a snap. INTO THE AIR: THE STORY OF THE WRIGHT BROTHERS' FIRST FLIGHT (Gr. 3-7) By Robert Burleigh. Harcourt, 2002; 48 pages; $6. The writing in this graphic novel is precise, all contained within idea balloons. Bold illustrations draw the reader into the scene to experience aviation first-hand. No energy is lost in descriptive overkill overkill Vox populi An excess of anything in the comic book comic book Bound collection of comic strips, usually in chronological sequence, typically telling a single story or a series of different stories. The first true comic books were marketed in 1933 as giveaway advertising premiums. format, which is why cut-to-the-chase students love this genre. TOUCHING THE SKY: THE FLYING ADVENTURES OF WILBUR AND ORVILLE WRIGHT (Gr. 3-5) By Louise Borden & Trish Marx. McElderry, 2003; 64 pages; $18.95. Told in elegantly simple prose, this book details the journeys the celebrity brothers took years after their first flight, at the height of their fame: Wilbur's breathtaking tours of New York City New York City: see New York, city. New York City City (pop., 2000: 8,008,278), southeastern New York, at the mouth of the Hudson River. The largest city in the U.S. , when he flew with a canoe canoe (kən  `), long, narrow watercraft with sharp ends originally used by most peoples. strapped under his plane in case he crashed into the Hudson River Hudson RiverRiver, New York, U.S. Originating in the Adirondack Mountains and flowing for about 315 mi (507 km) to New York City, it was named for Henry Hudson, who explored it in 1609. Dutch settlement of the Hudson valley began in 1629. , and Orville's triumphant visit to Europe, where he allowed the crown prince of Germany to hitch hitch to fasten by a knot, usually used to describe tying a horse to a post. a ride. RELATED ARTICLE: WEB SITES THAT SOAR WRIGHT BROTHERS CYBERHUNT! www.scholasticinstructor.com Fly straight to Instructor's Web site for an exclusive Wright Brothers CyberHunt by Gail Hennessey. Students will investigate fascinating facts, such as earlier claims to first flight and the Wrights' struggle for recognition. WRIGHT BROTHERS AEROPLANE COMPANY AND MUSEUM www.wright-brothers.org This "virtual museum of pioneer aviation" features a history wing, information desk, lots of photos, and great links to other Wright Brothers resources, such as films and homework help. THE FIRST FLIGHT SOCIETY www.firstflight.org The Web site of the society dedicated to memorializing early aviators Well-known aviators People largely known for their contributions to the history of aviation While all of these people were pilots (and some still are), many are also noted for contributions in areas such as aircraft design and manufacturing, navigation or ; features the "First Flight Shrine," a hall of fame for fliers such as the Wrights, Amelia Earhart, and Charles Lindbergh. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] STORIES OF THE WRIGHTS' FLIGHT www.smithsonianeducation.org/educators/lesson_plans/wright A fascinating lesson plan that teaches students about the use of and difference between primary and secondary sources, such as a diary entry by Orville and a newspaper article about the historic flight. THE FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), component of the U.S. Department of Transportation that sets standards for the air-worthiness of all civilian aircraft, inspects and licenses them, and regulates civilian and military air traffic through its air traffic control www2.faa.gov/education/wright/wright.htm This site contains useful links to Wright Brothers info; the main FAA site also links to a fun quiz on aviation history. FLIGHTS OF INSPIRATION www.fi.edu/flights/first The Franklin Institute Franklin Institute, in Philadelphia; chartered and opened 1824 "for the promotion of the mechanic arts," the first of its kind in the country. It was named for Benjamin Franklin. Since the 19th cent. presents a narrative history of the Wrights' achievements, with a focus on how the brothers overcame a series of challenges to become the first aviators. The story of the first transatlantic flight | Transatlantic flight is any flight of an aircraft, whether fixed-wing aircraft, balloon or other device, which involves crossing the Atlantic Ocean — with a starting point in North America or South America and ending in Europe or Africa, or vice versa. is also told. |
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